DAY OF DEMONS:
A REVIEW BY T. JAMES
A note on impartiality: wearing
my reviewer’s hat, I feel it is only fair to state upfront that the
editor of Day Of Demons, Colin F. Barnes, is a friend of mine,
as is Krista Walsh, author of Serpent’s Kiss. I will leave
you, the reader, to decide whether I am guilty of vapid gooey-eyed
adulation or whether I maintain an acceptable level of dispassion and
therefore credibility in the review below.
THE BOOK: DAY OF DEMONS
This is a collection of nine short
stories by male and female authors. The title may give the impression
that the stories are very similar—in common they do have a dark
tone and, obviously, demons—but the synopsis is accurate and there
is a refreshing range of genre, theme and writing style to be found.
THE SYNOPSIS (taken from the
Anachron
Press Website*)
“Day of Demons is a collection of
powerful stories featuring the conflict of demons and humans over the
course of a day.
Read how one woman’s inner-self
awakens to unexpected and frightening consequences, or how a
charismatic half-breed thief is forced to strike a deal with a
pen-stealing imp. Read about a mother as she struggles to cope with a
deadly, satanic bargain, and a sword-wielding anti-hero as he returns
out of exile to face his demonic fate.
Nine stories, nine demons, nine
authors. From fantasy, to horror, to contemporary fiction, this
anthology will fright, delight and grip you with tales of daring-do,
danger and of course — demons.”
THE REVIEW
Deal, by Karen Davies
The anthology starts with a light
fantasy action / adventure feel. A thief takes refuge from his
pursuer in some ancient ruins, but he finds he isn’t the only being
inside—he meets an imp who is a tormentor of scribes and a
collector of quills. This short has some good characterisation and
snappy dialogue that held my interest. The twist at the end is well
executed.
Inheritance, by Phil
Hickes
Stark and atmospheric; a son returns to
his families’ mouldering estate after reading his deceased
grandfather’s letter. Posthumously, his grandfather fills him in on
the history of the estate and the onerous duty that comes with it.
There is an effective dialogue between the dead man, via the letter,
and the grandson as he reads it—the clash of mystical olde-worlde
values and self-assured new world cynicism works well. There are two
likely endings, but the execution of the last scenes keeps the one
the author chose feeling fresh.
Serpent’s Kiss, by
Krista Walsh
This is the hottest of the demon
stories, with a believable chemistry between the two ‘romantic’
protagonists. It is well written with an economic fluid style, and
the sexual tension is built with enough skill that the writing
doesn’t need to be explicit to hold the reader’s interest—an
effective and enjoyable update of the succubus myth.
Sam & The Spear,
by Gary Bonn
This one stands out from the others as
its style is very different. A boy, into role-playing, finds himself
thrown into a situation where he must play the hero for real. A
strange mix of dreamscape coupled with an almost YA style of
writing—it is imaginative, but for me, not as well executed as some
of the other stories. The simplicity of the writing and the ending
lends charm—still an enjoyable read.
Numen, by V. Đ.
Griesdoorn
Imaginative, but I found the writing
style difficult in places—the piece is sprinkled with, what were
for me, awkwardly phrased sentences:
“Stacey switched on the overhead
kerosene lamp with a switch near the door.”
The story is stronger—a child grown
to adulthood returning to discover a parental legacy—her deceased
father had a gift for making things. How she pieces together the
mystery is quite intriguing, although some of the physics and the
ending are a little woolly. The midsection works well though—there
is pace there, and engaging ideas throughout.
City of Light and Stone,
by Laura Diamond
One of the most involving protagonists
of the anthology can be found here. An anti-hero tortured and in
thrall to his master, he must murder to escape his damnation. For a
story of this length it is very well characterised and well written.
The premise is imaginative, although I was left feeling a little
unclear as to how the underlying theology works—but that may be due
to the twisted perceptions of the main character. The theme, that we
have more to do with our own damnation than any entity, is nicely
handled—almost an adult Grimm morality tale. A good read.
Cost of Glory, by
Edward Drake
A well-written classic fantasy
anti-hero returns home story. If you could distil any modern fantasy
epic by taking out the travelling and stir in a little Conan, you
would end up with something like Cost of Glory. The ending
wasn’t especially surprising, but the characters, setting, pace and
action are all well handled.
A Mother’s Love, by
James M. Mazzaro
One of the strongest stories of the
nine, it packs an impressive number of twists into its short length.
It is great to read about a female hero who is intelligent and
believable. Willing to pay any price for a child, she decides to play
a demon at his own game. Convincing and well put together.
The Devil and Mrs Milton,
by Sarah Anne Langton
Possibly the most haunting and
memorable, and not just because it is the last. Sarah Anne Langton
demonstrates real artistry as a writer—she isn’t afraid to go off
the beaten track in terms of story or style. We spend most of the
time reminiscing with an old woman, but it is written with enough
skill and flair the experience is engaging, not boring. As the story
closes, with an unavoidable and unwelcome visitor, there is a genuine
sense of tension and concern for the fate of the main character.
OVERALL
This is a disparate collection of short
stories, but because of the strong central theme they sit comfortably
alongside each other. With anything self-published the question of
production quality is often raised—generally I found DoD to
be on par with some traditionally published books. There are some
typos, but not enough to detract from the reading experience. The
quality of the stories varies from fair to excellent, but none are a
waste of your time or money. If you love the smell of sulphur in the
morning and want something brimming with creativity to put a little
fire in your belly, this is probably it.
AVAILABILITY
The eBook is currently
available on Amazon Kindle.
The print edition is now
available from Lulu.
The editor assures me, on pain of his
own death, that the epub version should be available for download
from mid-end July, 2012. Please see the Anachron
Press website for updates.
REVIEWER
T. James (I am now referring to myself
in the third person which seems incredibly pretentious, but this is
apparently how biographical bits are done) is currently a writer of
little renown. While he waits on the sidelines hoping the cool kids
will invite him to the party, he is currently exploring a range of
writing styles and genres. His works in progress are a YA parody and
a satirical writer's guide.
His (more serious) published work can
be found here: http://writerandauthor.com,
and his other misadventures are blogged
here: http://thewordonthe.net.
* All quotes and illustrations are
the copyright © of Anachron Press, and are used
with permission.
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