Seven Sides of Self

Seven Sides of Self includes seven stories that overall left me with a disappointing feeling. Perhaps the main blame should be put on its categorization as a sci-fi short stories collection. Only two out of seven of them weren’t heavily religious and/or spiritual. A more appropriate genre label would be Christian sci-fi.

One of the best stories that did stand out were “There Once Was a Man,” which is the very first one in the volume. It’s about a man to whom an idea to become an author is more intriguing than actually the work that has to be put in. It’s nothing for him to spend all the time and money to create the ‘’perfect’’ writing corner, but then when it’s time to start to work, he isn’t in the right mood or his muse isn’t there.

But the best story out of all seven is “Microwave Man,” in which an unnamed character in his senior years decides to visit a small town through which he has driven through many times and has seen this mysterious sign that says Microwave Man, but he hasn’t once stopped to check the place out. In this story’s case the best part was the mystery of the identity of the place’s owner rather than any tiny sci-fi detail in it.

It can’t be denied that there is an overreaching theme throughout Seven Sides of Self, but the other five stories didn’t jell at all with “Microwave Man” and “There Once Was a Man.”