This wild ride of an anthology is super fun to read. The characters are bold, rich, real, flawed, interesting, funny, and aloof. The topics are so wide ranging that you never really get bored of them. Until next time Happy Reading!

I want to thank Lancelot Schaubert for this ARC via Netgalley.

Short stories anthologies are not normally my preferred reading. Though I have always admired the author’s skill to produce a whole story in just a few words. Having been given the chance to look at this book I found I kept coming back to it. I would read one or two of the stories, then a week or a few weeks later some more. The stories are varied and interesting. Some about gods, others about finding some sort of fulfilment in one’s life. Overall worthwhile reading. Thank you to Lancelot Schaubert and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This anthology had a good mix of scifi themed stories from a variety of authors. It was hard to rate the book overall, as the authors’ submissions varied so widely. My understanding was that each entry had to entail a planetary and deity reference, but some of them were not so clear/lacking on the “globe” aspect.

Overall, this was an ok anthology, perfect if you like to read science fiction, mythology and retellings, & thrilling short stories. I think the submission criteria could be more strict or detailed, as again, the entries really varied in how they incorporated Gods & Globes.

Thank you to NetGalley, the editor and authors, and IBPA.

Do you know what a trigger warning is? It is a statement at the start of a piece of writing, video, etc., alerting the reader or viewer to the fact that it contains potentially distressing material. (from Oxford Languages). The abyss is a deep or seemingly bottomless chasm. So why is this anthology has the “subtitle” “Trigger warnings and the abyss?” There is a dedication in Latin “memento mori, frater, which literally translates to “you must remember to die” or loosely as “remember death.” There are many stories that may have a theme of hurt and loss. Yet it also connects with astronomy rather than astrology. It’s not what I thought it would be. It is written so cleverly you may not see how astronomy is part of the story. I did become aware of it. Does the planets affect humans or not? It’s has an excellent collection of short stories when you are reading these stories I hope you will think if they relate to the subtitle or not. . The stories included in this anthology that are very good. I enjoyed reading this anthology. It contains notes that gives the reader information about the individual authors.

When I stumbled upon "Of Gods and Globes III," it was purely by chance. Intrigued by the mention of Andrew Najberg's contribution, I decided to give this anthology a shot. Little did I know, I was about to embark on a journey filled with captivating tales that would leave a lasting impression.

The subtitle, "Trigger Warnings and The Abyss," may seem peculiar at first glance, but within the pages of this anthology, it serves as a gateway to a realm where astrological influences intertwine with science fiction in unexpected ways. While the theme itself may appear unconventional, it proves to be a fertile ground for a diverse array of stories that defy expectations.

Schaubert provides an introduction that sheds light on the chosen theme, but as I delved into the stories, I found that whether taken literally or metaphorically, it mattered little. Each tale stood on its own merits, offering unique perspectives and imaginative narratives that kept me engrossed from start to finish.

The length and style of the stories vary greatly, ensuring a dynamic reading experience. While the quality may fluctuate, the majority of the tales succeeded in entertaining and intriguing me. Among the standout stories, "We Have No Spare Parts" by Andrew Najberg stands out as a brilliant and thought-provoking piece. Donna J. W. Munro's "The Mistress of the Labyrinth" captivated me with its mystery and inventiveness, while F. C. Shultz's "Mazzaroth Falls" offered a grand space opera infused with religious themes. Lastly, Chuck Boeheim's "Charon" masterfully combines elements of horror and science fiction, leaving a lasting impression with its memorable narrative.

As someone who approached this anthology with no preconceived notions, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and variety of the stories within. While I won't delve into specifics to avoid spoilers, I will say that "Of Gods and Globes III" is a worthy addition to any science fiction enthusiast's library. So much so, that I now find myself eager to explore the first two entries in the series.

In conclusion, "Of Gods and Globes III" offers a captivating blend of imaginative storytelling and thematic exploration. With its diverse collection of tales, it proves to be a delightful read that challenges perceptions and leaves a lasting impression on its readers.

