Mare Somniorum

“Luminous” is a short story collection which also includes the title story.  There will be a small blurb about each story, as the stories are diverse both in quality and content.  Also, some are more interesting than others.  There are threads to be seen, the “I” or “self” is the major one.  Anyway, the stories are written from 1993 to 1998 and are served in chronological order.  To some extent, Egan shows his growth as a writer over this half-decade through the work itself.  And now, on with the show.

“Chaff” starts the collection and essentially asks what we’d change, if we could, about ourselves.  We manipulate our bodies, we always have, but we like to believe we possess a solid “self” that has an immutable core — that which is truly “us”.  Not satisfied with questioning the idea itself, Egan open-endedly asks the question what we’d do to this “self” if we could choose, at will, to change it.  “Chaff” takes its time getting much of anywhere but it is fairly distinctly written and is benchmark Egan in the technical sense.

“Mitochondrial Eve” asks where we come from, and how that defines who we are.  Both with regards to kinship and how we flock to “similar” people.  It’s quite well done and interesting to read, but never quite manages to grip and grab on.  Person-based stories aren’t Egan’s great strength, his ideas always seem to outshine the people they employ.

“Luminous” is, for the lack of a better word, informational.  It never hooked me, but this time the idea didn’t hook me much at all.  It’s interesting, but the sinker didn’t really catch me.  I suppose I should reread it and see if can get the premise better the second time around.  It all felt a bit void to me.

“Mister Volition” takes us deep into the realm of the self, building on Dennet and others view with regards to how the self works and functions.  It’s well written, well paced and the people / story relation sits very well.

“Cocoon”.  Ouch.  There are stories that touch deep things inside us and ask us to what extent we, as a species, actually accept — and why.  What would we change about the world outside of ourselves if we had the choice?   How would parents design their children if they were given the choice?  What would we filter out?  What do we genuinely find acceptable, if given a real choice?  The story is well woven, well written and less than pretty.

“Transitional Dreams”… This is of the most enjoyable short stories I’ve read in a long while.  It’s vintage Egan.  It’s as introspective as you can get while still having a physical story to tell.  What’s more is that it’s well told, very well told.  It is the type of story Egan does probably better than anyone.  A nod to “Permutation City”, awesome stuff.

“Silver Fire” is our first detective story, a trailblazing ride to find the carrier of a virus entombing people into a world of silver fire.   It doesn’t dwell to deeply on the people involved, which is probably good, and it does have its moments, but all in all it leaves me a bit unsatisfied.  It could do with some more polish, probably with less exposition. The “science” versus “faith” (or “spirituality”) angle isn’t new, but I’m not sure Egan is the man to tell just that story.

“Reasons to be Cheerful”.  Heh.  “I like it here”.  Yeah, I do.  It’s a different take on “what about your self would you change” that Egan likes to play with.  It’s a good story with a good arc, with a reflection upon the “normal” life we live that solidifies the deal.  Yummy.

“Our Lady of Chernobyl” is, for all I can figure, a take on man’s fallibility.  I must admit to being left a bit in the dark throughout the story, it just never gripped me the way Egan can when he runs with an idea.  The people again fall a bit short, even if the protagonist works decently well.

“The Plank Dive” nods to “Diaspora”.  It’s like watching a seedling and the blossom in many ways. But, the shocker of “The Plank Dive” isn’t that the story is good.  The shocker isn’t that the idea is mesmerising.  The shocker isn’t that the last story takes you beyond space and time.  The shocker isn’t even that the language is better than usual.  No, the shocker of “The Plank Dive” is that the core cast is… great.  The main three cast members take their stages and run with it.  Egan proves he can do people and do them well.  I loved “The Plank Dive”, just remember to bring your crash helmet.

The selection of stories is a good take on Egan, and it’s well worth reading.  The format also leaves it up to the reader to portion out time as required, which helps making Egan more accessible.  Shorter stories contain less data in total — even if the density of “The Plank Dive” can be daunting.  “Luminous” might serve very well as an introduction to Egan for newcomers, and it’ll illuminate his work for those who already know him.  So, go pick it up!