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| The New Death and Others by James Hutchings |
Summary from Goodreads:
"Death gets a roommate...
An electronic Pope faces a difficult theological question...
A wicked vizier makes a terrible bargain...
44 stories. 19 poems. No whiny vampires. There's a thin line between genius and insanity, and James Hutchings has just crossed it - but from which direction?"
Rating:
This book is way outside my comfort zone but since I’ve been trying to move outside my boundaries, the New Death and Others is just one of the books I needed to do so.
I’ve read a couple of anthologies before, but usually it’s a collection of stories and poems from a variety of authors, so I was a little surprised knowing that the author of this book solely wrote the stories and poems. I may not be a writer but I know that it’s hard to create anecdotes that would only take up a few pages and yet must have the establishment of characters and a moving story. Plus the idea alone is something hard to accomplish; so for that, kudos to you, James Hutchings!
Now on with the book’s content. What is it about? Well, the title and the cover pretty much says it all. I can’t say I loved all the stories but there are several that stood out and I somehow came to like. For instance, when I read The End, I liked the irony of what occurred with the characters, sorry for being vague but I’d be giving away the entire story if I go any further.
I also like the touch of a Lovecraft tale. While I was taking up 3D Arts, we had a class called “Character Illustration” and part of our lesson was to get inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft’s works and create fantasy creatures. That was not an easy take for me so I commend the author’s ability to construct something out of that.
I do have to say that I struggled with some of the stores. I guess it’s because they’re not the type of stories I encounter with the books I’m accustomed reading. I also feel like some parts may’ve been unpolished or unclear to me; or maybe I just don’t get the idea of.
This may not have been a favorite of mine but I admire Hutchings for his creativity and I’d surely like to see more of his works.