I ended up reading the third entry of the 'Of Gods and Globes' anthology when Andrew Najberg mentioned he had a story in it. It turned out that, on top of his amazing story, there are a lot of good stories contained in this tome! “Trigger Warnings and The Abyss” was a rather bizarre subtitle, but, that said, even the theme of the anthology (astrological influences, taken in a wide sense) is a bit strange as a theme for science fiction stories, There's an introduction where some details are given and some things are explained about the choice of theme, but otherwise it really doesn't matter all that much whether you go for the literal or a metaphorical interpretation. I myself enjoyed the stories either way. The length varies; the point of each story varies widely; the quality also varies; but overall, a couple of stories excepted, I was consistently entertained and intrigued by most of the tales. In particular, I'd recommend “We Have No Spare Parts” by Andrew Najberg, a very smart story, “The Mistress of the Labyrinth” by Donna J. W. Munro, very mysterious and inventive, “Mazzaroth Falls” by F. C. Shultz, a space operatic, religion-themed story with a large-scale perspective, and “Charon” by Chuck Boeheim, combining horror and science fiction in a terrific and memorable way!

I am blown away by the many stories in this book. I had no idea I would enjoy them all as much I did.

Thank you #NetGalley #ofgodsandglobes

'We Have No Spare Parts' by Andrew Najberg
Part of the Of Gods and Globes 3 edited by Lancelot Schaubert and Emily Munro releases April 30th 2024. This is an anthology of short cosmic influenced sci-fi and fantasy stories that explore the meaning of life.

Three-Time Contributor Dr. Anthony Cirilla: "studying how the stars worked was involved in studying the meaning of human life." Andrew Najberg thanks so much for suggesting I review this, I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. Between this and Gollitok I think I just became your biggest fan. The story has definite Borg undertones that I cannot get enough of. I NEED this to be a full length novel. The writing is sci-fi heavy but also intensely creative and understandable. I was instantly wrapped up in the delicious tension and anxiety that Sasha was experiencing. I need a hardback full novel with Doctor Lorenze, in all her glorious horror, on the cover immediately thank you (snap snap). This was an utterly fantastic short. Not only am I now going to have to read all of these but I'll be buying the first two anthologies too.

"they’re expecting humans, and I don’t know what we are anymore.”

"Doctor Lorenze regards me as I enter. Of course, Lorenze is no longer what I would traditionally call human either as her primary material interface is a mobile array on a tether within which her optic nerves are embedded...Doctor Lorenze’s brain is still intact and operational, suspended in electrolytic fluid in a circuit vault within the medbay’s central processing assembly."

