We know Remigiusz Mróz perfectly well from several best-selling crime fiction series present on our publishing market. Fewer people know, however, that one of the writer's first achievements fell on a completely different genre - racial science fiction, which drew full handfuls from the legacy of the Alien and the Hidden Dimension .
Or at least in the early stages of the plot. The first scenes of the Choir of Forgotten Voicesas vividly reminiscent of a mix of Paul WS Anderson’s and Ridley Scott’s classics – we have the Accipiter, a space ship whose deserted corridors are flooded with blood-red alarm light, we have piles of picturesquely split corpses, the stench of death and decay. In the middle of this pandemonium are two survivors. Astrochemist Hakon Lindberg and navigator Dija Udin have no idea what happened or whether they can trust each other. However, they quickly come to the conclusion that despite completely different views, they must learn to cooperate with each other in order to survive. Everything indicates that the attempt to expand the human species to further regions of the universe has been brutally halted … and this is just the beginning of an intricately woven network of events that may decide the future of homo sapiens in general.
An exceptionally successful fusion of species
Inspirations from cult science fiction horror films seem obvious in Mroz’s book. Therefore, the more we may be surprised the further we go into history. It soon turns out that next to the densely watered cosmic thriller, the book includes echoes of space opera or motifs related to time travel. The chorus of forgotten voices appears to us at some point as a mix of seemingly contradictory ideas – and the more impressive is how efficiently Mróz can control it.
When it is supposed to be scary and disgusting, the writer does not hesitate to paint the scenes as bluntly as possible, when in turn it comes to epic speeches, dramatic escapes and unexpected twists, he writes with nerve – so as to squeeze as much as possible from each fragment of the story. There are a multitude of the latter ones. I would have to look far back to find a book that was equally effective in destroying my point of view on the events presented. Besides, I’m not sure if I could find one.
Strangely enough, fragments related to the scientific part of the genre do not suffer from the endless twists. I am convinced that Mróz has been tempted many times to apply solutions straight from Deus Ex Machina, but (at least for laymen) everything seems to be treated with due respect and, more importantly, it just makes sense.
Heroes for a medal
In addition to the plot speeding at the speed of light, Mroz managed to create an undoubtedly interesting character suit. In fact, each of them has its own unique character, and we will have time to become attached to each of them in their own way – but the icing on the cake is the account of Messrs. Lindberg and Dji Udin. Streaked with exceeding the limits of black humor and irony, the dialogues of the two completely opposing characters made me smile on my face. Look with a candle to look for characters who would be able to comment on the gloomy reality so accurately and amusingly, without being ridiculous at the same time.
The choir of forgotten voices is probably a dream come true for everyone trying to find a position on the market that resembles the aforementioned classics of space horror films . On the one hand, it is strongly inspired by others, on the other – an absolutely unique book. While waiting for the second volume, it is simply not right not to recommend it.
