On Ephemera – Short Fictions and Anomalies by Michael Ferguson

 

So today, instead of gory stories, poems or digressions about X, Y and Z, what I bring you is a review of a book I have recently read by my friend and fellow co-author – who also happens to be my Wolf Soul story editor and proofreader – Michael Ferguson.

Last September, Michael saw his first book, Ephemera– Short Fictions and Anomalies – see the light of the day. Ephemera is a compilation of short stories with themes that vary from alien invasions to dedicated housewives who take revenge on their slothful husbands, from the sacrifice of virgins to a volcano to twists on Rapunzel’s fairy tale. And by the way, except for the last short story, none of them has a happy ending. I trust that if you read my blog, you aren’t much into happy endings either, so this will just make you shrug your shoulders.

The below is a short review of the five stories I enjoyed the most but if there is one thing I can say about Michael is his attention to detail, his dark, sarcastic humor and his talent for description which makes the reader actually SEE what is going on. Swarm is the perfect example and if you keep reading, you’ll get what I mean. So, let me waste no more time.

It Came from Outer Space and Wouldn’t Shut Up

The fans of alien invasions where the goal is to control the human population will absolutely love this story. You have two cops interviewing one of the perpetrators, a chatty alien with a caustic sense of humor. For some reason I cannot explain, while reading this story, I imagined FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as the cops who desperately try to extract from the undisturbed alien what’s the reason for that invasion. The answer couldn’t be funnier: the aliens wanted our sugar. You read right, our sugar. And we should actually be glad because the rate of obesity on Earth, with all the health issues it brings, is enormous. Those who survive will also have the chance to do some physical exercise while running away from the invaders. Perhaps the most sardonic story in the whole book, methinks.

The Last Sister

A story of sacrifice to the gods with a hint of feminism here or so I perceived it. A take on the ancestral idea that the purest girls please the gods the most and their sacrifice to a volcano will make sure that the harvest season will be bountiful as well as keep the mountain quiet, lest it loses its temper and covers the whole island with lava. We have two old ladies chatting about these sacrifices while weaving coconut baskets. What I enjoyed the most was the titles given to the festivals on the island, all with sexual components. Can you imagine what a Bleeding Begonia is? Or what The Night of a Thousand Warthog Sausages is about? The story ends with the hope that the day will come when it will be men thrown into the volcano. After all, the young girls here shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that, yes, if they want they can lose their virginity in these festivals to avoid being sacrificed but hey, they have a duty towards keeping the island safe. How selfish can you be if you choose to let your begonia bleed?

 

The Last Days of Gomorrah

Imagine an outcast angel having a chat with a nymph and drown his sorrows over a few glasses of rosé. If you like stories that challenge the status quo and question religion and its views on homosexuality, this IS for you. This poor angel tried so hard to protect Gomorrah from the wrath of God because he had found some humans that actually deserved to be protected. However, angels don’t really like us as much as we think they do, so Raphael, Michael and Gabriel reported to God that no humans in this city, as well as Sodom, deserved to be spared. Except for Lot’s family. Lot who had tried to rape his own aunt Sarah (this is not mentioned in this story, for the record, but I learned about it from another book many years ago) and who would later be raped by his own daughters. His wife turns into a stalagmite because she looks back. So all this is fine but God literally forbid (to use the exact expression in this story) that two men sleep together. For the matter, most experts in biblical studies believe that these cities were punished for “crimes” of homosexuality.

PS - This story also inspired me to write The Punishment of Sodom.

 

Swarm

This is not a story for the faint-hearted or easily shocked by very descriptive gore scenes. Remember I said above that Michael has the talent to make us see what is going on? No other story in Ephemera proves his talent better than Swarm. Even I, someone who can take horror stories, frowned my eyebrows and got slightly nauseous with the visual descriptions of this cop having holes pierced in his body so that bone fairy eggs could be stuffed into his flesh and grow until they were ready to break the shell. Of course, the cop was alive all the time and no anesthetics were used during the process: kept alive for the only purpose of serving as birth ground for these nasty little buggers. Even though he was a corrupt cop I have to say I wouldn’t wish this to my worst enemy. I felt all the pain and even contorted myself, I swear, at every description of these holes getting infected and filled with pus. BUT, I am a firm believer that you are in the presence of a great writer if he or she can provoke strong sensations in you, no matter what those sensations are. So, Michael, when you read this, see my nausea as a good thing. ;-)

 

Buddha’s Delight

The last story, the longest, and the only one with a happy ending. Which is not to say that it’s bliss from the beginning to the end, there’s actually a lot of darkness in it. Ian is someone who lives in a flat he rented from his crush’s parents. He is struggling to find a job to make sure he grants his father his last wish: to take him see the Northern Lights, even if in ashes already. There is also something else making him struggle: hiding his love for Wren, a full of joy social activist and vegan who absolutely loves all things esoteric. One day she gets home with a bagful of things she bought at this new shop where she met this dazzling guru who knows everything about everything. She convinces Ian and their other buddies to go for a card reading with him. Even though Ian doesn’t believe any of this, he agrees. What none of them knows is that the guru is nothing but an energy-sucking vampire and if Ian is to save his beloved Wren, who falls victim of the deceitful wretch, he will have to dig the world of esoterism to find out how to do it. As he does it, a lot will make his life change. This story is one you cannot put down, at least not for long because you are kept on the edge of your chair wanting to know what’s going to happen. Buddha’s Delight is very well structured too as all events lead to one another in a very logical way.

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Michael, I hope I did justice to your first book. Thank you for this amusing compilation with hidden messages and I look forward to reading your next work. Above all, thank you for the inspiration, the encouragement – I cannot tell you enough how I’d never have published Wolf Soul without your support – for the laughs and for your friendship. Cheers to you and Ephemera!