BOOK TITLE: Cyborgs and Sorcery
AUTHOR: Marie Krepps
YEAR: 2017
GENRE: Fictional Short Stories
SUBGENRES: Sci-Fi and Fantasy
GRADE: Pass
A downtrodden cyborg must find four sacred items in order to
restore peace to the warring kingdoms in which she lives. A warrior and her
falcon companion must stick together in order to survive being hunted a clan of
monstrous wizards. A treasure hunter struggles to remain calm as her crow
companion keeps running his mouth in the middle of a search. A security guard’s
family prepares a huge dinner celebration for him knowing it could be the last
time they see him. Four tales of intense drama, cybernetic awesomeness, and
mystical wisdom have been unleashed onto the world by the always prolific Marie
Krepps. She proves once again that even the shortest of stories can pack the
biggest punch.
Of all the stories in this collection, my favorite would
have to be Mason’s Promise a.k.a. the one about the warrior and her falcon
friend. The kinship between Celeste (the warrior) and Mason (the falcon) is as
realistic as it is captivating. They have their arguments every now and then,
but in the end, they always have each other’s backs. If a story is going to be
called Mason’s Promise, you’d better believe there’s going to be some heavy
trust and familial bonding. While I won’t spoil the ending, I will say that
it’ll hurt worse than a falcon claw ripping your heart out. It hurts because
Marie Krepps makes you care about these characters. Her stories have always
been a vicarious experience for any reader, but this one exemplifies it the
most.
I’ve always praised Marie’s abilities to show instead of
tell and this short story collection will be no different. I’ve already
mentioned how much of a heart-wrenching story Mason’s Promise is. But what
about the others? What about Four Items (take a wild guess which one this is)?
A cyborg’s quest to find her own humanity is always compelling since there are
some humans in the real world who have the same struggle. Welcome Home, Brother
has an ending that nobody will see coming, but when it hits you, it hits like a
wrecking ball to the gut. Red Stone will be a huge deal for millennials due to
the wonderfully placed reference of a certain 1980’s cartoon about vehicles
that change into giant robots. Come to think of it, there isn’t a single bad
story in this collection. There’s something in it for everybody even if sci-fi
and fantasy aren’t your go-to genres.
One more strength I would like to point out is that Cyborgs
and Sorcery is, and I’m not completely sure on this number, the sixteenth book
published by Marie Krepps (if you’re counting stories she published under her
real name of Ashley Uzzell). No matter what the number actually ends up being,
this latest addition to her personal library shows that she has longevity in
her career as an author. She is durable when it comes to writing long novels
and she sneaks in a few short jabs with her collections. And the best part
about her having this much mileage? She’s still a young adult who has a bright
future ahead of her. If she continues to write wonderful stories like these,
she won’t have to worry about the future ever again.
If you’re looking for awesomely-written short stories that
will keep you entertained throughout this rollercoaster of a ride, look no
further than Cyborgs and Sorcery. Yes, it will feel like it’s over too soon,
but that’s the beauty of Marie Krepps stories: there will always be more
because she’s the iron woman of Generation Y. No matter what book of hers you
decide to pick up, she will never disappoint and she will earn your respect
from the very first line. Excellent work, Marie! How does a passing grade sound
to you?
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