The Bridge to Lucy Dunne Kindle Edition

The Bridge to Lucy Dunne, the debut book from YouTube personality Exurb1a, is an eighteen piece collection that is as a witty and thought-provoking as it is unapologetically existential. In his note from the author, Exurb1a warns his readers that any search for an underlying theme will end in bitter disappointment. While this collection does broach a deluge of topics, themes, and genres, it often sets its characters in confrontation with the unknown; be it death, eternity, or the archeological remnants of a space-faring society. In turn, these reoccurring confrontations highlight the smallness of man in a vast and indifferent universe. While seen in multiple stories, this existential theme is best illustrated in “Godspeed and Goodnight.” After being plunged into the openness of space, the story's protagonist finds himself adrift in “an infinite rug of pulsars and nebulas…” (353). When forced to confront the hopelessness he now faces, he recognizes the indifference of the universe in stating “The stars have no comment on this matter” (353). “The First Living Exhibit” further establishes this existential theme. In the story, an alcoholic museum guard, Emile, is visited by two extra-terrestrial curators after he drinks himself into a near stupor. While collecting artifacts from Emile's museum, these two aliens accidentally teleport him into their own, extradimensional museum. Upon finding him, they explain the ominous nature of their collection: all their exhibits are relics of doomed planets. After questioning them about their categorization of Earth as such, the aliens explain: All civilizations have a built-in limit, to wipe them out. Sometimes it's discovering nuclear isotopes or artificial intelligence. For others, such as in your case, it's antimatter. You're about to blow yourselves up with that one. I wouldn't feel to depressed about it. About twelve thousand species have done the same thing in the last billion years alone. (2489). While introducing elements of both tragedy and comedy, this section also functions to reinforce man's smallness by portraying it as being one of many civilizations that were unable to establish its significance in the universe.  To suggest, however, that this collection is comprised entirely of existential pessimism is a disservice to Exurb1a. In “A Dance” order and disorder are portrayed as conscious, god-like forces who oppose each other through the creation and destruction of the universe. In the story, humanity is exalted as the prized creation of Novelty, the god-like figure who brings order to the cosmos. As humans start branching out into space, Entropy, the god-like being who brings disorder, continuously tries to stifle man's ascension. Though this story does paint nature as being at odds with mankind, it is by no means a pessimistic tale. On the contrary, it affirms our importance by illustrating how we bring order to an otherwise disorderly universe. “A Dance” functions as more than just a piece that opposes existential pessimism. This story also works to illustrate the interplay between order and entropy in physics: which has important ramifications for a number of fields including philosophy, which Exurb1a holds a degree in. My main criticism of Exurb1a's debut work is that he often resorts to/relies on twist endings to conclude his stories. While this form of ending is well executed in “The Bait” and “Silicon Nights,” it falters in some of the other stories due to it being too predictable. In “The Flowers,” for instance, the ending is nearly a forgone conclusion given the size of the flowers, their extreme diet, and the fact that the people who tend to them are never seen again after taking them into the forest. The twist ending in “A Haunting” is also problematic in that it is never foreshadowed. As a result, the ending leaves the reader feeling manipulated given that the twist ending was unpredictable. A second, albeit lesser, criticism of The Bridge to Lucy Dunne is that the believability of the character's actions occasionally lapse. In “Tap,” the collection's second story, the protagonist admits that “for months, probably years even…” he had “...completely neglected [to look] for any signs of remaining consciousness” in his father, who he had previously described as being in a vegetative state (170). Later in the story, after realizing that his father was conscious and developing a system in which he can communicate through tapping his finger, the protagonist leaves his father despite him repeatedly asking for help. These are just two instances in which a character goes against what should be common sense in what seems like an effort to help further the plot. While these lapses in believability do have a negative affect on “Tap,” they have a minimal impact on the remaining stories. A particularly praiseworthy aspect of The Bridge to Lucy Dunne is the range Exurb1a displays. While sold under the label of science fiction, this work also includes stories in the literary fiction and horror genres. This variance in form helps keep the reader focused on the more minute details of each story because the uniqueness of each is magnified. Additionally, this constant switching between science fiction, literary fiction, and horror helps keep each story fresh by not letting the reader get too familiar with the elements of each genre. This blending lends itself well to the book's pacing.  Exurb1a concludes his anthology with what is arguably the best story in the collection: "Silicon Nights." This final piece revolves around a wealthy man purchasing a woman who had been in found in cryosleep, buried beneath the desert sand. His motivation for purchasing her is two-fold: on the one hand, he wants to use her for sex, on the other, he hopes she was originally from a time period known as the "Transcend Age" so that she can help him finish his memoir of mankind. When it becomes apparent that she isn't from this long-forgotten age, he threatens to both rape and kill her. She is able to avoid this, however, by captivating him with stories of the time period she was originally from. The beauty of this final piece lies in both the richly descriptive world she paints and the relationship her stories have with the conclusion of "Silicon Nights." Ultimately, the strengths of this concluding story illustrate everything that was great about this book: it is imaginative, ambitious, well-paced, and richly descriptive.

I find his writings to be fantastic enough to remove me from the simplicity I exist in, but phrased in ways that keep me from breaking the trance by having to get a dictionary or Google something.If you changed the "E" to a "3" you could almost use his pen name as a password. Not for anything important mind you. Maybe Netflix or something?

