An Unsettled Score: The Collected Twisted Visions of Christopher L. DelGuercio
A collection of science fiction and horror short works
An Unsettled Score is an anthology of short works by award-nominated author Christopher L. DelGuercio. This, his first collection, includes twenty twisted visions of speculative fiction spanning thrilling adventures on far flung, alien worlds and dystopian futurescapes; to mind-bending surrealities and nightmarish encounters with evil; to the bitingly satirical and overtly comical, these dark-hearted tales of monsters and mayhems are designed to entertain and delight, to surprise and to move. Ranging from poetic verse and flash fiction to novella-length narratives, in the rich tradition of Bradbury, Ellison, Gaiman, King, Martin, and Vonnegut, it never fails to delight.
If you're in the mood for a hearty stew of stories to feed your cravings for the bizarre, the wondrous, and the macabre, take a stroll through the twisted visions of An Unsettled Score.
Includes Intro by the author to each piece regarding seed conception, influences, and history.
Phase 5 Elements: Anthology 20, Transmutation 195, Other Worlds 57
Horror, science fiction, speculative fiction. Cosmology, galactic civilization, aliens, mutation, occult, reality manipulation, colonization, dystopia, humor, new weird.
Adult readers violence; brief, mildly-graphic sexual situations; cursing; death; mutation; irreverence.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christopher L. DelGuercio is a Resident of upstate New York, where he enjoys spending time with his son, reading, attending film festivals, disc golfing, listening to music, and laughing with friends and family.
He is a graduate of The State University of New York at Oswego and current faculty member at The Downtown Writers Center of Syracuse as a fiction instructor.
Other publications have been included in Blood, Blade & Thruster; Chaos Theory: Tales Askew; Fried Fiction; Parade of Phantoms; Quantum Muse; Space Westerns; Kaleidotrope; OG’s Speculative Fiction; Forbidden Speculation; and Tabloid Purposes IV.
He can be found on Facebook, his website, or lurking in the dark places of his mind.
Author of Eden Succeeding, the chronical of a doomed human colony on another planet, also published in 3 Tales of Horror and in An Unsettled Score, a collection of 20 short works written over the course of his career.
Formats
- Trade Paperback is 5.5" x 8.5" and weighs 15 oz.
- Hardback with Dust Jacket is 6" x 9" and weighs 24 oz. Dust jacket includes some bonus bites about each of the works contained within the book.
- EPUB and Large Print editions are coming soon.
- Audio book is anticipated to be released in 2025.
- PDF available on request.
- Kindle edition available at Amazon.
Awards and Reviews
Nominated for the 2024 YMCA CNY Book Awards!
Praise for An Unsettled Score
"Chris DelGuercio’s collection of short stories An Unsettled Score, takes the reader on a wild ride. These are dark and creepy tales, with a touch of surrealism, and more than a touch of twisted humor. DelGuercio is a master craftsman. His style is terse and distilled—not a word or sentence is wasted—and he has an ear for dialogue that rings true, regardless of character or setting. The collection is unified by DelGuercio’s unique sensibility, yet the stories are wonderfully varied, keeping the reading experience fresh and surprising. What a rich and mysterious imagination this author has." --David G Moore, author, Kings Canyon, Stick People, and Harpies
“In this collection of original short pieces, An Unsettled Score, Chris DelGuercio provides a rich feast for the science fiction and horror fan. His stories, poems and longer fiction offer enough variety to satisfy everyone with a taste for the bizarre, the offbeat and the truly terrifying. Several of the stories, such as “Man Farm” and “Shi’Roc”, are very reminiscent of the works of the famed science fiction/horror writer Ray Bradbury (The Martian Chronicles) and display the same sense of carefully twisted reality that the master writer is known for. In the former, a child plays with a version of an ant farm whose inhabitants are suspiciously…familiar. In the latter, a seasoned hunter on a wild planet tracks a trophy animal with a surprising identity.
“Several of the stories here are truly outstanding in terms of rising suspense. In “Tempus Servivit,” DelGuercio introduces us to a criminal sentenced to undergo an experimental treatment at a mysterious facility run by a much-too-dedicated team of doctors. What seems like a godsend to the patient may actually be something quite different. In my personal favorite story in the collection, “Unbreakable Yu,” a young woman forced into degradation uses her wits and powers of deception to attempt to secure freedom for herself and a remarkable creature. The highlight here: a tense battle between two trained animal athletes. Finally, “Dark Men, Dark Machines” takes the reader on an intricate journey into an incredible world to reveal what it means to be human, as well as inhuman.
“A few words about direct dialogue: These stories have it in spades. Using large sections of dialogue intermingled with scenes of tension-filled description creates an engrossing dynamic that combines slowly unraveling details with throat-gripping action. It’s a daring combo that makes DelGuercio’s prose stand out from that of many other fantasy writers.
“For all those who favor horror and science fiction – and all areas in between or intermingled – the stories in this collection will open new pathways of frightening discovery.
--Megan Davidson, Author of Once a Rogue and The Thundering
"Chris takes the reader on a grand and excellent tour of the genre. We grapple with time travel, space travel, aliens and androids, and even a few degrees of Kevin Bacon. His experience and joy of writing come through to give us what is truly a wonderful read." --Brian Barfoot
Returns
- 15 day return window - must initiate a return within 15 days of delivery;
- contact Phase 5 to initiate return and include what about the book is unsatisfactory;
- provide information requested and follow instructions to complete return.