Ten Sigmas & Other Unlikelihoods

Just when you think SF is dying, a talent like Melko comes along. Still early in his career, Melko has come up with two great shticks on which to build more stories and novels. This beautifully crafted collection includes examples of both, the alternant universe theme and the pod people theme. He has novels out using both themes that I intend to read next.

A collection of twelve fine science fiction tales, "Ten Sigmas & Other Unlikelihoods" is a deftly written anthology from author Paul Meiko, cited by Publisher's Weekly as a writer to watch. Filled with intriguing and interesting characters throughout, "Ten Sigmas & Other Unlikelihoods" is a top pick for anyone seeking a good science fiction short story collection and for community library collections. Also from Fairwood Press in the department of fine short fiction is "Where Angels Fear", by Ken Rand.

Ten Sigmas is a short story collection from Fairwood Press, an independent, small press due out on March 14th. All of the stories have been published before, but for those that haven't read any of Melko's work this is a great quick-boot into his work, especially since Melko is a relatively new voice (he has a novel out called Singularity's Ring; the world that it is set in is the same world as three of the stories in this collection). Ten Sigmas is an amazing collection of stories. It explodes with the title piece "Ten Sigmas", about a man connected to all his other selfs in alternate worlds and trying to stop a crime, and never lets up. Each story is unique and fantastic, and pretty much all of them are science fiction--except for the superhero one, which might be SF or it could be fantasy, or something else. The pod stories ("The Summer of the Seven", "Singletons In Love", and "Strength Alone") explore the future of a world where the Internet isn't the 'new wave' anymore, but collections of bonded humans, called pods, working together and sharing a consciousness are. There's even a story about traveling into other worlds ("Walls of the Universe") and one about the dangers of fiddling with the past ("The Teosinthe War"). I found myself engaged from start to finish, even during that superhero story ("Doctor Mighty and the Case of Ennui"), which had me smiling with it's exaggeration of the superhero cliches. There are more, of course, and each really pushes this collection into my top ten list for the year. They deal with issues of humanity and difference; the ethics of science and the stresses of inter-universe travel; single-consciousness and collective consciousness; the revenge of a former lover in a world of advanced policing technology and the genetic alteration and mistreatment of animals. Such a wide range of ideas and concepts give this collection the right touch of variation it needs to succeed. Melko is truly a powerful voice in SF, if these stories are any indication of his talent. I think Robert J. Sawyer was right. There is a blurb on the cover that says "A stellar new talent." I agree, Melko is a fantastic new talent. There's something to be said about someone who can take a POV tense that I dislike and make me love it ("Ten Sigmas" for example). Science never gets in the way, but seems to enhance the stories that really utilize it, giving a realistic feel. I'd never really heard of Melko before this and now I'm really grateful to have had the opportunity to read some of his work. He is brilliant and original. It's hard to pick favorites here. I actually love all of these stories. That being said, if you like SF in the short form, this is a great collection to consider. Ten Sigmas is a great representation of just how good the short form still is (despite falling subscription sales). (I've also done an interview with the author located here: [...])