Rhapsody of the SpheresEdited
by
Juliana Rew
(Third Flatiron Publishing, Summer/Fall, August 2023, pb, 260 pp.)
“The Solution to Everything is Disco” by Jenny Perry Carr
“And Lifts Her Leafy Arms to Pray” by Brian Trent
“One Last Night at Benny’s Magic Fantastic Cabaret” by Jeff Reynolds
“The United Flamemakers of Ravalli” by David Hankins
“The Day Luna Swallowed the Sun” by Akis Linardos
“Euterpe” by Maureen Bowden
“Let Sleeping Rock Stars Lie” by Bruce Golden
“Celestial Notes” by Robin Pond
“Peer-Reviewed Spellcasting” by M. A. Dosser
“An Autograph” by Stetson Ray
“Dog’s Body” by Edward Barnfield
“Dream Bones” by Neethu Krishnan
“Discordia” by Liam Hogan
“Matryoshka” by Douglas Gwilym
“A Touch of the Grape” by Sharon Diane King
“Lost and Hound” by M. R. Abbink-Gallagher
“Museum of the Multiverse” by Anne Gruner
“Physics for Witches” by Monica Joyce Evans
“Grand-Père’s Last Transmission” by Bev Vincent
“Changing of the Guard” by Taylor Dye
“Sunrise on Eris” by Mike Adamson
“The Stellar Instrument” by Brandon Case
“Opal World Frolic” by Jendia Gammon
“The Art of Music Surfing” by Lisa Timpf
“The Last Viceroy” by Julie Biegner
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
The latest volume in a long-running series of themed anthologies offers stories dealing with things that bring happiness. Inspired by the book’s title, many of the authors provide tales involving music.
The protagonist of “The Solution to Everything is Disco” by Jenny Perry Carr is a scientist working on a way to develop bacteria that can absorb carbon dioxide, in order to reverse global warming. A conflict with a rival leads to the serendipitous discovery of the key to success.
The thing that activates the bacteria strains credibility in an otherwise realistic story. The way the characters play petty tricks on each other makes them seem more like adolescents than adult professionals.
“And Lifts Her Leafy Arms to Pray” by Brian Trent takes place aboard a generation starship, away from Earth for two centuries. In a mysterious way, real trees replace the ship’s artificial ones. At the same time, naked women appear from nowhere.
The reason for these bizarre events transforms the story from science fiction to fantasy. There is not much more to this brief tale than the mixture of genres. One might wonder why the directors of the starship bothered to have fake trees in the first place.
“One Last Night at Benny’s Magic Fantastic Cabaret” by Jeff Reynolds is set in a version of the modern world in which secret supernatural nightclubs exist, much like speakeasies. The narrator visits one such club just before it is scheduled to shut its doors forever and experiences its magic.
The story is primarily a tribute to the power of music, particularly classic jazz. This wistful, nostalgic tale makes for very pleasant reading.
“The United Flamemakers of Ravalli” by David Hankins deals with a longstanding conflict between humans and dragons. The dragons form a union, leading to a contest between the species that ends in compromise.
This is a humorous fantasy, designed to appeal to those looking for light amusement. It ends with a song contest between princess and dragon, giving the author a chance to supply bits of doggerel. Readers may find these lyrics less appealing than the characters do.
The main character in “The Day Luna Swallowed the Sun” by Akis Linardos is an artificial intelligence, designed to eventually take control of a series of satellites orbiting the Earth, in order to protect the planet from an approaching comet. The AI, raised as a child, fears being downloaded from its temporary body into the system controlling the satellites, but faces its duty bravely.
The main appeal of the story is the character of the AI, even if it seems a little too human to be fully believable. Some of the story’s scientific content is questionable, and the author seems unclear about the definition of a Dyson Sphere.
The narrator of “Euterpe” by Maureen Bodwen purchases a music box that takes her into a world inhabited by a goddess. The deity offers her solace after she experiences an unhappy marriage and a miscarriage, and offers hope for a better future.
