Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon (eds.) – Dark Faith: Invocations – A Fantastical Librarian
In both the Wright and the Johnson story unconditional love and faith is the power that drives both of these relationships. The imagery of the Wright story was beautiful and I kept wondering what would be behind the door. The Johnson story is perhaps not truly speculative fiction, as the idea that in totalitarian countries dissidents are made to disappear for not complying with the institutionalised groupthink is frighteningly real.
But the willingness of the father to die for his ideals and the willingness of the mother to lie to keep her child safe touched me deeply. I'm a sucker for crime stories be they in book format, on TV, or on the big screen, so no surprise that this story piqued my interest. But I really did like it beyond the setting and the style, as it showed how much strength can be derived from the belief that there is always someone at your back, someone who won't give up on you. Snyder's story, which was nominated for a Stoker award last week, is properly horrifying and best not read over lunch or dinner.
It was horrid, but also fascinating and the SF-nal ideas behind it well-conceived. My last highlight, the Warrick, was a strange as it was wonderful. I loved the concept of interdependence, that whatever Megumi put out there to influence the world changed it and this changed world in turn influenced how her story progressed. It's also man as the author of his own destiny, in control of his own actions as shown in the American journalist's refusal to act according to her expectations when confronted with the victim-virgin-slut doll-girl she drew for him.
I found it quite a visual story, which is fitting for a story about an animator, but the ending leaves the reading guessing and I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. While I didn't connect as strongly to all of the stories, most of them did make me think, about their concept or about my reaction to it.
And I think that is the ultimate goal for this anthology, so job well done. If you aren't easily offended in matters of religion - not that the stories are really offensive, but I can see how they might disturb some - and find philosophical musing about matters of faith interesting, Dark Faith: Invocations is a good, thought-provoking read, containing some really amazing stories by great writers.
This book was provided for review by the publisher. One person found this helpful.
No anthology is perfect but, while there were a couple of stories that didn't quite work for me personally, this book comes close. It's obvious that Broaddus and Gordon chose stories that moved them, that spoke to some aspect of faith and belief. As the back cover text suggests, the stories touch on every aspect of faith and belief -- from faith in self, family, friends, coworkers all the way out to faith in something bigger, larger, universal. No one particular religious mindset is pushed, everything from atheism through Catholicism is mentioned at some point.
Yes, the stories are heavy on the supernatural, but then again so is pretty much every book of faith. Johnson's "Little Lies, Dear Leader," are among the most effective and moving of the collection.
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I've done slightly more in-depth reviews of each story in the book, and those can be found at this address. There's one new review a day, so individual story reviews from DFI will be rolling out through the end of January. The stories run the gamut from humor what would it be like to live in God's brain , to dark horror fungi-become god slowly overtake humanity , to thoughtful reflections on the nature of faith and the role of a god or lack thereof in our own lives what kind of god would you create if you could select your own?
I found Jay Lake's thoughts on the role of religion in a cancer patient particular moving, given his personal health difficulties. Definitely recommended as a must-read. See all 3 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.
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AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally. Amazon Inspire Digital Educational Resources. Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go. Amazon Restaurants Food delivery from local restaurants. Episode 34 Guest Host: Writing the Other not specifically on Dark Faith: Invocations, but this was just awesome! Gordon we always have a great time with these guys — Our interview starts at the And take a moment to appreciate how much my friends love and respect me…. Introduction by Maurice Broaddus.
Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon (eds.) – Dark Faith: Invocations
Fantasy Magazine — Editing Dark Faith. An Interview With Jason Sizemore. Wings Lifting Wide — Review: Black Gate — Short Fiction Review New York, New Psalm. Postule Oozings — Dark Faith. What questions would you ask Jesus if he returned on the eve of an apocalypse and granted every surviving human a personal audience?