SEREIN touts itself as cyberpunk which is described as “high tech, low life” merging advanced technology with decaying society in a dystopian setting, but this collection of short stories by Callum Stowe merely dips its toes into that pool, giving us something closer to “mid tech, mid life” – technology, when used, is old and few seem to be suffering under an oppressive regime. It’s not bad, but set your expectations.

Stowe writes well and with a rhythm of someone versed in the genre sometimes giving us interesting setups and characters, but a large majority of the stories told are very low stakes and anticlimactic. They are quick and simple which isn’t a bad thing when it allows you to focus on the themes of the story without added bloat, but many of these ideas aren’t fleshed out enough to leave you with anything to chew on after the story is finished.

Residual Light [rating stars=”3.0″]
[ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN CONFESSION] [rating stars=”3.5″]
Radio Wave [rating stars=”2.0″]
Every Word Recorded [rating stars=”4.0″]
SEREIN [rating stars=”3.0″]
Maybe I Am Just Paranoid [rating stars=”3.0″]
The Bitter Berry [rating stars=”3.0″]
Night Shift [rating stars=”4.0″]
Calibration Protocol [rating stars=”4.0″]
Mandel Array [rating stars=”4.0″]
Incident at K-Bar [rating stars=”3.0″]