|
Authors: Rosalind
Barden, Gary McMahon, Amy
Kinmond, Tim Nickels, Bob Lock, Lesley Corina, Jacqueline Seewald,
Dominy Clements, A.J. Kirby, Brendan Connell, Daniel Ausema, Gary
Fry, Mick Finlay, Robert Neilson, Steve Duffy, Geoff Lowey Stephen
Bacon, Rod Hamon, Lee Hughes, Lyn Michaud, Tony Lovell, A.C.
Wise, Roy Gray, Travis K. Weltman
|
|
"Maybe
the ancient fables don’t hold water anymore. Maybe a change has come
upon us and nothing’s safe in its cage"
Reviewed by Mario Guslandi
Now at its ninth instalment, the Nemonymous
series continues to represent a challenge for those reviewers who might
be influenced by the authors' names (here, as always, not linked to any
specific story). And if it's not hard to recognize a great story, even
if penned by an unknown writer, it may be harder not to forgive a
favourite writer for contributing a mediocre piece. So, in the end,
famous writers and timid reviewers are those taking more chances when
accepting to deal with temporary anonymity. Being neither of the above,
I'm facing once more the task of commenting upon an extremely varied
anthology, this time loosely revolving around the assigned "theme" of Cern Zoo (whatever
it may actually mean).
The volume assembles twenty-four stories covering such genres as SF,
horror, fantasy or simply mainstream fiction, some longish, some very
short, apt to satisfy the taste of different readers. Quality also
varies and without meaning offence to anyone, I'll mention only the
tales that to me seem to be more remarkable.
Artis
Eterne is a peculiar story set in a British pub hosting a
regular "customer" who tries to live for ever. Implausible as it may
sound, the tale does work thanks to the author's excellent narrative
ability. The Last
Mermaid is a delightful historical piece portraying the
life and death of Carlo II, King of Spain. In the well crafted Being of Sound Mind
a mysterious little girl bursts into the lonely existence of an old
retiree.
Salmon
Widow provides a captivating, back and forth ride across
the life of a woman whose fate seems to be tightly connected with
salmons. Even though the flashback technique appears occasionally
confusing, it's a really good story by a talented storyteller. Horror
fans will appreciate The
Devourer of Dreams, an offbeat tale where an alien
creature living in a wooden box sucks ideas and dreams from the human
mind , producing, in return, a special milk endowed with uncommon
properties.
City of Fashion
is an excellent, delicate piece depicting a pub's
small world with its main characters (bartender, regular customers
etc). A tranche de vie drawn, in just a few pages, with a steady hand
and a deep insight into the human condition. The compelling Fragment of Life is
a modern ghost story deeply rooted in real life's daily troubles
(financial problems, job shortage, marital difficulties).
The real standout of the anthology, however, is The Lion's Den, an
exceptional piece of fiction where the anonymous author employs his/her
firm, superior skill for storytelling to create a tense story full of
menace, thrill and growing terror. Set in an actual zoo, the events
take soon an unreal, inexplicable turn. This story alone would be worth
the price of the volume, but since there is much more to enjoy, buy the
book and start to feast.
|
