Shadows of the Rose

Rating:
Summary: Heartily recommended
Review: I'm not fond of short stories, but every now and then I come across a writer who handles this format so well that my enjoyment surprises me. Annette Gisby is such a writer, because her collection of suspense tales (whose endings I could NOT see coming the proverbial "mile away") had me gulping it down in a single evening.

Most of the tales, like opener "Emily's Angel," run between 1,000 and 2,000 words. Their settings vary from contemporary England, to the 17th Century, to the future on Earth and in space. The closing story, a paranormal romance entitled "Leonae," reaches the lower limits of novella length without giving the reader any sense that it's gone on too long.

My personal favorite from this collection, "Witch Hunter," opens in a 17th Century dungeon. Katherine, a young noblewoman without male relatives to protect her, is confined there under horrific conditions-supposedly for practicing the black arts. In reality, her crime is refusing Sir Robert's marriage proposal. Sir Robert (a man whom no woman with a choice would be likely to accept!) sends for the noted "witch hunter" Lord William Alden, even after Katherine's herbal healing skills have saved his life, so that he can force her to stand trial by ordeal. Lady Katherine is doomed, like so many other women of her era, to die by the means she has always feared most...and more than that, I wouldn't dream of telling you.

The writing in these tales is frank. I found its handling of sensitive subjects (both positive-a few sensual love scenes, and negative-the aftereffects of rape) appropriate, and the scenes themselves not at all gratuitous. If you enjoy irony, and strong heroines whose lives you can live right along with them as you read, then I heartily recommend "Shadows of the Rose."

Rating:
Summary: Author's Irish Heritage Shows in Book of Fine Tales
Review: Reviewed by award-winning author of "This is the Place" and "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered"

In the tradition of Irish fairy tales, Annette Gisby brings us her collection of updated stories and tales that are permeated with the art of oral story tellers. She is at her best when she lets her Irish blood boil.

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The interviewer is the author of the soon-to-be-released THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER.

Rating:
Summary: At Times A Disturbing Read: Shadows of the Rose
Review: While I am not a big fan of short story collections, every now and then I come across one worth reading. That is definitely true in this intriguing collection by Annette Gisby. Consisting of eleven short stories and a twelfth story that is novella in length, this collection provides some interesting and occasionally, very disturbing reading. Almost in all cases, mature themes are covered and this collection is intended for adults.

Almost every story has a strange twist to it with many of the twists having to do what could be considered the supernatural. However, in this case, I would not refer to these twists as being related to the supernatural but more like having to do with something beyond this plane of existence. In the context of the story as written, the events that happen are not of a supernatural bent, but more just out of the norm for those of us in this realm. In the story times and places, such events are common and expected.

Out of the whole group, my favorite story is "Witch Hunter." In this story, set in the far distant past, Lady Katherine has been accused of being a witch and thrown into a dungeon by Sir Robert. With the death of her father just two days ago, he means to take over her lands as well as anything else he can of hers. But his plans are interrupted by his fall off of his horse. Thanks to his unlordly tumble, one arm has been gravely injured and reeks of "the rotting sickness."

While she is not a witch, she is a healer. Desperate, he seeks her help and she does. He loses the afflicted limb but does not lose her life. Despite her help, he still means to try her in the presence of the witch hunter for being a witch. But the witch hunter has his own plans for her.

While I enjoyed most of the collection, several of the stories were very disturbing and I did not care for them. In particular "Baby Blue" which deals with the unintended repercussions of gene control and deformed babies in the future. It was not an easy story to read or topic to deal with.

While this collection does feature plenty of interesting characters and strong writing, it also does feature mature content and is definitely not suitable for non-adults. Many of the stories, while dealing with adult themes, offer somewhat graphic descriptions of human relations with little left to the imagination. Clearly such scenes are not gratuitous or added to shock the reader when the story is taken in context, but serve to further detail the actions of the characters.

All in all, while often not light reading, this is an interesting work. The characters are complex and human, the predicaments all to real in many cases, and the writing is well done. With a combination of themes and issues, this is an intriguing collection and well worth your time as a reader.