Note from the Editor: Rhapsody of the Spheres

     Greetings, speculative fiction fans!

My company, Third Flatiron Publishing, has released its summer-fall collection, Rhapsody of the Spheres, a collection of SF, Fantasy, space opera, and hopepunk short stories.

 The dictionary defines a rhapsody as “an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling.” In ancient Greece, a rhapsody was also part of an epic poem of a suitable length for reciting. Edie Brickell waxed rhapsodic about a smile on a dog, and Queen and Liszt gave us their musical Bohemian and Hungarian rhapsodies, respectively.

Our authors have given us their opinions of fictional what-ifs that might make us happy, and we're even including a bit of epic poetry. We're proud to point out that all of our authors claim to be people rather than AI, so the human connection is very real here.

Space opera is one of those genres that some might say verges on the operatic, while exploring the mysteries of the universe. For real-life amazement, we recommend a science news article in The Atlantic Magazine about how gravity waves pass through us all:

"Scientists Found Ripples in Space, and You Have to Buy Groceries," by Adam Frank (June 30, 2023) https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/06/universe-gravitational-waves-nanograv-discovery/674570/

 Jendia Gammon's space opera, "Opal World Frolic," anchors Rhapsody of the Spheres, in which a cyborg soldier meets all sort of beings on a planetary system quest. Brian Trent treats us to a space opera/fantasy mashup about a space colony with unauthorized trees, complete w/ dryads, "And Lifts Her Leafy Arms to Pray." Akis Linardos's AI protagonist builds a Dyson Sphere to protect humanity, in "The Day Luna Swallowed the Sun." Mike Adamson's astronauts enjoy the sun from afar as they visit a newly discovered dwarf moon in "Sunrise on Eris." Visits from advanced aliens take the stage in Bev Vincent's "Grand-Pere's Last Transmission," in which humans receive an invitation, and Liam Hogan's serendipitous "Discordia," in which aliens reveal that Earth's origin may have just been a "happy accident."

For those into hard scifi, we think you'll enjoy "Dog's Body," Edward Barnfield's tale of bioscientists working on an isolated island lab to clone domestic animals in preparation for a related secret project. We offer an imaginative time travel tale from Stetson Ray ("An Autograph").

Or should we call it RAP-sody? Many of the stories we received involved music and its power to change the world. Our anthology leads off with Jenny Perry Carr's "The Solution to Everything Is Disco," about a discouraged lab researcher who experiences a eureka moment when she lets the beat drop. Anne Gruner's "Museum of the Multiverse," imagines an eternal species that loves the music of the long-extinct human race. We direct you to Robin Pond's tale, "Celestial Notes," about a scientist who assembles a dissonant musical performance to save the world from climate catastrophe. Jeff Reynolds describes "One Last Night at Benny's Magic Fantastic Cabaret," for the jazz lover in us all. Even immortalized rock legends can undergo some ch-ch-changes in Bruce Golden's "Let Sleeping Rock Stars Lie."

Epic poems and mythology: We mentioned that epic poetry is sometimes called a rhapsody. Emily Martha Sorensen took up the challenge to write her poem about the origins of the Trojan War, "The Arbitration of Beauty." Happiness sometimes needs a bit of help from the goddess, in Maureen Bowden's "Euterpe." In Neethu Krishnan's "Dream Bones," a sleepwalker swims into the world of dreams to enlist as a dream keeper.

Fantasy and magic are always good to lift our spirits, right? A princess brokers a détente between humans and dragons with her song, in David Hankins's "The United Flamemakers of Ravalli." If you're a scientist, you might have wished you had magical powers to get to the solution, or at least to have your hard work recognized. Check out M. A. Dosser's "Peer-Reviewed Spellcasting." Monica Joyce Evans's "Physics for Witches" paints an artistic picture with quantum mechanics.

Family matters: Family can be both a challenge and the source of the greatest happiness, as shown in Brandon Case's futuristic social media foray, "The Stellar Instrument." Motherhood is strange and wonderful in Douglas Gwilym's "Matryoshka." Sharon Diane King's psychedelic "A Touch of the Grape" brings us family nostalgia at its best.

Then, there's always hope: 'Lor' willing and the creek don't rise' is an old Appalachian expression that things are bound to get better with enough focused intention. Lovely hopepunk stories that ring true (but weird) include Taylor Dye's "Changing of the Guard," in which two supernatural beings are on a mission to save a sick child, and "Lost and Hound," featuring M. R. Abbink-Gallagher's trippy tale about a telepathic dog who thinks deep thoughts.

As usual, our Grins & Gurgles flash humor section offers a chuckle, in "The Art of Music Surfing" by Lisa Timpf, as well as an ironic look at the last days of a butterfly, in Julie Biegner's "The Last Viceroy."

 

At one time, dozens of paddle steamers plied the rivers and canals of Scotland. The seagoing Waverley, pictured here, remains a tourist's delight, referred to by some as a "Hebridean Rhapsody." We hope you enjoy the many meanings explored in Third Flatiron's Rhapsody of the Spheres anthology.