Amalia Gkavea

I have read hundreds of books on the Paranormal and hundreds of books on Irish Culture. This volume is one of the most informative, haunting, moving and scary reads I’ve ever had the pleasure to spend time with. Not only does it offer rare information on the contemporary perspectives of the paranormal in Ireland, but it also allows us to compare and contrast stories and phenomena in different cultures. What makes this book unique is that most of the incidents narrated took place between the mid-20th century and the early 2010s.

The Introduction (which is beyond brilliant, by the way) offers an interesting, thought-provoking comparison between British and Irish reactions to the Paranormal. What do we learn from this wonderful book? A multitude of views and experiences. The shadows of the Irish Revolution, the Troubles falling on hospitals, execution sites, even houses. The tragedy of the Great Famine. Haunted priories, abbeys, boarding schools. What I truly loved was the detail and the attention placed on experiences related to haunted houses, hotels, and inns (some of which had no bloody past to explain the phenomena). There is also a deep feeling of sadness permeating the accounts. Parents losing their children, visitations and omens of death, strange and menacing dark oddities, contemporary sightings of the Banshee and the ghost lights on the bogs. There is even an entertaining section of extraordinary phenomena recorded between the 12th century and the 16th century.

This book is pure perfection. From the atmospheric front cover to the vivid writing and the stories included, a haunting trip to Ireland has never been better!

  ‘'In life, there are only two paths: to act or not to act. Humans must choose one.''
The Son: A little boy, who had to experience his parents' divorce, wants to go back in time to show them he is happy no matter what. He wants to show them his smile, although I doubt they would actually care. Meet two of the most self-absorbed parents in Contemporary Literature. Meet two of the most realistic parents of our modern, unethical age...
The Nameless Child: In one of the most heart-rending stories of the series, a widow wants to return to the past to show her deceased husband the son he never had the chance to meet. Bring out the tissues for this one, it will haunt you to the very end. Marvelous and bittersweet.
The Father: A complex family drama of a father who refused to give his consent to her daughter's marriage and a daughter who is devoid of any kind of personality, good judgment and common sense. A girl who can't say ‘no' to anyone is a recipe for disaster. Add idiocy and an inferiority complex to the mixture, and you have no one to blame for your ordeals but your miserable self. Plain and simple. 
The Valentine: Two friends meet each other in the past, having fallen victim to their hesitation, misunderstanding and low self-confidence.
The fifth instalment of our beloved series is the darkest yet. There are a few utterly shocking moments that left me speechless (and that's an understatement...), and the themes of loss and death permeate the four stories. Regret in not expressing what you truly feel, insecurity when your parents cannot make you feel safe and protected, the distance between a wife and a husband when he cannot understand that maternity isn't the be - all and end - all of a woman's existence. The irreparable loss that strikes like a thunderbolt, the harshness of a father that makes everything worse, the low self-esteem that can lead us to serious mistakes, deepening an irrational inertia.
However, do not think that all is pure doom and gloom. We have the precious moments spent with our parents that no one can take away from us. The deep love that death cannot erase. The important lesson of making mistakes and learning since our parents cannot shield us from every evil in the world. We never know when Fate will decide to take matters into her own hands with irreversible results. Let us be aware of this and move on.
In addition, Toshikazu Kawaguchi offers new aspects of the Funiculi Funicula magic, twists that we were not aware of and interesting insights into the Japanese society, customs, and urban legends.
Healing doesn't come from lovey-dovey, fairytale situations. Healing comes through turbulence, pain, deep sorrow. So, if you think that this part of the series is ‘too dark' to belong in the Healing Fiction genre, congratulations on building your own bubble. Now it is time to wake up and face the world.
‘'Regret comes in two flavours: actions taken and opportunities missed.''
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
 

‘'Death is typically a European film. The scenes are evocative, the atmosphere and characters charged. But in my case, death took a different form.''

When you start reading a book and you feel the need to underline entire paragraphs from the very first pages, you know that an exciting reading experience is waiting for you. In the case of Mars by the Bosnian writer Asja Bakić ‘'exciting'' is too weak a word to describe this collection of short stories by one of the most talented writers in our beautiful Balkan neighborhood.

