"False Vacuum" by Gregory Feeley
"Strawberry Fields" by Ilsa J. Bick
"D'Une Étoile Éloignée" by Beth Bernobich
"The End of the Dance, The Beginning" by Richard Parks
"Hierarchy of Need" by Jennifer Busick
"Impossible Odds" by Linda J. Dunn
"The Diagnostic Feast" by William Shunn
"The Wolf God" by Paul Bates
"Interim Discussions" by Christopher Rowe
"The Court of High Renown" by Cherith Baldry
"Ode to a Bod" by Andrew Burt
"How the God of Fire-and-Rain Came to Be" by Robert E. Rogoff
"Flow" by Lawrence C. Connolly
"Out of Memory" by Brian Springer
"The Malcontent" by Stephen Eley
"Transitory" by Brian Plante
"Spiral Horn, Spiral Tusk" by Leigh Kimmel
"Circle of Life" by Lisa Silverthorne
"Written on the Wind" by David D. Levine
"Faces at the End of Time" by Vera Nazarian
"Rite of Passage" by Lawrence Fitzgerald
"The Kem May in Safe Pastures Feed" by Susan J. Kroupa
"Star Scent" by Justin Stanchfield
"A Conglomeration of Bees" by Kiel Stuart
"The Passing of Guests" by Jake Lake
Fifth book in the Darkfire Anthology Series and Sherwood Smith's first anthology, Beyond the Last Star: Stories from the Next Beginning offers 25 stories of the optimism (and at times arrogance) that is often particularly human, pushing everything past what should be an ending. Thankfully, the anthology avoided possible drudgery and the result is an overall solid collection.
Perhaps reading too much into a surprise ending, Gregory Feeley attempts to give a literary example of his "False Vacuum." While the story begins with the interesting Najmat and Malik, they are obviated from Rebecca's universe by former humans, now a collective of nanomachines anticipating future time/space events. A stronger choice could have been made to start the anthology.
Like a twisted fugue dissected and rebuilt in chaos, Ilsa J. Bick gives us a house that Jack is trying to destroy but doesn't know why in "Strawberry Fields." Real desperation comes through as Jack struggles on a writing assignment to answer the question posed by the anthology. Interspersed are mathematical blurbs, instructions to the reader. With such a satisfying ending, it vies for top story in the collection.
Almost a dip into the truly dark, Beth Bernobich's unbound gargoyle pauses in its usual existence in "D'Une Étoile Éloignée" to pursue an angelic creature. But all is not what it seems as the ancient lovers reunite giving the reader but a glimpse. Overall a good transition for the next story.
In "The End of the Dance, The Beginning," by Richard Parks, we get the first of the abstract universe stories and a charming short about Mahagana, who comes from nothing and begins to dance. Details add complexity to the universal music but Mahagana is lonely and stops. In response, a New One is created and they waltz off together.
When a single lock of auburn hair so eloquently expresses the simplest of an unknown need, that act of inanimate intimacy aptly sums up "Hierarchy of Need," by Jennifer Busick. From the start, it seems another story of lonely space trader answering the call of distress. But the details will differentiate as Elex unfolds to help Asarya, both of them never meeting but bound by need.
And if you are keeping count, that's four love stories in a row.
Cleansing the palate with a God-starts-over theme, Linda J. Dunn cleverly changes human details to take away our superiority in "Impossible Odds." However, you can't keep hermaphroditic amphibious Man down long. By the time God returns, his greatest creation dominates again. Even in this brief story, environment of altered humans is interesting and I would love to see more set here.
In "The Diagnostic Feast," by William Shunn, we get another abstraction of polydimensional God-like beyond humans, where three sisters converge for a tradition of meeting as lower matter. Between the banter and teasing of past feasts, new dimensionally restrained experiences are created for them, reminding them of the purpose of emotion. Although the vehicle of the sisters arguing grows tiresome, the back story and discussion are worthwhile.
Paul Bates gives us a very brief tale in "The Wolf God," almost out of place in the collection; a fable between old and young wolf with an unsettling end.
Another three entity discussion comes out to play in Christopher Rowe's "Interim Discussions," at times reeking of the triviality of a typical corporate brainstorming meeting. The ultimate outcome of Rowe's lizard, crystal, and old man sets up nicely for the next in the collection.
Never fear, Cherith Baldry's bit of sword and dragon fluff, "The Court of High Renown," has a touch of staying power. Getting to the end of the story with your wits intact as Queen Audiarde and entourage battle their own apathy is truly a feat. Oddly, it is the promise of a beginning and an end to the "games" that puts everything into perspective. Three cheers for cranky Gervais!
"A motley collection of second-best-of-breeds amalgamated in one empty self-aware cup." And Andrew Burt's unnamed far future human descendent proceeds to aptly define bod-less humanity in "Ode to a Bod."
