Tales from the Polyverse

Book excerpt: The first tale in this collection of ten short stories describes a universe that accidentally discovers how to give its people superpowers. But with heroes come villains, and at times it’s difficult to tell them apart. Next it’s on to a universe where cat people have developed a means of commercial interstellar flight. After that, galactic intrigue develops when several governments try to locate a simple star fighter pilot who is not what she seems. Then it’s on to a dystopian world where its star has changed colors. The ensuing carnage destroys civilization and ecosystems around the planet. One of the destroyed cities, known now as Skeleton City, lives on even in death. This is followed by a lighthearted look at a combination of science fiction and magic in which the author has created all new rules. In a future where Earth is attacked by a race that “seeks to bring peace to the galaxy,” the aliens’ idea of peace is death. Travel to a different world where the population receives a human signal, but most don’t think it’s real. Those who do must meet in secret to decipher the code. What would happen in a world where companions are manufactured to do whatever they are told? The most popular models, of course, are feminine in appearance. In one story, a young man must learn all he can about mysticism before he goes to an arcane postsecondary school. In the final story, Crocs have attacked Earth and have nearly wiped out humanity. Those who survive try to kill the enemy, but at what cost?