‘'Ι don't remember how many of us were in the cabin, but all the girls would scream for the teacher when, just as everyone was on the edge of sleep, I'd tell scary stories about witches and monsters. Look at that woman lurking in the window.''

Bakić uses elements of different genres to write about universal theme and issues that are relevant to the past and the present. Magical Realism, Science Fiction, and Literary Fiction. No matter the genre, Bakić creates a unique array of extremely powerful stories where Feminism, social issues, sensuality, mystery, and horror form a dark, macabre scenery. Women try to cope with choices that don't belong to them, when war and social restrictions place more and more obstacles in their way.

‘'You should have learned by now that you can't trust death, or people.''

In fluid, powerful writing, beautifully translated by Jennifer Zoble, Bakić touches on the lack of trust and the threats that are lurking for women who feel the need to step out of a society that wants to suffocate them and reduce them to a role where no expression, no liberation is allowed. In an environment heavily influenced by the absurdity of Sovietism and the insecurity that follows the fall of a regime. ‘'Literature is the primary link between life and death.'', a character states and the truth and gravity of these words permeate the collection. When the world becomes a difficult, dangerous place, hardships multiply if you are a woman.

‘'Everyone wants to go to heaven'', I said. ‘'It must be too crowded there.''

...Day Trip to Durmitor: A writer finds herself in a weird Purgatory, guarded by two demanding secretaries. She will be able to move on once she writes the perfect book. But what does ‘'moving on'' actually mean?

Buried Treasure: The adventures of a quirky family during a happy, sleepy summer as the nineties began. A story that makes you feel a bittersweet kind of melancholy when you know what is about to follow...

‘'It's not the season for walking'', I said. ‘'It's cold, and people are idiots.''

The Talus of Madame Liken: Can you get scared - and I mean, really, really scared- while reading a ten-page story in the Tube, in the middle of a beautiful April afternoon? Because this tale of violence, terror, and retribution will make you shiver. One of the most brilliant atmospheric stories I've ever read.

Abby: A woman loses her memory every five minutes and is forced to put up with a controlling husband. A brilliant story that mixes gender studies and Science Fiction.

‘'Why aren't you here?'', reads Asja's message, ‘'it's midnight.''

Asja 5.0 : In a world where physical contact has vanished and procreation is contacted in labs, two people try to return to a time when intimacy was undisputable. How can you survive in a society ruled by a regime that aims to extinguish every trace of feelings and personal identity?

Carnivore: What if two strangers decided to follow each other and arrange a weird date? What does meat have to do with an affair? This story is one more brilliant metaphor of isolation and desire.

‘'I'd always identified with Medea: I wrote like a betrayed, rejected sorceress, but in fact, I'd received Medea's gift - her poisonous truth.''

Passions: How many identities can a writer obtain through her work? What happens when a shady presence from the past reappears in a terribly unsuitable moment? A marvelous, mysterious story.

‘'You can't rebuild a world that's been reduced to ashes.''

The Guest: A journalist has to investigate a cult and its mysterious leader and contemplate on the possibility of being able to turn every thought into a tangible object.

‘'In the children's room, on the floor, sit two sisters, playing. There are no toys around them. The room's disorderly, dirty. They make all - too- familiar hand movements - they stab at something in front of them and then bring it to their lips. It quickly becomes clear that the girls are playing lunch. There's no food; they are only pretending to eat.''

Heading West: A family tries to escape severe hunger and war by trusting its fate into the hands of a suspicious- looking squad. A story about the tragedy of a war that still haunts us.

‘'In this divorce between us writers and other people'', I said, ‘'the moon belongs to us.''

The Underworld: An intergalactic society where writers and, consequently, freedom of speech are restricted and persecuted.

Mars...The Roman equivalent of Ares, the ferocious god of War. The other half of Venus, forming the unbreakable bond between Love and War. The god that gave its name to the month that stands upon the edge of winter and the beginning of spring. The strongest planet in terms of astrology. And the title of an outstanding collection by the immensely talented Asja Bakić.

‘'Where does a woman go, if she doesn't know what's in store for her?''

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com

‘'Gods die. And when they truly die they are unmourned and unremembered. Ideas are more difficult to kill than people, but they can be killed in the end.''

Why do gods have to fight and die? Isn't there enough space in people's hearts to accommodate everyone, as in the old days? New gods and old gods, but it seems that they aren't all powerful as such. They need the mortals to believe in them, otherwise they simply cease to exist.

