Silurian Tales Volume 2

Introduction by Barry N. Malzberg

This is the second volume collecting Utley’s Silurian Tales, following November 2012’s The 400-Million-Year Itch. Presented in an internally chronological order, 16 stories and novellas continue the ongoing narrative of a scientific expedition that has traveled through a space-time anomaly to the Earth of 400 million years ago, during the Paleozoic Era. Utley focuses on an ever-changing cast of scientists and creative types, using them as mouthpieces to debate politics, religion, parallel universe theory, love, environmentalism, and other weighty matters. There’s an understated disdain for big business, a melancholy yearning for a pristine world, and a keen understanding of human nature running throughout the stories, many of which are linked only by shared characters. Playing with the many-worlds hypothesis, Utley hints at a much larger picture without giving straight answers. No aspect of the premise goes unconsidered in these intelligent, provocative character- and concept-driven tales, making this collection a treat for readers in need of a challenge.
– Publishers Weekly

Contents

1. Invisible Kingdoms
2. The Real World
3. Babel
4. “Another Continuum Heard From!”
5. Variant
6. The World Within The World
7. The Despoblado
8. The Wave-Function Collapse
9. Treading The Maze
10. Diluvium
11. Sidestep
12. Slug Hell
13. There And Then
14. Silv’ry Moon
15. The World Without
16. A Paleozoic Palimpsest

Silurian Tales Volume 1

Introduction by Gardner Dozois

For the first time, 18 of Utley’s intriguing Silurian Tales (and an additional original offering) have been collected and placed into chronological order, starting with the introductory “All of Creation”, in which a link to the mid-Paleozoic Siluro-Devonian era grants present-day people a unique opportunity to study the Earth of 400 million years ago. These stories range in tone and style as they explore a wide variety of topics. Utley eschews action in favor of character-driven tales and weighty discussions, tackling the many-worlds hypothesis in “The Gift Horse”, time travel in “The Age of Mud and Slime”, and theology in “Half a Loaf”. The real focus is on Utley’s thought-provoking exploration of the concept from every angle, since the sprawling cast and lack of obvious connecting narrative leave each story standing alone. The result is subtle but powerful, and will leave readers wanting to do their own research into prehistoric eras.
– Publishers Weekly

1. “All of Creation”
2. “The Woman Under the World”
3. “Walking in Circles”
4. “Beyond the Sea”
5. “The Gift Horse”
6. “Promised Land”
7. “The Age of Mud and Slime”
8. “The Wind Over the World”
9. “The Tortoise Grows Elate”
10. “Cloud by van Gogh”
11. “Half a Loaf”
12. “Chaos and the Gods”
13. “Foodstuff”
14. “Chain of Life”
15. “Exile”
16. “The End in Eden”
17. “Lost Places of the Earth”
18. “A Silurian Tale”
19. “The 400-Million-Year Itch”