Twenty Epics now Available July 13, 2006 – Posted in: Aberrant Normalcy, Altered Fluid, Sybil's Garage

An epic story, paraphrasing the definition from Dictionary.com, is a story that surpasses the usual or ordinary in scope or size. Yet the editors of the anthology Twenty Epics, David Moles and Susan Marie Groppi, told the contributors that they would be paid less the more words they wrote. Therein lies the conundrum. How to tell a grand story in as little words as possible? There are no 1200 page peregrinations in the spirit of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings or Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun. Instead, in mostly less than 10,000 words, (or approximately 30 pages) each author weaves a tale both grand and pointed, spanning from the farthest depths of time and space to the inward depths of the heart.

Personally, I have heard six of the authors read from this anthology, but via the channel Alan DeNiro we were able to experience the presence and words of fourteen others. Anthologies come and go, but I have a feeling this one will stay. It will stay in your mind long after you have read it because a book like this, with so many talented authors and superb stories, doesn’t come around very often.

2 Comments

Paul M Berger July 13, 2006 - 09:30

So, the long-awaited Twenty Epics is now an actual book, and it’s published and available on Amazon. The stories in this anthology blend high fantasy and science fiction and slipstream; each explores the themes and emotions that make an epic, and each approaches the question from a unique angle. It’s an amazing collection of work. I had the chance to meet several of the other contributors recently, and it’s an amazing group of people as well. I am proud and flattered to be part of this effort. Editors David Moles and Susan Marie Groppi have done a wonderful job selecting the stories and putting the book together.

“The Muse of Empires Lost’ is my contribution. To my mind, one of the most compelling aspects of an epic is that it’s a story with a big setting and a big past, and the labors of generations finally come to a head. This was my chance to play with that. What’s it about? It’s your basic tale of a collapsed civilization in the belly of a giant space squid, and the unsavory telepath who wants to re-establish a galactic empire. Where did the idea come from? I suppose I’ve got some creepy friends and a deep respect for cephalopods.

Matthew Kressel July 13, 2006 - 09:33

Thanks Paul. It really is a great story.

David Moles’ blog has more about Twenty Epics, and links to comments by other contributors.