Reviews

The Tears of Isis by James Dorr

snowmaiden's review

4.0

It would be very easy to discount this story collection at first glance, as the cover art practically screams "I must be self-published!" and the back cover blurb is long on pretentious language and short on plot description. But I'm glad I didn't judge this book by its cover and actually made it far enough to read the stories inside, which were surprisingly good. Then again, it shouldn't really be surprising, considering that almost all these stories were previously published in speculative fiction magazines, some of them as long ago as the mid-90's. My favorites were the title story, in which a sculptress recovers her suppressed memories through an exploration of Egyptian mythology; "The Bala Worm," a recounting of a modern-day dragon hunt; and "The Christmas Rat," a charming but sardonic holiday tale. Dorr's work straddles the fine line between fantasy and horror, and some of the tales here are quite morbid, but he is definitely worth a read if you're interested in the darker side of speculative fiction.

(Note: I received my copy of this book from a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.)

daynpitseleh's review

4.0

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A really unique collection of short stories that mixes mythology, fantasy, science fiction, horror, and fairy tales in a strange blend. The prose is great, and the world-building is fantastic. Glad I took a chance with this one, I will definitely be reading more by James Dorr!