Earlier this week I noted that one of our contributors here got some good blurbage from Publishers Weekly for his recently published collection, Sea, Swallow Me and Other Stories, and it only seemed right that BookSpot Central supports Craig Gidney and offers up two copies of the collection for our readers. These will be signed by Craig!
Synopsis:
Ancient folklore and modern myth come together in these stories by author Craig Laurance Gidney. Here are found the struggles of a medieval Japanese monk, seduced by a mischievous fairy, and a young slave who finds mystery deep within the briar patch of an antebellum plantation. Gidney offers readers a gay teen obsessed with his patron saint, Lena Horne, and, in the title story, an ailing tourist seeking escape at a distant shore but never reckons on encountering an African sea god. Rich, poetic, dark and disturbing, these are tales not soon forgotten.
What Publishers Weekly said:
The best of the stories in this thoughtful debut collection make full use of African and African-American characters, such as when young slave Israel Jones meets a man he’s convinced is the guitar-wielding Devil in “The Safety of Thorns,” or when white tourist Jed encounters Olokun, the patron spirit of enslaved Africans carried across the sea, in the title story. Some of Gidney’s experiments with style hit the mark, as in a tale of Arthur Rimbaud riding a French train without a ticket in “Strange Alphabets,” but homoerotic encounters don’t always mix well with folklore-like storytelling, and rich details sometimes pull readers in and sometimes leave the stories feeling saturated and drawn out. Those who don’t mind a little digging should find several gems. (Jan.)
This contest is open to all BookSpot Central members. Just PM (private message) me at our forums and you’re entered. Please include address/shipping information with your entry so we can get the prizes out to you as quickly as possible. Winners will be announced on December 10th.
Please be sure to visit our contest page to be up to date with all current contests hosted at BookSpot Central. We currently are running six active contests and are always adding more from all of the best publishers in the world!
Good luck to all!
