Book Jacket

 

rank 5107 (-173)
word count 33658
date submitted 05.09.2008
date updated 12.06.2009
genres: Fiction
classification: universal
complete

Stories From The Hollow

Steffan Gilbert

 

A collection of five stories ranging from Southern Gothic to Speculative Sci-Fi Humor, to a children's bed time fable, and back to Southern Gothic.

 

A collection of short stories whose worlds range from a futuristic dream scape where saints must be blessed with swiveling hips ('Elvis Has Expounded the Building'), to how mysterious pranks to an country church's outdoor sign are the fuse that implodes a pastor wound too tight ('A Delivered Sign'), to a place deep in the woods that makes it hard to leave, whether one wants to or not ("Wishes Haunting Dreams"), to a short bed time story written to celebrate the birth of a dear one ('The Way of The Willow'). The collection ends with an early version of "Still Life', a mystery where a child's disappearance collides with the selfishness of a no account neer-do-well. "Still Life" is currently being revised into a novel, 'Still Life (with Lares and Penates)'.

 
 

tags

, children's story, fable, short stories, southern gothic, speculative comedy

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3 comments

 

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extraordinary occurrences wrote 236 days ago

i am afraid that this is garbage.

Bill Powell wrote 518 days ago

Just finished "A delivered sign" and felt confused by the character of the Pastor. In the opening paragraphs you build some sympathy for him, as he feels they're a family again. But you quickly tear him down again and he becomes a religious bigot, an easy target for hatred. Then, with all sympathy for the character gone, you offer him a chance to redeem himself, like Samson, with a final act of atonement.
At times, I wonder if you intend the character to be not sane, writing one thing but seeing another. At other places, it's more like the sign itself is malevolent, and at others, that the sign is sent to test pastors - good or bad - to destruction. Mostly, the sign is laughing evilly, as it grinds up people.
I suppose in the end I like my stories to be more logical, or to have a moral point.
The flip side is that actually it's a great idea, well written, and develops nicely. When all's said and done, the pastor does get to make atonement, which goes some way towards assuaging my need for moral balance in a story. And you wrap it up really well in the last few paragraphs. I bet you felt ten feet tall when you penned that last line - I know I would have done.
All in all, it's a great story, overall, in the tradition of Edgar Allan Poe, or Ray Bradbury.

Wayne Johnson wrote 520 days ago


Hi Steffan,

I enjoy tales from the American heartlands and having read some of those in this book I really enjoyed them. It reminded me of some journeys I've had in small town Texas.

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