Firmly in the tradition of fantasies about strange little shops, this bittersweet tale mixes tragedy with happy endings. Some readers are likely to find it overly sentimental. The way in which the goddess heals the narrator’s suffering makes her almost literally a deus ex machina.
In “Let Sleeping Rock Stars Lie” by Bruce Golden, a dead musician returns to Earth to meet his former bandmates. He discovers that his music has been commercialized, and that his body may be removed from its grave to be buried elsewhere, against his will.
Mostly a tribute to classic rock music, this dryly whimsical tale offers a vision of the afterlife that is less than believable. The dead man’s fellow musicians seem hardly surprised at all when he returns, which is also implausible.
“Celestial Notes” by Robin Pond features a group of scientist/musicians brought together by an eccentric. The idea is to produce sounds that will communicate with the cosmos and reverse the extreme flooding that is drowning Earth.
The story mixes science, mysticism, disaster, and comedy in a chaotic way. Readers may be willing to go along for the ride, even if they don’t believe a word of it.
“Peer-Reviewed Spellcasting” by M. A. Dosser is a satire of academia. A magician submits a spell to a journal. One judge requests revision, while the other rejects it entirely. The magician deals with the latter in an unexpected way.
Those who have dealt with this kind of scholarly bureaucracy will best enjoy this parody of academic red tape. Others may find it foreign to their experience.
The protagonist of “An Autograph” by Stetson Ray is the adult daughter of a famous science fiction writer who has suffered a stroke. She acts as his secretary, now that he is unable to type for himself. A mysterious man comes up to her while she is in a coffee house trying to start her own writing career and asks for an autograph.
The speculative content involves a well-known concept from science fiction, which readers are likely to predict. The main character’s father and his debilitating illness have little, if anything, to do with the plot. The fact that he writes SF renders the story a bit too self-referential.
The narrator of “Dog’s Body” by Edward Barnfield becomes involved with a secret government project in a nation ruled by an authoritarian regime. At first, the project involves cloning animals. It soon becomes clear that something more sinister is in the works.
After an intriguing beginning, the story resolves suddenly with a change of government that ends the project. Readers are likely to regret not seeing more development of the premise. As in many works of fiction, the cloning process seen here does not accurately reflect the way it works in the real world.
“Dream Bones” by Neethu Krishnan is a very difficult story to describe. In brief, a woman wakes from a dream, enters a well, and obtains revelations from those who dwell within it.
This greatly oversimplified and misleading synopsis fails to capture the enigmatic nature of the story. The narrative is full of very long sentences and equally lengthy paragraphs, creating a dense work that requires much effort on the part of the reader. There are many unusual phrases, creating an evocative mood but offering little clarity.
The narrator of “Discordia” by Liam Hogan is selected to accompany the avatars of aliens visiting Earth. During a visit to a space research center, something about the origin of human life is revealed.
The story depends mostly on the revelation mentioned above, which gives humanity a new view of the solar system. The aliens’ philosophy, blending artistry with deity, is interesting; more so than the human characters, who are rather bland and ordinary.
The protagonist of “Matryoshka” by Douglas Gwilym is a pregnant woman obsessed by the number eleven. During an otherwise ordinary day, she has a vision of her unborn child that relates to her obsession. The story’s plot could be related in a few words, and the work is mostly of interest as a psychological portrait of the main character.
In “A Touch of the Grape” by Sharon Diane King, miscellaneous items from the estate of a recently deceased woman have magical effects on those who obtain them. In particular, a cluster of artificial grapes changes the attitude of a man who wants to obtain a rental space from the dead woman’s niece.
This is a whimsical, often silly story in which anything can happen and usually does. There are many references to popular culture of the 1970’s, resulting in a mood of humorous nostalgia.
“Lost and Hound” by M. R. Abbink-Gallagher is a surreal tale of a woman who leaves home and turns into a dog. She is able to telepathically communicate with the man who travels with her. When she is injured by a car, she takes up with the man behind the wheel.
