Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores, October 2020

“This Ends in Violence or It Never Ends” by Michael Ray

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

“This Ends in Violence or It Never Ends” by Michael Ray takes place aboard a spaceship journeying to a distant star in a voyage lasting centuries. The crew and passengers are aboard in the form of recorded brain patterns, downloaded into synthetic bodies when needed. The narrator is reincarnated in this fashion for the eighth time, without full memories of his previous lives.

None of the other members of the crew are awake, and the artificial intelligence controlling the ship states that an intruder has infiltrated its system. The narrator has to deal with this invasion, while remaining wary of the AI’s intentions, and trying to recall his prior incarnations.

The author offers imaginative technological speculation, while creating a suspenseful, fast-moving tale of survival. As the title suggests, the climactic scene may seem overly melodramatic to some readers.

Victoria Silverwolf had to go to work an hour early today.