Infinite Black: Tales from the Abyss
Jeff Oliver (author) and Dan Verkys (artist)
April 2023
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy
Infinite Black: Tales from the Abyss by Jeff Oliver is a dark collection of prose poetry and short stories with slick cover art by Dan Verkys in the tradition of H.R. Giger’s 1970’s Cthulhu series and Dave McKean’s Sandman covers of the 1990’s. Following in the footsteps of the Masters of cyberpunk, William Gibson, Rudy Rucker, and Philip K. Dick, Jeff Oliver and Dan Verkys will give you nightmares that will scare the dust bunnies out from underneath your bed. The Infinite Black is an alien cyber apocalypse descended to Planet Earth. It is controlled by Mother. Mother’s egomaniacal plan is to assimilate all humans into the machine, either as slaves to further her growth or as food to fuel her. The horror she inflicts on humanity is brutal, shocking, and eviscerating. Mother is hungry and Mother always get what she wants. Mother is a software devouring everything into ones and zeros, if you are not frankensteined into one of her biomechanical slaves first. Mother will annihilate anything standing in the way of progress and when Mother leaves Planet Earth an empty husk, she will move to the next planet and the next, continuing to increase in power, until nothing exists, but Mother. No galaxy is safe from hell.
This body horror/cyberpunk genre-bending story is one sick, twisted, slaying of a tale. It’s a sadomasochistic blood bath, a path strewn with the bones and viscera of humanity leading to the infinite black abyss. Chris McAuley describes it as “Metal as Fuck.” That’s an understatement. Hold on to the grab bar, kiddos, because you’re in for one hellish rollercoaster ride. You can purchase it on Lulu or you can purchase yourself a Digital PDF. Beware of Mother! Do not assimilate!