In a humorous vein reminiscent of Douglas Adams, the eventual meat of Robert E. Rogoff's "How the God of Fire-and-Rain Came to Be," is between Starseeder 1108 and a sub-program, Bastard Son. While Starseeder 1108 seeks to find a suitable earthly biosphere to allow Earthly life forms to "go forward and multiply," Bastard Son has other ideas. But then the "One True Universe" has other ideas, but then the real "One True Universe," and it goes on.
In "Flow," Lawrence C. Connolly gives us a world where humans as we know them are distant, only remembered by their ruins; and an amphibious species fashions biological tissue to craft cities. One of these, an archeologist to our thinking, discovers an ancient horror among the ruins. His ingenuity saves his people. An interesting read but less about humanity than the new alien population.
Archaeology is the segue into "Out of Memory," wherein Brian Springer gives us human descendents without bodies, almost functioning as neurological computers. Christopher is looking for chips with AI, mertrons. Becomes fascinated with an entertainment chip, Cindy, but a teaching chip, Timmy is more clever and takes over, ready to repopulate the universe with non-meat people that can also reproduce. Humans beware. Told in journal form, loved the twisted ending.
Another good transition finds Stephen Eley's "The Malcontent," trading evil chips for cranky Nicholas, alone on his isolated moonlet. His staff, or plebiate, tries unsuccessfully to find him a mate. Revealed at the end to be told by a member of the plebiate as a propaganda love story.
Yet more God-like creatures making universes, but Brian Plante's "Transitory" stands out. Even though Deo's universe is more chaotic and all his friends hate it, the combinations have spawned people. Fascinated, he says hello and is regarded as God. Over time, the humans figure out how to transcend matter, and just in time as Deo's buddies stop by and dismantle his chaotic universe. A chewy twist on God starts a repeating universe theme.
In Leigh Kimmel's "Spiral Horn, Spiral Tusk," Rissa can communicate with dolphins but she is indentured to Cloudsley and he wants a unicorn horn. After their ship wrecks, she saves him, he gives her her freedom, everybody's happy except the dead aquatic unicorn and all the dead sailors. Story sticks out of the collection as very out of place. Biographical notes state Kimmel is working on a novel of adventures about Rissa and Sir Cloudesley; this entry reads like an excerpt.
After the end of the current Earth Sun's life, one human evolves to beyond mortal status and creates a new humanity. Compact but powerful, Lisa Silverthorne gives us the optimistic outlook for humans beyond with "Circle of Life."
David D. Levine offers the well-crafted "Written on the Wind" about non-human linguists struggling to decipher a message from the beginning of the universe. Luulianni fights bureaucracy to break the code with startling results.
When everyone else is freakishly optimistic, Vera Nazarian offers a more human, pessimistic view of the end of everything with the strength of hate in "Faces at the End of Time." But through polarity recycling, the birth of the next universe has a "blueprint of longing and regret." We can't help but be optimistic to the last.
A veiled commentary on the future of biological and social engineering, Lawrence Fitzgerald's "Rite of Passage" gives us one of the longer stories about what it takes for a human to get citizenship to the alien world of Arcturas. Jeremiah is the second human to figure it out after a lifetime of Life Shaping and then drifting among a millennium of striving humans. The answer might surprise you but it fits as a transitory theme: power, and who in the universe controls it.
In Susan J. Kroupa's "That Kem May in Safe Pastures Feed," we receive another decode-human-message-from-the-past story, told around a fight to save the Sebatus family farm. Interplay of Bach and ultimate farm decision is a little forced but concept and description of the music heard through future ears is intriguing.
The other candidate for best of the collection, Justin Stanchfield delivers "Star Scent," a story of a genetically engineered creature, Vin Barka, who can smell the stars. Assisting with fighting the war against the all female Solists, he makes a pact with Kantae, the Prime Librarian. He shows her the destruction of her goddess and she clones him. For his efforts he is betrayed but finds immortality. A must read.
Fanciful musings by Kiel Stuart in "A Conglomeration of Bees," centers on the changes nature makes to fit the conditions. Ambient parts cloud the meat of the story but still fit with the mood, i.e. the heat and the swarming sentient bees.
Last of the abstract-end/beginning-of-the-universe stories and the absolute best choice to end the collection, Jay Lake's "The Passing of Guests" gives us God's guests, Ahriman and Port. Ahriman comes back from the dead with a message from God, and some nifty algorithms for Port to choose from. Port, a tangible vessel afloat in the rapidly decaying, deflating universe, is his oldest and first friend. They choose to make a new universe, and "knew everything, for a moment, before they became everything new."
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Sharon R. Turner lives in the Kansas City area and spends her time writing, reading or looking for a paying job. A featured writer for SiliconSalley.com since 2000, she is also active in Broad Universe (broaduniverse.org). She maintains a personal Web site at www.writing2escape.com.