If you love to see the concepts and ideas of ancient mythology mixed together with everyday, modern living, then you’re going to love this book as it’s a collection of short stories and poems which do just that. Though I must say, they’re often quite dark tales.
‘The Mysteries’ is the first story in the collection and actually one of the best too. All I’ll say is that it’s about a young woman going on a night out and it takes a most unexpected turn, but there’s a very nice bit of foreshadowing at the start which will make you smile when you get to the end. But my favourite of all is probably ‘Tramps and Thieves’ – not only does it contain vampires (I love vampires) but also a really beautiful concept surrounding a group of tramps. I wasn’t entirely sure what the story was about, but it was amazing, full of big ideas, excitement and even humour.
I think what I quite liked about this collection is that every story and poem is pretty short. Even if you don’t have much time, you can just open up the book and take a quick shot of mythology. Despite the short length, they all managed to give me something to think about afterwards and to convey such interesting ideas in such a short space of time isn’t something just anybody can do.
I’ve not mentioned the poetry as much so far, because I find it such a difficult art form to review, but I think the poems compliment the stories wonderfully. I always read one of each at a time as I made my way through. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but if you read it look out for “I Am All Ink Inside” and “A String of Lights” which both resonated with me especially.
If you’re looking to try something new, something thought provoking and something beautiful, then I recommend this collection. It may not be a massive book, but you’ll enjoy it while it lasts and it’s likely to give you something to talk about with your friends.
Rating: 8/10