I bought this book only about a week ago (at time of writing), not really intending to get around to it for a while. But, I happened to see it was written in short-story format, so I decided to take a look at it.I read one, then another, and so on and so forth. Today, I just completed the last section, Silicon Nights (no spoiler here, it's just the name in the Contents). I've been saying, for the last several stories, that I'll NEED to review this book, and here it is:---------Writing style: 5 stars-Truly, this book is one of the best I've ever read. It's also one of the most unusual. The style of this book really sticks true to some of the things Exurb1a says in his videos, such as "show don't tell" and more. It's pleasantly written, such that you don't get bored or annoyed by the way the author starts to phrase things.Story[ies]/Plot: 5/5Exurb1a leads the reader down many interesting paths that you might not have expected. True enough, you may know where some of the stories are going a page or two before it's over, but it definitely tells the stories in unusual and interesting ways. Suspense is high in several of them, and the shorts take an interesting, though cynical, view of the world as it was, is, and could be. The stories are frequently Science Fiction, to one extent or another, and whether or not they fall into that category, some of them really have the reader analysing their own views on the topics, including life in general; others, however, seem to be just really good tales (though, perhaps I missed a message in them, but who cares, they were excellent).Editing: 4/5I noticed that there are some annoying errors in the proofreading, such as consistent pluralisation of a few words, even when they refer to the singular form. However, it's not bad enough to affect the reading. One that I noticed that seems to be regular is "women" instead of "woman", which I'm pretty sure I marked down at least 10 or 15 times.Enjoyment: 5/5Some of these stories had me reading on even when I planned to stop. I loved the obscure viewpoints posed and thoroughly enjoyed finishing each story (and moving on to the next). It was a nice change of pace from reading a ton of technical books (and pushed me back several days in doing so). Regarding the obscure stories and viewpoints, it felt like a modern-day version of the Twilight Zone, perhaps?---------Overall, 5/5 stars! Absolutely amazing work, Exurb! I look forward to reading your other book (and any that will come out a later time)! I don't feel even the slightest bit bad about a single penny I spent on this book.Keep up the good work! And to anyone seeking reviews to determine its worth, DO buy it; it's not expensive, but it will bring you a number of hours of enjoyment, and even some reflection.

Having read The Fifth Science, I was intrigued and wanted more of this author. I was NOT disappointed! There is an excellent and inventive kind at work here, and it almost seems was if the author writes both to amuse themselves and deliver social commentary, which, while if may not seem so relevant to these times, the parallels are certainly plain enough. The also seems to be a catharsis here for the writer and it is also welcomed by this reader. My only complaint is that word processors so not always fix incorrect word usage, and I apparently work for The Department Of Lexicolgy. I cringe when I see "waisted" when the correct word is "wasted". But all in all, a delightful collection of stories that tie together very nicely. InI'm impressed.

Great as every other of the authors books. I just wish it was longer. Still need more words so here they are

“The Fifth Science” was undoubtedly a five star book yet the author’s ability to create entertaining videos is not an excuse to over-rate his written work. Some of his work is genius. This however is much over-rated. A bit hit and miss. This is experimental writing – the author learning his trade. Many of the stories lack originality and seem derivative. Some really broadcast the ending. Yet it isn’t all bad. If you like short-sharp sci-fi with a Twilight Zone-type twist then you will like: “The Guests” in which time travellers arrive from the future to witness an event of significance from their past. In “Sins: Various” a man finds he must suffer for his sins. In “The Gift” a man on a plane find himself unable to interact with the other passengers. In “The First Living Exhibit” a museum night-watch man gets collected himself. In “VASE” a radio show host interviews a man who can switch off his own consciousness as a treatment for depression.I would count the following tales as fantasy-horror rather than sci-fi: “Tap”, “Empty Cups”, “The Bridge to Lucy Dunne”, “Collision”, “A Haunting” and “The Rite”. Then there are the also-rans of “A Dance”, “Godspeed and Goodnight”, “Into That Good Night”, “The Flowers”, “The Bait”, “My Brother, My Wife, and the Wheel” and “Silicon Nights”. Those are for the author’s dedicated YouTube fans rather than a general serious sci fi readership. Some of these tales seem quite purposeless. They don’t click with the reader or lead to any satisfactory conclusion. Quite frustrating.

So I originally found these books by watching Exurb1a's youtube channel, being a lover of his videos I thought I'd buy a kindle and have a go at reading some of his stuff, and its safe to say I am a big fan. I found one or two of the stories not as engaging as the rest however the quality of the others more than made up for it. Put it this way after reading it all I decided that I loved it so much I'd purchase more of his content...I especially liked 'Godspeed and Goodnight' and 'Into That Good Night' and hope more of your writings can follow this style in the future.Well done Exurbia, keep up the good work mate, the world isn't wizard jizz!

An interesting mix of short stories ranging from manic and thought-provoking philosophy to more toned-down... 'people stories', perhaps? As some other reviewers have noted, the title story, The Bridge to Lucy Dunne is one of such stories, and didn't particularly grip me compared to the horrors and nightmarish fantasy scenarios Exurb1a writes in some of the other stories.If the three stories in the preview take your interest then I'd recommend a purchase, but be aware that not all of the stories are in the same vein.The short stories I enjoyed most were:-The Guests-Tap-Godspeed and Goodnight-Sins: Various-Silicon NightsLooking forward to more from Exurb1a in the future.

Each of these short stories has something new to offer.I felt that the first half of stories, up to My Brother, My Wife, and the Wheel, were more focused on plot twists, self-reflective modern themes, and subverting expectation in an entertaining way, whereas in the second half the writer chose to spread his narrative wings and really flourish a variety of language and story telling techniques.I was hugely impressed and entertained by the writers descriptive language of nature, something that I think is often heavy handed and far too wordy whereas his are to-the-point and impactful.But I'm just some bloke who likes sci-fi stories, and my wordy opinions don't mean much. The stories are great, the characters are interesting, and the plot twists will bend your head.I loved them.

An interesting collection of short stories, touching on physics, cosmology, the nature of love and more. It's not consistently high quality throughout, but there are some gems and it's funny, too.