Tariq Goddard

The Repeater Book of Heroism is a mostly interesting collection of essays about figures each writer considers a hero.

Like any collection that brings together different writers, it is uneven in both quality and purpose. A few moved me to tears while a couple made me think the writer was more interested in touting their own (perceived) greatness. The good ones outnumber the less appealing ones. This is all from my perspective. Others will likely love the ones I found less interesting and dismiss the ones I am enthralled by. In other words, this volume has something, actually several somethings, for everyone.

I do question a little of the hyperbole of the introduction and supposed premise, that heroes and heroism are under attack. Just because certain types of "heroes" and certain perceptions of "heroism" are being questioned doesn't mean the entire concept is being dismissed. I hear speakers all across the political spectrum, left and right, speak of who they consider heroes. Those on the left are often using examples that run counter to, or at least are minimized by, the right, but they don't deny the idea of heroism or heroes. But aside from the hyperbolic reason for the collection, the book is well worth reading. I had only heard of maybe four or five of the public figures and certainly none of the more personal ones.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mais)

The Repeater Book of the Occult is a nice collection of ten tales, some well known others lesser known, but all classic examples of the early periods of such dark tales.

A collection of any kind will be hit or miss with many readers depending more on what the reader brings rather than the book itself. The book has ten very well written stories from excellent, and known, writers, so to give this anything less than a good rating is hubris in the extreme. But people do love to pose by being as negative as possible, so forgive them their little insecurities.

The introductions also vary since each is written by a different person and some may be less interesting to you. I didn't find any to be pointless though I also would have liked a little more depth since one part of the book blurb says they are "critical introductions." These are, by and large, less critical and more contextual introductions, background on the writer and/or story. Nothing that really subtracts from the wonderful collection, just doesn't add very much either.

Like many readers, I was familiar with most of the stories. If you only want collections to include stories that are new to you, well, good luck. Most readers will have read at least a few of these. I like collections like this because they group stories together that I might not group together. While this is not held together by a tight theme, they caused me to reread some stories that I likely would not have even though I have them in other books. I don't pull down any Poe or Twain collection very often and when I do I unfortunately gravitate toward the ones I either know or love best. So having a different one pulled out gives me the opportunity to read beyond what I would normally do. Some people, apparently, only like to have one copy of a story and even then, only in the right, to them, collection. I like different contexts for not only the fiction but for the physical location of the story.

I would recommend this to readers who are looking for a nice collection of stories, some new to them, some not. Readers who only want collections of stories they have never heard of may not want this since there will likely be a couple they know. Also, while the introductions do add some context, they are not critical in the sense of analysis and interpretation, so those readers might want to search for critical essays on the works if they want such things. If you simply like to reread good stories, however, this is an excellent book.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mais)

Tariq Goddard is already a favourite author. Having read his previous three titles, I was prepared for a good read. What I was not prepared for was staying up for two consecutive nights to finish his latest. It is indeed a metaphysical horror for a modern time. Set in the "Me Decade" of the Eighties and smack dab in the English Countryside, the story is uniquely told with Goddard's voice and pacing.

It's not until the experience of reading this has come to the last few pages that the realisation sinks in that this is a morality tale for the age that has very little to do with specific sins as outlined in any religious text.

I highly recommend this work to anyone looking for an entertaining reading experience with the added plus of a thoughtful and metaphysical subtext.

There is a complete review of The Picture Of Contented New Wealth on our website.

This is definitely on the list of "wish we had published it!"

Susan G.
Ed.… (mais)