Merge / Disciple: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion
With its second installment, Mosley’s Crosstown to Oblivion series, which combines two short novels in a single book in the manner of the old Ace Doubles, shows some genuine promise. This pairing is a definite improvement on the first installment, the often unfocused The Gift of Fire/On the Head of a Pin (2012). Here, both stories are solid. Each involves men whose lives are suddenly changed for the better. Disciple’s Hogarth Tryman is elevated by the actions of a mysterious stranger from wage slave to head of a major corporation; Merge’s Raleigh Redman sees his entire life altered, on an almost spiritual level, by an alien visitor who offers him an amazing gift. Of course, there are catches: Merge’s alien visitors are fleeing their own dying world and must merge with humans to survive, and Disciple’s mysterious benefactor has some ominous reasons for helping Hogarth. Mosley’s writing is more sure-handed here, and his characters are more fully realized. If he maintains this level, or kicks it up another couple of notches for the next installment, Crosstown to Oblivion could turn into something special. --David Pitt