Product Description

Speculative fiction is old; older than ancient Greek mythology, older than religion. Ancient peoples huddled around campfires, no doubt entertained one another with speculation through stories and fables, and attempted to rationalize the things by which they were mystified.

This collection of stories has no different purpose. When an author speculates about such things as the cosmos, spirituality, and the future of humanity, it is a continuation of ancient rites and pastimes that predate civilization -- and maybe even the written word.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6957638 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Review
"I highly recommend this book to any lover of short stories in any genre." -- S. Joan Popek, author of

"[Marcom] skewers scientific conceptions and challenges us again to think about his view of the world...." -- Cindy Lynn Speer, GWN Book Reviewer

"I highly recommend this book to any lover of short stories in any genre." -- S. Joan Popek, author of

"[Marcom] skewers scientific conceptions and challenges us again to think about his view of the world...." --Cindy Lynn Speer, GWN Book Reviewer

From the Publisher
You will find stories, herein, that resulted from the author’s curiosity, and from reading and research that he undertook in order to understand the world in which he finds himself. Where information was lacking, imagination held forth.

"Kiowa Nights" was born of the spiritual differences between the Anglo-American and the Kiowa religions. "Dracu’s Lament," explores the fringes of political correctness with a story about a clash between life style and techno-culture. "Alyse X in Wonderhood" shows what can happen when capital punishment is outlawed. "Refuge" is a "give it back to the Indians" story.

About the Author
Robert Marcom has authored both science and speculative science books. He writes from the perspective of a lifelong love affair with a quest to understand. Author of "Digging Up Texas" by Republic of Texas Press, he also delves into science fiction and fantasy in "Darkly, Darkly" published by Twilight Times Books. Robert is the founder of Net Author and the publisher of E2K.

Customer Reviews

Not-so-idle musings
"Darkly, Darkly" is a collection of short (sometimes extremely short) stories by Robert Marcom. I'll start with a brief synopsis of the collection, then comment on the strengths and weaknesses.

"Kiowa Nights" - This is a great, thought-provoking opening story about a cowboy, with Native American ancestry, who has an interesting late-night encounter with Lucifer, and faces an interesting choice. 5 stars.

"Gates of Ashtoroth" - So, what happens when someone is in the right place, at the right time, says the right words, and thereby undergoes a startling change? An interesting story with theological/spiritual implications. 5 stars.

"Dracus Lament" - What if vampirism were recognized as a valid alternative lifestyle, non-violent accomodations for the implied habits were found, and a vampire became bored with following the acceptable routes to . . . uh, shall we say, satiation? 4 stars.

"Estre's Night" - What if there were Estre, an immortal spirit with the personality of a lonely little girl, who sought playmates by entering the dreams of real little girls, but only on Halloween? A very short story, encouraging to not be too sure how we understand things. 3 stars.

"A Day's Work" - Here's a very short story about a very common scenario: getting lost in a video game, to the detriment of everyday obligations. This is one of the less interesting ones, for me. 2 stars.

"Welcoming Committee" - What is humankind went to explore an uninhabitable methane-atmosphere ice-planet, and it wasn't so uninhabitable after all, but the humans didn't notice? A very short story, but it makes you wonder. 4 stars.

"Winter of One Hundred Years" - "Witches" are caught by the Inquisition and punished. Oh, the consequences! A very short story that prompts the reader to re-think a major historical era. 4 stars.

"Cold Justice" - Another very short story about the Inquisition and witches, that simply provides one the chance to get a taste of what it might have been like then. 4 stars.

"Freighter's Gravy" - A truck-driver suffers an unfortunate incident and then faces a difficult decision. Or, maybe it isn't all that difficult, after all. In just a few pages, we get an amusing, thought-provoking story about the nature of life and death. 5 stars.

"Last Word" - A conversation between God and a person yields some thought-provoking ideas and a few chuckles. This one is very short. 3 stars.

"Reality Test" - A public service announcement from the year 2069, cautioning people about how to avoid destroying the Universe. Very short, but gives the reader something to wonder about. 4 stars.

"Alyse-X in Wonderland" - A young girl wanders about in a semi-abandoned futuristic city and has some very strange and titillating experiences. But, reality is not always what it seems to be. Not at all. 4 stars.

"Poetry" - A subsection featuring several poems by the author, dealing with religion, spirituality, life and death, and the nature of reality. Some interesting ideas are presented here. 4 stars.

"Old Salt" - This would make a great "Twilight Zone" episode. A man eats dinner at a diner, when a friendly stranger sits down to join him, and regales him with a fantastic tale that couldn't be true. Or, could it? Bravo! 5 stars.

"Beta One" - A soldier of the future roams an invaded city, trying to stay alive and inflict damage on the invaders. Whether any of this is real, might be unrelated to whether he survives or not. 5 stars.

"Refuge" - Two Native American herders encounter a life-threatening storm. Will they survive? Can they save the herd? What about their nearby village? The answers are quite surprising. A very short story, that still manages to hold a nice twist. 4 stars.

"The Quantum of Dharma" - A renowned researchers gets a scientific mission that he had dreamed of getting, and it leads to him being about to clarify many things about the Universe. But, he forgot the old adage about not counting your chickens before they hatch. 4 stars.

"Terwiliker, Time Trader" - What if humanity solved all of its problems, became bored, and had a craving to collect ancient artifacts. Well, just send traders back in time to fairly procure those artifacts, without messing up the time-line. A very nice time-travel story. 4 stars.

"The Prodigal" - This is the longest, most-developed, and best story of the collection, and could be developed into an excellent novel. Humanity has colonized a distant planet, but the colonists then lose touch with Earth. They send a scout back to explore the mystery, and a wondrous little story unfolds. 5 stars.

Overall: This is a generally well-written collection that is amusing, sometimes humorous, and often thought-provoking. Under the umbrella label of "speculative fiction," the author blends science fiction with some fantasy and some historical fiction. Some of the stories are under-developed and seem like sketches, instead of finished works of art, while others are very, very good. Even a few of the very short ones are excellent. The book is 118 pages, with many of the stories being three to four pages, some being one-pagers, and "The Prodigal" being thirty-five pages, as the longest. All deal with "What if?" questions and represents musings on the nature of reality, good and evil, life and death, and the Universe.