Epeolatry Book Review: Brain Fruit by Stephen Oram

Imagine being an average insect with a lifespan of only a few days. Given the knowledge and mental capacity you have now, how would you spend your short life? Would you experience every vice you could before your demise? Or would you choose every second to make the world a better place? Brain Fruit by Stephen Oram follows a bug collective that is given that exact choice.

Bee is one of many mechanized bees waiting for its newest brain fruit to ripen. Once ready, Bee, along with its partner, Bug, attach to the brain fruit. Together, they reach a level of symbiosis known as the Trioid. Each brings something unique to the union, but Bee brings the collective knowledge of the community of bees. Unlike previous brain fruits, he desires to confront the community’s greatest fear, the Droids.

Oram’s biology of the Trioid is well conveyed in such a short book. The fragility of the union, together with the organic components, contributes suspense throughout the novelette. While the brain fruit is the shortest-lived member of the Trioid, Bee and Bug are not totally whole without it. The reader experiences the world through Bee who provides most of the dialog. Bug, who acts as locomotion and defense for the Trioid, doesn’t speak. Bee informs the reader of Bug’s emotional state though the bond with the brain fruit. With the new brain fruit being so atypical, I found myself wondering how a typical brain fruit would have acted.

The world becomes much bigger as the Trioid leaves the safety of its home to seek out the Droids. When the Trioid manages to convince a Droid to speak with it, there is a true world colliding moment. The Droids have limited knowledge of the environment around them. This lack of knowledge has been detrimental to the Trioids for as long as the community can remember. The two groups must learn to trust each other if they are going to coexist. 

As the two groups work together, the logic and psychology in the dialog is well thought out. Each group’s concerns and expectations of the other are valid and natural for the story. Though, since the two groups are very mechanical, the dialog can often be dry.

At only thirty nine pages, this novelette has a lot of punch. From the parental nature of Bee to the juvenile mindset of the brain fruit to the nervous emotions of Bug, each character felt fully developed. There was no point where the story slowed and every new encounter felt like it could be the end for the Trioid. When the end did come, it was both heartbreaking and heartwarming to see the results of this Trioid’s struggles.

Brain Fruit by Stephen Oram is a tale of big impacts from short lives. Heartbreaking and heartwarming, this novelette is worth the afternoon read.