“Urban Corridors: Fables and Gables”, a collection by Paul Levinson, 2019 Connected Education, Incorporated

The Short: I read and loved the Paul Levinson collection, “Urban Corridors: Fables and Gables“, 2019 Connected Education Incorporated. It includes eight short stories and novelettes, of both fantasy and science fiction. My overall, average rating is 3.79/5, which is close enough to 3.8 for me to give this collection a “Great” rating. Strongly recommended.

The Long: Last year, I read and reviewed “Robots through the Ages”, an anthology by Robert Silverberg & Bryan Thomas Schmidt, 2023 Blackstone Publishing.

One of the stories there that was new to me that I loved was “Robinson Calculator“, a novelette by Paul Levinson, from his collection “Urban Corridors: Fables and Gables”, 2019 Connected Education Incorporated.

I had not read or heard about “Robinson Calculator” until I read “Robots Through the Ages”. I had read other stories by Paul Levinson, but not thoroughly by any means. I loved “Robinson Calculator”, and had seen that it was original to the his collection “Urban Corridors: Fables and Gables”. In the context of “Robinson Calculator, I had said, “On this basis, I need to read this collection.”

Time went on. Paul Levinson became aware, perhaps in an online conversation in the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Fiction group on Facebook, that I loved “Robinson Calculator” and that I was planning to read “Urban Corridors: Fables and Gables”. Paul offered me a e-book copy of the collection, which I accepted.

More time went on, as I followed other reading priorities and interests. However, I finished reading “Urban Corridors: Fables and Gables” a few weeks ago.

Along with a helpful Prologue and About the Author, it includes eight short stories (including one short short which I loved) and novelettes of science fiction and fantasy. There are 157 pages in the trade paperback version. The stories were published from 2012 to 2019, with “Robinson Calculator” first published here.

All of my ratings for the stories were in the 3.7/5, or “Very good”, to 3.9/5, or “Great” range. Except for “Robinson Calculator”, I had not read any of these stories before.

There are three stories in what ISFDB calls the “Double Realities” series, all dealing with parallel worlds and perhaps quantum mechanics. ISFDB says there are two more of these, both published after this collection.

There is also one story of what ISFDB calls the “Ian’s Ions and Eons” series, dealing with time travel with two more stories published before this collection.

My favorite of these eight stories is the 2019 novelette “Robinson Calculator“, which I rated at 3.9/5, or “Great”.

Right behind it are these five stories, rated at 3.8/5, or “Great”:

1. “Ian, George, and George“, an Ian’s Ions and Eons novelette, Analog December 2013, and a phenomenal time travel story.
2. “Synchronicity“, a short story, BuzzyMag April 2014. It’s worth noting that “Synchronicity” is a short short, at a very tight 1.5 pages. I love short short fiction, and it was great to see this example that worked so well.
3. “The Last Train to Margaretville“, a short story, from the anthology “May the Ferryman Take You“, John Mierau & David Sobkowiak editors. For me, this is the most overtly fantasy story here, and perhaps the first fantasy by Levinson I have read.
4. “The Other Car“, a Double Realities short story published as a chapbook, 2015 Connected Editions.
5. “The Wallet“, a Double Realities short story, Sci Phi Journal, March 2015.

Reading “Urban Corridors: Fables & Gables” has certainly confirmed for me that I am interested in reading Paul Levinson’s fiction, both his existing fiction I have not read, and fiction to come.

I loved “Urban Corridors: Fables and Gables” . My overall rating is 3.79/5, which is close enough to 3.8 for me to give this collection a “Great” rating. Strongly recommended.

Story Reviews/Comments – SPOILERS WITHOUT END

“Ian, George, and George“, an Ian’s Ions and Eons novelette, Analog December 2013. A wonderful story of time travel, 1970, Orson Welles, and perhaps H. G. Wells. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Wallet“, a Double Realities short story, Sci Phi Journal, March 2015. A university professor has a wallet with strange quantum entanglement properties to the same wallet a day in the future. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Last Train to Margaretville“, a short story, from the anthology “May the Ferryman Take You“, John Mierau & David Sobkowiak editors. A great story, and perhaps the first fantasy I have read by Levinson. An artist gains access to a mysterious flame in the woods, which can transport him elsewhere. He has been painting planes and trains, but now wants to paint the flame. A mysterious real estate agent sold him the house in the woods, and has bought some of his paintings, and may be connected to the flame. There is no clear outcome here, but I still love this story. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Other Car“, a Double Realities short story published as a chapbook, 2015 Connected Editions. A professor of philosophy has a day when he and other aspects of his day (a book, a car, a mailman, etc.) have a quantum reality split into twins and then collapse back into one. This is very confusing and perhaps terrifying, as he is not at all clear if this is really happening or if he is going crazy. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Extra Credit:, a Double Realities short story, from “Altered States: A Cyberpunk Sci-Fi Anthology“, Roy C. Booth & Jorge Salgado-Reyes editors, 2014 Indie Authors Press. A very good story of inter-universe chicanery and pair of university professors in different universes with partially shared lives and credit cards. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“Slipping Time“, a short story, Amazing Stories, Fall/Worldcon 2018. A very good story of a man who slips in time when he physically slips, back a variable amount of time. There is also a lot of time/universe track splitting. This affects his life and relationship substantially, not usually in a positive way. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“Robinson Calculator“, a novelette, original to this collection. I have not read much fiction by Paul Levinson. I loved his novelette “The Chronology Protection Case“, Analog September 1995, and read in “The Mammoth Book of Time Travel SF“, Mike Ashley editor, 2013 Robinson. I know I read but don’t remember his 1997 “The Mendelian Lamp Case“, Analog April 1997, and first read in “The Hard SF Renaissance“, Kathryn Cramer & David G. Hartwell editors, 2002 Tor. This wonderful story, “Robinson Calculator”, has definitely convinced me to look for more of his fiction. A professor of film and philosophy falls for Lianne Calculator, from a family of perhaps not strictly human and perhaps artificial human looking beings. She disappears, he looks into the Calculator family, and all information about them disappears. With one last message, she tells him the time is not right now, but it may be in the future. This is a great story, original to Levinson’s collection “Urban Corridors: Fables and Gables” (2019 Connected Education Incorporated). On this basis, I need to read that collection. On reread, this is still a great story. Upon considering it, I have very mixed feelings about whether I would like to see more stories of the Calculators. On the one hand, it might be marvelous. On the other hand, I suspect it would be very hard to pull off in contrast to this effective and wonderful story. Rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.

“Synchronicity“, a short story, BuzzyMag April 2014. A lovely short short of a man who finds his life full of synchronicity in a perhaps quantum mechanics way. Levinson does a great job of sketching the man’s life and challenges in one and a half pages. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.