Note: I received a free unpublished proof of this book, for a limited time, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.
First off, I haven’t read the first two books in this series, but it’s an anthology, so presumably there is no connection between the stories in this anthology and those in the first two books.
Second of all, I have no clue why the subtitle is “Trigger Warnings and The Abyss”, particularly as there is nothing in any of these stories that is about trigger warnings. I would say that *overall*, it’s an 18+ book, because it’s aimed at adults and there is some sexual content, but nothing extreme. While we’re at it, there is some content that could warrant a minor trigger warning, so here goes: Some of the stories in this book contain portrayals of death, injury, illness, sex, racism, and spiders.
There’s not much about the abyss either, but that’s at least up for debate.
The main idea of this anthology is that each story contains two themes: gods and planets. There is supposed to be an idea of “planetary influence” in each story as well. I.e., characters’ actions and emotions, and events in the stories, are influenced by the planets. Some stories adhere to this closely, whereas others are a bit further away. Since the quality (and relevance) of the submissions varies a lot from story to story, that’s how I’m looking at this review.
“Twins” by Juliet Marillier—Has a god and an astrological body (Zeus and the moon, respectively) in the most literal sense. Also a retelling of an existing myth, but original enough to capture the imagination.
“Death In Venus” by Chris Edwards—Venus (the planet) is implied to be connected to Venus (the goddess). Really short, probably the shortest in the book. Not particularly compelling but fits the “theme” so it is a good addition to the anthology.
“Searching for the Door into Death” by Michaele Jordan—Includes a figure implied to be a god of death. The literal *planet* is questionable, other than that it takes place on Earth, but since love is such a strong theme here I think the author was going for the “planetary influence” theme of Venus representing love. Enjoyed this one overall; very heartfelt.
“The Mistress of the Labyrinth” by Donna J. W. Munro—I’m about 90% sure that this is the one with the ice labyrinth on Jupiter. Planet = Jupiter, god/mythological figure = the Minotaur. Inventive, leaves you with a bit of mystery at the end, really liked this one overall.
“We Have No Spare Parts” by Andrew Najberg—One of my favorites in the book. The “ship of Theseus” problem, in space. I don’t remember what planet they are going to but there are multiple mythological references.
“War on Brihaspati Graha” by Shashi Kadapa—Good story. The mythology was clear—it was about a battle between gods and demons in Hindu mythology. However, I’m not clear as to what the planet/planetary influence was supposed to be. I realize that India has its own astrological tradition, though, so I think this one probably just flew over my head.
“A Cup of Justice” by Teel James Glenn—Interesting story about Dionysus with some transformation fiction aspects. Again, not quite sure about the planets thing, unless we are looking at the “god coming to Earth” aspect. If we are talking about planetary influence, given the themes of the story…Mars, maybe? Or Saturn? There’s a lot going on. It is very much “pulp fiction” though, and I’m not a fan of the writing, particularly the thing the author does (that I’ve seen before) where the protagonist makes casually racist comments thrown in there for laughs. I don’t think this is a case of the author having these views himself (e.g. *Nothing Lasts Forever* by Roderick Thorpe), I just think it’s insensitive to frame them as “funny”.
“Alfa Romeo” by Victory Witherkeigh—Deities from the Pacific Islands (I think Hawai’ian, but I’m not 100% sure since I’m not knowledgeable on that tradition) in a catastrophic love story. I’m not sure if this one is based on an actual myth or not. Planetary influence…not entirely sure. There is love involved, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be about Venus. If we are looking at Western astrology, then maybe the Sun, Moon, or Mars.
“Unchained” by Helen Venn—Retelling of the marriage of Perseus and Andromeda, well-written. I’m not sure what the planetary bit was supposed to be, though. It seems to just be a straightforward retelling.
“Mazzaroth Falls” by F. C. Shultz—Space opera about the aftermath of a political figure on a fictitious planet declaring himself to be a god. Definitely original; liked this one a lot.
“Ignition” by Dan Hendrickson—I believe this is the one about Kronos’ children. Interesting, though would probably be more interesting if I remembered more about that part of Greek mythology.
“Across Saturn Rose” by Anthony G. Cirilla—I believe this is the one about the music of the spheres. Very interesting idea, with a touch of humor.
“All Bright Things” by Evangeline Giaconia—Space ballet! I liked this one a lot. The deity is Athena, the planet is Jupiter. Short but sweet, kind of sad but overall a nice story.
“Charon” by Chuck Boeheim—One of the best in the book. Involves caves, Pluto, an asteroid, and things with eight legs. Worthy of a sad space song.
“The Perseid” by Benjamin Chandler—About the daughter of Perseus, on an island in the Underworld. Not certain about the planets here.
“The Legend of Johnny Comet” by Benjamin Brinks—Finally, a story with Norse myth in it. Darkly humorous tale about Hermod and the asteroid with the same name.
“Winding Ways” by Emily Munro—Unfortunately, I have completely forgotten this one. My brain has deleted something from this book. There is a chance that my e-reading app somehow skipped this by accident. I want to say this is another one that has to do with the Labyrinth.
“Retrograde” by Artemis Crow—It made a lot more sense when I found out, in the “About the Authors” section, that it was connected to the author’s existing urban fantasy series. I suspected something like that was the case, since there was little to no explanation of what sounded like it would require some more worldbuilding. I think that this should have been established up-front. I liked the overall idea but felt there was a lot crammed into one story—two groups of characters built around zodiac signs, demonic possession, lions and tigers in an “otherworld” that looks vaguely like the Appalachian Mountains, Norse wolves…I think there is a way you could make a story out of all that in a longer series, but I don’t think this one story sho

This was a great collection of horror and scifi stories, I had enjoyed the theme and the other two books in this series. Each story worked well and I was invested in what was going on.

I honestly had to idea what to expect from this book having missed the others, but I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by what I ended up reading, I won’t go into detail because I hate when people do that but I will say that the book is worth reading, so much so that I’ll be getting the first two in the series.

Really enjoyed the book from start to finish. Author wrote this with great pace. Of gods and globes III is now one of my top books of the year for sure. Loved every second of this book.