The Talosite
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- USD 4.99
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- USD 4.99
Descripción editorial
It's 1916, during the First World War, in an alternate world where resurrection is possible. Anne Markham, the daughter of a celebrated neurologist, is reusing the bodies of the dead, combining them into new forms and sending them back into combat, building creatures so complex, and so enormous, that they can encompass all of the fallen.
It's not life as you or I live it. It's not pain or thought as we know it. It's a different order of existence, and what arises is no longer man. They're all dead, but dead doesn't always mean what it used to. All flesh has an afterlife. And from that perspective, are we not angels, ushering them from one form to the next?
He was made of copper wire and electrical sparks and aethereal fluid and hyphae ... emerging in the mist of dawn.
Praise for The Talosite
"Rebecca Campbell's novella The Talosite is further proof she is a supremely gifted writer. She's invented a strange, dark, compelling, and poignant alternative world in which the dead can be resurrected. An absolute must read!"- Paula Guran, Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror
"An intricate false history of World War 1, an emotional and stylish reimagining of Frankenstein and centuries of reanimation legends, The Talosite fixedly explores the unfathomability of both love and mass death."
- Naben Ruthnum, Author of Helpmeet, and A Hero of Our Time.
"Campbell captures the perfect voice in this deftly-crafted alternate history that explores both wonders and horrors and the blurred space where the two bleed into one. A tale of science and war that is at once fantastical and frightening for how plausible it feels. A meticulously-built alternate history set against the backdrop of WWI, weaving in dark and fantastic elements that bring to mind the classic science fictional horror of Mary Shelley. Classic and timeless."
- A.C. Wise, Author of Wendy, Darling, and The Ghost Sequences.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Campbell (Arboreality) puts her own spin on the mad scientist trope in this underdeveloped alternate history of WWI in which reanimating corpses is a common practice. The narrative alternates between soldier-turned-body-snatcher Ned, and Anne, the scientist who employs him. In the wake of her brilliant father's death, Anne has taken up his mantle as reanimator, bringing dead soldiers back to life and sending them right back out onto the battlefield. She finds beauty in her increasingly odd creations and joy in constant innovation, pushing herself to create ever more unconventional amalgamations of the dead—even as the larger world grows ever more disturbed by her work. The story unfolds in gruesome and gothic manner, but even at novella length, the plot feels stretched thin. The dark, fascinating premise will be enough to draw readers in, but many will wish there was more to chew on here.