This is a quirky tale that revels in its eccentricity. It seems to celebrate irrationality. Despite its strangeness, its jolly mood may resonate with some readers.
In “Museum of the Multiverse” by Anne Gruner, an alien with an extremely long lifespan listens to music created by humans, who went extinct long ago. He ponders the way they died out, and wonders if his own species should have helped them survive.
This is an introspective, meditative tale, without much plot. Readers looking for a quietly moody work are likely to enjoy it.
“Physics for Witches” by Monica Joyce Evans features an artist whose work is overshadowed by a rival, who paints works similar to her own. It turns out that her grandmother, a retired physicist and self-proclaimed witch, has linked her and the rival in a way analogous to quantum entanglement. It turns out she has an unexpected motive, which works to the advantage of her granddaughter.
The comparison between quantum mechanics and artistic imitation is unconvincing, and the story might have worked better without its references to physics. Some readers may appreciate the satiric look at competition in the art world.
In “Grand-Père’s Last Transmission” by Bev Vincent, the patriarch of a community and his wife journey throughout the universe with aliens. Over many generations, the two communicate with Earth about their travels. After the woman dies, the man sends one final message, bringing his voyages to an end.
The most interesting aspect of this story is the fact that the man becomes a legendary figure, as he sends messages to Earth over centuries. Much of the narrative is expository, as the man reminisces about how the aliens came to Earth and took two humans with them. As everybody on the planet is aware of this extraordinary event, this seems like an artificial way to provide background information to the reader.
“Changing of the Guard” by Taylor Dye involves two beings disguised as young people. They enter the home of a mother and her young child.
The story depends entirely on the true identity of the pair, which is revealed at the very end. Although the climax provides a striking image, one wishes that one could learn more about the two strange visitors.
“Sunrise on Eris” by Mike Adamson takes place on the dwarf planet mentioned in the title, located in the extreme far reaches of the solar system. A couple journey to the distant world and look back in the direction of Earth.
As may be evident, this is a mood piece, with little or no plot. The vision it offers of the vastness of space is effective, if nothing else.
In “The Stellar Instrument” by Brandon Case, a teenager would rather be a musician than take up a career in the visual arts, as his parents wish. He creates a new kind of musical instrument on a futuristic version of the Internet, hoping to reach an audience.
The author creates a plausible future, with advanced technology that seems very real. The teenager’s innovations lead to a powerful scene that draws the reader into the story’s imagined tomorrow. The main character is a realistic portrait of a talented but frustrated adolescent.
In “Opal World Frolic” by Jendia Gammon, a veteran of space wars has a price on his head. He and his sentient spaceship flee their pursuers and become involved in a scavenger hunt with a pair of aliens.
This is a fast-moving, tongue-in-cheek space opera, notable for the cantankerous artificial intelligence inhabiting the spaceship. Although the scavenger hunt is the key to the climax, readers never get a description of what it entails, which is apt to be disappointing.
As with previous volumes in the series, the book ends with a pair of very short stories under the rubric “Grins and Gurgles.” The first is “The Art of Music Surfing” by Lisa Timpf. It describes time travel via listening to old songs. The premise is an obvious metaphor for the way music can bring back memories. There is little else to this brief work.
“The Last Viceroy” by Julie Biegner describes the final day in the life of the sole surviving member of a particular species of butterfly. Contrasting with this are a newspaper report on the disappearing butterflies and a speech by the president of a fossil fuel company. The intended irony is obvious.
Overall, the book contains mostly short, simple stories, often containing only a single speculative idea, and written in straightforward language. Although there are a few exceptions, the majority of the works in this anthology would be appropriate for young adults new to science fiction and fantasy. Despite the large number of stories, the volume can easily be read in a single day. Readers looking for light entertainment should best enjoy the book.
Victoria Silverwolf ate some dragon fruit today.