Aphelion Issue 298, Volume 28
September 2024
 
Editorial    
Long Fiction and Serials
Short Stories
Flash Fiction
Poetry
Features
Series
Archives
Submission Guidelines
Contact Us
Forum
Flash Writing Challenge
Forum
Dan's Promo Page
   

Tales From A Goth Librarian

By Kimberly Richardson

Review by Dan L. Hollifield


Type of music/work:

Sci-fi / Fantasy / Steampunk Anthology.

Musicians/Performers/Author(s):

Kimberly Richardson


Direct Link To The Book's Page At Kerlak Press


Published by Kerlak Enterprises

ISBN:
Trade Paperback ISBN 13: 978-0-9823745-1-1 $14.95
eBook eISBN 13: 978-1-937035-95-2 $4.99

General impressions of the album/book:

Dark and gloomy and filled with haunting, lyrical writing that is sure to delight the hearts of anyone drawn to the Goth side of life! Kimberly Richardson demonstrates an absolutely poetic way of making words flow together. The imagery is astoundingly vivid. Each story or poem draws the rider deep into the Goth mindset.

Specifics:

Kimberly Richardson is quite simply an artist who paints with words. I was immersed in the stories so deeply that I was somewhat unhappy to have reached the end of the last one. But then the final section of the book is of her poetry. I thought the stories were great, but the poetry is even better! The writing style is so attractive to the reader that each scene comes alive. This is a flawless collection of high art that just happens to be limned with words rather than oil paint. I could feel the passions of the characters as if they were my own. It's a vivid dream-scape she portrays. One that grabs the reader, submits them to intense emotions, then leaves them gasping for breath and wanting more at the end of each tale. Goth my not be everyone's cup of hemlock tea, but Kimberly reaches right into the reader and entices them to face their darker sides.

Each tale is quite haunting. Once you finish the book, you're tempted to go back and read it all again. It is a very rewarding exploration of the darker emotions and situations that Goths everywhere will find compelling, and difficult to put down. Indeed, I hated every interruption that caused me to have to lay the book down. I found myself hungering for the next opportunity to dive back into reading it again. But as I said above, as good as the stories are, the poetry in the final section of the book is even better. I personally find poetry a difficult thing to write. Kimberly makes it look easy, which is a mark of extraordinary skill in a writer. The imagery in each poem is so compelling, it leaps into your mind as if you were watching a movie instead of reading. I just can't praise it enough!

If you enjoy all things Goth, this book is a "must have" for your collection. It is elegant, finely crafted, and draws the reader into a world all its own. Before I'd turned the first page of the first story, I was no longer reading it as a reviewer, but had been bewitched into reading every line like a starving man who had just been handed a hot meal. I devoured every word. I think you will, too. To paraphrase Charles Dickens: "Please, Miss! May I have some more?"

Background info on where you can buy this book:

The best way is to go to the book's page on the Kerlak Enterprises website. Direct Link To The Book's Page At Kerlak Press But by doing that you miss out on all the other goodies that are published by Kerlak Enterprises. I've also included the links below that will take you directly to the book's pages on various other web-stores.

Amazon.com Paperback
Kindle
B&N Paperback
Nook
Apple I-pad
Google eBook


Review © 2012 by Dan L. Hollifield


Dan Hollifield is the senior editor and publisher of Aphelion Webzine

Comment on this story in the Aphelion Forum

Return to Aphelion's Index page.