# Sci-fi short story about parallel universes ID **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2019, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-short-story-about-parallel-universes-id/841496 "2019-10-08T20:47:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enilno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@Enilno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enilno)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-short-story-about-parallel-universes-id/841496/1 "2019-10-08T20:47:21Z")
I’ve been trying to track down this short story I read some time ago, but have had no luck so far, so I’m hoping someone else might know it. I believe it was in an anthology, which I read sometime in the 2000’s. The premise is that the protagonist shares the experience of his alternate selves in parallel universes. One plot point I remember is that he makes a living selling pop songs from other universes. He witnesses a murder or a kidnapping occurring, and tries to save the victim, who I think is a girl or young woman. While doing so many of his alternate selves dies, and in the end he saves girl but there’s only a few or one of him left. Does that sound familiar to anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-short-story-about-parallel-universes-id/841496/2 "2019-10-08T21:52:42Z")
I’m pretty sure I’ve read that. Let you know soon. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-short-story-about-parallel-universes-id/841496/3 "2019-10-08T21:56:30Z")
“Ten Sigmas” by Paul Melko [http://www.johnjosephadams.com/other-worlds-than-these/free-reads/ten-sigmas-by-paul-melko/](http://www.johnjosephadams.com/other-worlds-than-these/free-reads/ten-sigmas-by-paul-melko/) It was in Gardner Dozois’ 22nd Best SF of the Year anthology (that’s where I read it). ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-short-story-about-parallel-universes-id/841496/4 "2019-10-09T10:51:37Z")
I was going to suggest Paul Melko also, but a 2006 Asimov’s story called _The Walls of the Universe_, which appeared in his collection called Ten Sigmas (and was also the first section of a novel also called The Walls of the Universe. I guess maybe he re-used some of the same ideas across different stories. iirc, his protagonist also tried to make money by importing pinball into a timeline where it didn’t exist! But that was probably in the novel, not the orignal short story. The novel also had a sequel called The Broken Universe. edit to add: [here’s what I thought](https://www.flickr.com/photos/17270214@N05/3294301605) abou the novel when it came out ---
**Author:** ![Enilno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@Enilno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enilno)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-short-story-about-parallel-universes-id/841496/5 "2019-10-09T13:12:26Z")
That’s it exactly! Thanks so much. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-short-story-about-parallel-universes-id/841496/6 "2019-10-09T13:18:45Z")
> [@Enilno](#): > > That’s it exactly! Thanks so much. Glad to help. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-short-story-about-parallel-universes-id/841496/7 "2019-10-09T13:36:24Z")
An hour nine. We still got it. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-short-story-about-parallel-universes-id/841496/8 "2019-10-10T02:10:08Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > I was going to suggest Paul Melko also, but a 2006 Asimov’s story called _The Walls of the Universe_, which appeared in his collection called Ten Sigmas (and was also the first section of a novel also called The Walls of the Universe. > > I guess maybe he re-used some of the same ideas across different stories. iirc, his protagonist also tried to make money by importing pinball into a timeline where it didn’t exist! But that was probably in the novel, not the orignal short story. > The novel also had a sequel called The Broken Universe. > > edit to add: [here’s what I thought](https://www.flickr.com/photos/17270214@N05/3294301605) abou the novel when it came out Yeah, I’ve read both those novels and Melko’s other novel (Singularity’s Ring) too - I’d like to see more from him. Your comparison with Steve Gould seems apt.