Summerbook #11: Sublimia Syndrome

 Sublimia Syndrome, by Exurb1a

Time for some more far-future science fiction!  Millennia in the future, mankind has spread among the stars and evolved into quite a few different variants.  In fact it's been so long that Earth is long-forgotten, the galactic empire has been through dozens of collapses and regenerations, and there are even groups like the behethan (incredibly wise space whales) that nevertheless originated from humanity at some point.  

One section of space, however, is perhaps better left alone; the area the Big Sisters occupied.  They are gone now, perhaps having evolved into energy, or some other mysterious fate, but their abandoned worlds contain artifacts and buildings beyond the understanding of anyone else.  In fact, trying to figure out what the Big Sisters were up to is a good way to develop sublimia, a feeling of incomprehension and discombubulation so total that it becomes dangerous and can easily lead to madness.

As with The Fifth Science, these stories are small vignettes that take place thousands of years apart at different locations, with their commonality mostly being the sublimia syndrome.  We do get an idea of how history plays out, the scheming, the exploring, the forgetting.  The stories are very interesting and well-written, and I continue to enjoy this Exurb1a fellow.