Mere

Golden Gryphon - September 2004

Chapbook

ISBN

13,300 words -- $15.95

Reviews:

"She was born as the sole passenger onboard a battered starship. Physically and mentally stunted, the immortal woman had no name. For ten thousand years nothing about her life changed. Then the double suns appeared before her and, without warning, her ship crash-landed on an alien world. The Tila found her. They naturally assumed she was a god, but she didn't grow much or show any godly power besides immortality. Because she wasn't much of a god, they named her "Mere." And for the next several thousand years, Mere lived among the Tila, playing a role in the rise of the Tilan civilization, all while serving as the sole witness in their struggle to survive as their great Tilan world began to die.

Mere, a 13,300-word novelette, takes place in Robert Reed's "Marrow" universe, along with such notable new stories as "River of the Queen" and "Night of Time." The character "Mere" plays a pivotal role in Reed's [forthcoming] "Marrow" novel, The Well of Stars. The author has also included a 5,000-word Afterword in which he details the history of his "Marrow" universe, including all the stories that comprise this future history.

With wraparound cover art by Bob Eggleton." -- description from the publisher

• Includes the author essay "Improbable Journeys" about the origin and background of the Marrow universe

• Limited to 500 copies

• Locus Recommended Reading List - 2004

• Sturgeon Award Finalist

• Set in the Marrow continuity -- see connected stories