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Short Fiction Friday: The Universe, Sung in Stars

The Universe, Sung in Stars by Kat Howard

[no synopsis supplied] 

Just a few weeks ago I read an amazing story: The Museum and the Box by Noah Keller. I liked the whole mythical and spellbinding alluring sense of the story. Very beautiful. Browsing through the latest Lightspeed Magazine I came across Kat Howard's latest story, The Universe, Sung in Stars. From the first paragraph that I read, no the first sentence, I was won over. The Universe, Sung in Star directly inspires me with that same feeling. Beauty. 

The Universe, Sung in Stars is one of the shorter stories that I read so far for this feature, Without spoiling to much I will try to give a brief lay down. The story focuses on music in stars and how some special people are able to capture the song of the stars and turn the singular songs into a multiple universe by putting the stars in music boxes. They aren't big music boxes but clockwork replica's. Vera the protagonist gets recommended by her friend Carina, to become a guardian. It remains a bit obscure what a guardian really is but I think that it has to do with having a universe surrounding around you. Yes it is a bit weird and also makes you think a bit deeper (will get to that). Eventually Vera gets a new galaxy around her. A bit earlier you found out that Vera was very attached to a young white dwarf. The beauty in this story lies in these sentences: 

"When a universe is being born, it hasn’t yet settled into itself. "

"Every so often, these outcast stars make new homes for themselves. They crash into other galaxies. In these explosions, new stars are born."

One aspect that I liked to think about was what Vera and Corina actually are. ARe they normal human beings, that have a miniature galaxy around them. Or are they bigger entities, shapers of new universes and more? That they have the hand in making and guarding a universe for real? Added to this comes another small thing, the mentioning of music box orrey's. It's all very mystical and I was immensly pleased that in this story at Howard didn't give clear information on every subject but that she led you own thought run and think about that might underly many aspects of her story. 

Very beautiful!



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