DYSTOPIAN GALAXIES is a collection of twelve unrelated stories and poems that explore different visions of what the future might be like after humanity has expanded beyond Earth. Although none of these stories take place in the same galaxy, they share a theme of unchanging human nature and the dangers of refusing to adapt to a shifting world. While several offer hope of change and reconciliation, others warn against the drastic consequences of failing to learn from past mistakes.
Love, family, and hope are explored in a variety of worlds, ranging from inhospitable earths where people are crammed into cities of millions and the only hope comes from alien gold to a legendary mountain range whose unnatural stability is challenged by the forces of technology that threaten an avalanche. From plagues that warp DNA to raids that threaten the lives of innocents, the dystopian futures imagined in this collection will inspire and provoke.
VEGA: WEATHER MALFUNCTION
Thunder strokes the atmosphere
Reverberates in sidewalk stalls
Wires pull protectively
Retreat against the sleeting rain
Inward draws the storefront signs
Until the streets are bare
Safe behind the acid shield
Under stalls now turned to guard
Rows of eyes both flesh and mech
Await each crash with tangent fear
Sidewalks sizzle asphalt mulch
The city waits protected
Lightning flash ‘gainst tower ridge
An epic siege of human lives
READ MOREPetrified by rain that burns
‘Til city power be restored
Weather bent to human pride
And clouds dispersed once more
COLLAPSEMP on Amazon wrote:These stories are some of the first stories in a while that have truly left me feeling actual emotions towards them. They pull you in and keep you there. Also, I had never thought of such a thing as dystopian poetry before now, but it works.
No one knows what the future holds but this intriguing collection by Anne Winchell, consisting of six short stories and six poems, gives us a variety of possibilities. Throughout the history of the genre, science fiction has had the ability to serve as reflection of society. This collection expertly does that throughout... These six stories, along with the six poems, are a fantastic collection! I know I will be revisiting these stories for years to come.