I initially thought I wouldn't write a review about Neil Gaiman's gloriously dark, strange and haunting classic. I mean, what can I say that hasn't been said? And then, I thought ‘'come on, it's an honour that you have the chance to write a review that will occupy a teeny tiny corner in this endless space that is Internet. (...too much Tech-boy influence...) So these are my two cents for a book that my review cannot do justice to.

It has been on my lists for years, right after I read ‘'Coraline'' and ‘'Stardust'', but the marvellous TV series made me started it sooner than I thought. I couldn't possibly wait to witness the conclusion in 3-4 years on the telly, when the book was on my shelf. And this gives me the opportunity to say that the spirit of the book was perfectly captured and transferred to the small screen (unlike other examples...) and the expanded parts made the essence of the book even more significant, at least to me. As Wednesday and Shadow start a road trip in preparation for the war that is coming- a fight between the old gods, the values that created the country and the new gods that bring corruption and progress built in sand (yes, that is my personal conclusion....) - we, the readers, find ourselves on a journey that gives us much to think of. Is the old world a better place? Are the values that bring hope and comfort to the people to be destroyed by media, technology and the new World? I believe that each one of us can draw their personal conclusions.

‘'We like to be big. Now, in these shabby days, we are small. The new gds rise and fall and rise again. But this is not a country that tolerates gods for long.''

Gaiman's writing is exceptional, obviously. There are so many beautiful quotes, so many dark moments of terrifying awe that clearly show why he's considered a master of his Art. The themes he relates to the people who shaped America -by force or by their own free will- the cultures and the gods that crossed the ocean to protect those who believed in them and ended up almost destitute, couldn't be more relevant to our current times. Gaiman doesn't take sides, in my opinion. He presents gods and goddesses from all pantheons with respect and a hint of bittersweet remembrance, perhaps, for the lost pedestals and the wasted sacrifices through the ages.

The parts that I consider the jewel of the book are all the ‘'Coming to America'' chapters that show how the real heroes of the story are the people,not the gods. My favourites are the story of Essie Tregowan, a young woman from Cornwall who tries to make her fortune by shady ways, the story of Wututu, a slave girl during the late 1700s and the story of Atsula, a prehistoric priestess. They are among the most moving literary pieces you'll ever read.

Not much can be said about the characters, they are gods and they crave love and devotion. Are they really that different to humans?I don't think so. Shadow I loved, I don't understand why many refer to him as being ‘'simple'' or even devoid of personality. Yes, of course, he is simple. A simple human being thrust in the middle of a fight between all mighty deities. He is loyal, clever and kind, a character at a loss and at a crossroads, one who the reader can understand and identify with, if that is possible.

The edition of my copy contains a short interview with Neil Gaiman and a novella, ‘'The Monarch of the Glen'', along with an essay by Gaiman called ‘'How Dare You?'' (I love that name!) All of the above are great reads. It is a book that shows much and hides even more. It wants us to contemplate on a number of themes that are larger than life,impossible to be answered, and yet they will be sought after by generations as long as mankind exists.Those who claim the opposite are simply lying to themselves. And thank the goddess of Literature for Neil Gaiman.

‘' ‘'Gods are great'', said Atsula, slowly, as if she were comprehending a great secret. ‘'But the heart is greater. For it is from our hearts they come, and to our hearts they shall return.''
...and perhaps, sometimes, we should listen to our hearts...

Disclaimer- I will not engage in any religious discussion of any form. If you belong to the clan of the very few ones that go around looking for a fight, turn around and go elsewhere. You will find no response here. It is my conviction that religious beliefs is the most personal of issues and I do not discuss anything religious or anything that has to do with politics. My religious beliefs are my own and concern noone. And I will not tolerate any aggressive comments towards specific religions or religion in general, towards atheism,atheists, non-believers and the like. You get the drill. Comments regarding religion of any kind will be deleted and flagged. Thankfully, there is space for everyone in this awful (?) world and respect is the thing.Thank you:)

“Among the tales of sorrow and of ruin that came down to us from the darkness of those days there are yet some in which amid weeping there is joy and under the shadow of death light that endures. And of these histories most fair still in the ears of the Elves is the tale of Beren and Lúthien”