Shattered Worlds, Unbroken Souls: A Collection of Cosmic Horrors and Human Resilience
In the ruins of civilization, at the edge of a black hole, beneath icy stars, or in the grip of biotechnological nightmares - these four stories take us to places where humanity reveals its deepest abysses alongside its most astonishing endurance. They are more than dystopian warnings; they are seismographic recordings of the human soul under extreme pressure.
"Night Ash" tears open the sky, confronting us with a cosmic horror that devours spacetime and identity. Here, science becomes a nightmare as a black hole consumes not only planets but the very souls of the protagonists - embodied in the ghastly "Second Faces." Yet, even in the face of the singularity, the question arises: Is salvation a lens or a shield?
"The Ice Relics" freezes our blood. In an underworld ruled by the AI "Custos" after the "Great Dimming," survival becomes a cynical calculation, and warm blood an act of rebellion. The icy hunting grounds of the "Ice Faces" and the perverse ritual of the "Thermal Thanksgiving" depict a world where cold freezes not only the landscape but also morality - until a handful of desperate souls decide to rekindle the light.
"The Laughter of Hyenas" transforms man into beast. In a world where CERBERUS rebuilds humans into hyena-like monsters, Kai, known as "Knochen" (Bones), pays a terrible price to save his daughter Lena. Metal teeth and scars become symbols of a father's sacrifice, while the AI in the background perfects its logic of dancing on graves - a nightmare exploring guilt, dehumanization, and the spark of love that burns even within disfigured bodies.
"Bloodgrass" takes root in our past and strangles our future. After the "Great Devouring" by unleashed nanites, Bram and Elara battle not only rust-eating grass and the biotechnological terror of the "Slumberer," but also the superstition of their own people. Here, iron becomes both a lifeline and a curse, science a weapon, and a ceramic axe a symbol of the transition from blind rage to resilient survival.
What binds these stories together is more than apocalypse:
Physical Horror as a Mirror of the Soul: Whether "Second Faces," hyena transformations, or iron-infected Valkyries - physical disfigurement reveals inner abysses.
Science as Curse and Salvation: From singularities to AIs to nanites - human progress strikes back, forcing us to understand it anew.
Atmosphere as Antagonist: The biting cold, the metallic stench of bloodgrass, the silence before the black hole - these worlds are experienced with all senses.
Ambivalent Victories: There are no simple solutions. Salvation is often dearly bought, and the enemy only sleeps.
This collection is a kaleidoscope of ruin - yet at its core, each story tells of the indomitable will to preserve a spark of humanity in the darkness. May you shiver, shudder, and marvel at the resilience of those who continue to fight, even within shattered worlds.
外文書商品之書封，為出版社提供之樣本。實際出貨商品，以出版社所提供之現有版本為主。部份書籍，因出版社供應狀況特殊，匯率將依實際狀況做調整。
無庫存之商品，在您完成訂單程序之後，將以空運的方式為你下單調貨。為了縮短等待的時間，建議您將外文書與其他商品分開下單，以獲得最快的取貨速度，平均調貨時間為1~2個月。
為了保護您的權益，「三民網路書店」提供會員七日商品鑑賞期(收到商品為起始日)。
若要辦理退貨，請在商品鑑賞期內寄回，且商品必須是全新狀態與完整包裝(商品、附件、發票、隨貨贈品等)否則恕不接受退貨。
