Review: mostly dark and bleak, but good reading
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 11, 2012
wow...some of these stories are so bleak..the kind of bleak that has you shaking your head after you read the last word...This is a different type of book for Scott and as he says in the afterword, most of them are from early in his career....these are primarily dark sci fi stories which is something that goes outside the norm for your usual Scott Nicholson book...All the stories are solid but there are a couple standouts:Floating Cathedral Song--Probably my favorite and the best of the bunch.  This story is very powerful and when the truth is revealed it'll leave you hollow inside.Doomsday Diary--A close second if not a tie with Floating Cathedral Song for my favorite of the bunch.  Presented as a series of diary entries written by a teenager that lives in a world that has determined when the end of the planet is coming..for a fact...and it's in six weeks...bleak bleak stuff..Angelorum Orbis--Another very good story.  It seems that most of these stories take place in a common universe where the world is run by the 'Aeropagus' Corporation.  A mysterious and remote entity that controls the entire world.  This is a story of their thirst for expansion and conquest of new worlds.  But how can you conquer a world that welcomes you with open arms?The Taste of Clouds--one common theme of these Aeropagus stories is 'time is money'..literally.  You don't buy things with printed dollars or even credits.  You purchase goods and services by shortening your own life. This is a story of a man spending his time the way he wants to..literally...this one is practically uplifting compared to the other bleak stories that precede it!Honesty--An interesting time travel story.  Entertaining...not bleak for a change ;)Those are the highlights..the other stories are good as well but those were my favorites.The E book comes with a bonus story Sands of Memory.  Another Aeropagus story about a man who would think he's a god on a remote asteroid.This is a very good collection but be warned, as I've said there is some very very dark subject matter in these books.  Entertaining for sure but save it for another time if you're looking for a pick-me-up! =)