A Mixed Bag, But a Worthwhile One...

Tribal Screams (Owl Goingback) [Performed by Cathi Colas]

I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

Owl Goingback delves into the shadow world of Native American verbal history where tales are woven to explain the past and speculate on the future. His writing harkens effortlessly to something in all of us that speaks to the understanding that the deepest truths are often told in the most absurd of tales.

Tecachale

Tecachale is a simple tale told with the assured steps of a fine writer. The story seems comfortably familiar from the outset, like a story you were told as a child but had since forgotten, and is only made better by an excellent performance from Cathi Colas. It is written more as a cautionary tale than a horror story, and other than a few oblique sexual references near the end it could almost be suitable for a younger audience.

Last Man In Line

Two young men, inspired by a documentary on the American Civil War decide to visit Anderson National Park, but being young men they decide to sneak in to perform an initiation. Last Man In Line doesn't present a tale you have not heard before, but it does provide a well-written story that still engages and entertains despite the well-trodden path it takes. Cathi Colas doesn't have the same range to play with as she did with Tecachale, but she does a good job with what she has, as well as navigating a couple of information-dump moments with ease and performing a few 'bros' with gusto!

Animal Sounds

Animal Sounds is the least interesting story - so far - in the collection. Like the previous tales, it treads well-used ground, but unlike them, the payoff isn't quite as satisfying. There is nothing bad about the story, though it does feel a little clichéd and inauthentic as a Native American tale. Thankfully Cathi Colas does keep the listener interested with her delightful performance.

The Bride

A nice reading of a nice poem, though it seems misplaced in this collection. It feels a little like "filler".

Spoils of War

More a significant nod to George Romero - by way of Fulci - than to anything Native American. It's a good premise for a story marred by muddled execution, and a gradually more silly presentation of simplistic racial morality. The gratuitous opening carnage pays little purpose in the overall story (other than being a grotesque way to set up the evils of "the white man") and when the lead character wondered why he met that fate he eventually does, I suspected it was merely because he was the least white character in the story. This is also Cathi Colas' least effective performance, but she doesn't have a lot to work with.

Gaitor Bait

The best story of the collections so far, but it is also deeply ironic considering the controversy concerning the author of late. Gaitor Bait is about a "pretendian", a person originating from Europe who falsely claims to be of Native American descent. It's a good story, but it cannot be read without the reader's mind wandering down paths the author probably didn't intend. If you do decide to research Owl Goingback, read this story first. I hope that Goingback receives a better reception from his accusors than the lead of this story does.

Ashes

An odd few hundred words of "filler" that didn't do anything for me.

Keeper of Souls

This is the cleanest story of the collection about the invading Spanish and a Native American seer who is taken to aid the Spanish king. You'll be hard-pressed to find any "white man" who isn't a monster, and this does tend to make the characters no more than caricatures (with a little Christianophobia for good measure) but the story is well conceived and presented as a straightforward fantasy adventure tale with a rewarding finale.

Sealed With A Kiss

The most straightforward story of the collection. A man finds himself on a long road with a broken car, and while trying to get back home he encounters a woman while sheltering from a storm, but as the night wears on the storm becomes something far more sinister and the story transforms into a cautionary tale asking the reader to be careful what they wish for. There was nothing spectacular about Sealed With A Kiss, but it was well worth the time taken on it by this reader.

My Favourite Halloween Memory ( A True Story)

Another piece of "filler", I didn't see the point of this story. I think it's meant as a bit of a joke that I simply didn't get.

Grass Dancer (A Nebula Award Nominee for Best Short Story of the Year)

This is easily the best story of the collection, emotional and sure to sit with a reader long after they have finished reading. I did think that it overstayed its welcome a little, and it does underline its main message a little too enthusiastically, making me think that a little less might make for a stronger tale. Don't be discouraged though, this story is easily worth the price of the book on its own.

Coyote Rage

I didn't read this one. It's the first two chapters of a book, and I've never really understood the interest in reading a bit of a book (or why publishers often include them as they have here). I'd rather wait and read the complete work.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!