Review: Fantastically Dark Collection
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 1, 2011
The First is a magnificent collection of short stories that really showcases the breadth of imagination, talent and skill of the writer in the fascinating world of Dark FictionSplit into two halves - the collection offers an array of themes, from the grand Sci-Fi of the Aeropagan Cycle to doom laden accounts of the End of Days, a skip through Flash Fiction and a few stand out tales - representing the variety of published Fiction that the writer has accumulated over the years.The first half - Phantasmia - features a mix of fantasy horror and fantastical visions, including the stark horror of isolation in Penance, the drug-addled scrawlings of a teenager in Doomsday Diary and the desperate desire to be selected in The Shaping.The second half forms the Aeropagan Cycle - an Empire of conquest rampant in its inexorable growth that manages its resources by allotting all citizens a lifespan that is used to purchase experiences. An enjoyable life comes at a price of a shortened existence.From the arrogance of the ill-fated explorers in Angelorum Orbis, to the bravado of youth in The Taste of Clouds and the twisted, almost steampunk visions of Tellers - this is a view of an efficient but disturbing society that reflects a twisted belief of the value of existence.At times disturbing, always entertaining and clever - The First is a great starter for anyone wanting to get into Scott Nicholson's work. I first read his output in the collaboration Mostly Human, written with the other award-winning authors Steven Savile, Steve Lockley and William Meikle, and decided to see what else he had come up with. I was not disappointed.At this bargain price, and with an afterword by the Author and another Aeropagan story (his first ever published to boot) as a freebie - this book is definitely recommended.