BookObsessed

Logos
By Cheryl Anne Gardner
ISBN-10: 1430302283
ISBN-13: 978-1430302285
Trade paperback, 56 pages
Publication date: November 27, 2006
Lulu


"Imagine if you will, a you that eternity could never possibly comprehend, trapped deep within walls of flesh-n-bone, but a mere shadow, the reflection of an infinite, abysmal darkness--forsaken, devoid, wretched, and wanton. That is the life of a Shadowleiche, my life, such as it is, lonely and desolate. Nevertheless, I have grown accustomed to the darkness; its thin veil of calm conceals the merciless wrath that I have set loose indiscriminately on the world for centuries."

Cheryl Anne Gardner introduces the character of Caliné in her second novella, Logos, with familiar eloquence. Caliné is somewhat of a damned otherworldly being, an agent of Chaos not really identifiable as anything typical of paranormal lore, but an immortal nonetheless: a Leiche. She traverses time, beginning her existence as a Roman slave, developing the powers she has been gifted, maturing into a young woman and creating a temporal reality within each era.

Caliné uses death as a means of salvation for people she encounters along the way, both noble and evil. Death becomes an alluring alternative to the struggles of life, whether her charges are cognizant of their expedited fate or not. No one is immune to her ministrations. The power of Chaos requires her denial of love lest she become a slave to it, which is a dangerous possibility in the presence of Lucius.

Logos is very similar to Gardner's first novella, The Kissing Room, in its depth and esoteric prose. The seductive style with which she writes is stimulating in an intellectual sense, but softened by emotion. Immersion into Gardner's macabre settings is inevitable for the reader. Another consistency among her works is the sense of desperation the reader will feel when they realize they are reading the last page and there are no more of Gardner's words to remain absorbed in. Reality takes hold and you realize you've become addicted to a new niche of literature, and the next fix can't come soon enough.

The Thin Wall
By Cheryl Anne Gardner
ISBN-10: 1430312564
ISBN-13: 978-1430312567
Trade paperback, 63 pages
November 9, 2007
Lulu.com


I doubt Cheryl Anne Gardner will have trouble finding an audience for her new novella, The Thin Wall. The deviant sexual lifestyles of the main characters practically guarantee a readership. They sure sold me on the idea. But, as with Gardner's previous three novellas, the depth and layers of meaning permeating the narrative make it a torrid mirror of the human soul.

Laleana and Julian discover each other as freshmen in college, alongside the Marquis de Sade. In middle age, the two are accustomed to impromptu sadomasochistic trysts. Their relationship has forged its own metaphoric bonds in addition to the physical ones they revel in. They find comfort in a small group of friends, each with their own extreme sexual identities. As the friends seek absolute release in romantic freedom, they cannot deny the basic human need for love and companionship.

There is so much wisdom and clarity packed into the novella that every single detail of the story plays a role in the self discovery of the characters. Each time I read the book, I uncover a new connection or layer of intensity that I missed during earlier enjoyment. I found myself relating most to Laleana, probably because of her passion for literature. "I loved them all equally, from the short story, to the poem, to the play, for nothing could touch me so deeply as a well-placed word."

Gardner explores the precarious boundaries between pleasure and pain. She forces the reader to view aspects of human nature that we may not be keen to own up to. Her characters are passionate and dramatic, with an obvious flair for the macabre. She writes with the eloquence of a literary master, uncovering the beauty that lies within the grotesque. The subtle prose that carries the reader will be the same that creates a lifelong connoisseur of Gardner's work.

Giveaway going on here.

Dark Maiden
By Norma Lehr
ISBN-10: 0809557800
ISBN-13: 978-0809557806
Trade Paperback, 224 pages
September 19, 2007
Juno Books
Reviewed for Front Street Reviews


To family and friends, Sheila appears to be a distraught mother in mourning. It's to be expected, since she has just lost her only son to SIDS, or crib death. But Sheila knows she has reason to be frantic; she saw the ghostly Asian woman who took her son's life. The woman took his soul.

Sheila's bleary awareness on her prescribed medications allows her husband Karl to move her out of their apartment and into a home in the country close to her only other surviving family member, her aunt Iris. Karl moves her more out of concern for his own freedom. He can't keep an eye on an unstable wife all day long and his indiscretions while Sheila was in the hospital may come back to haunt him if he stays in the city.

Moving away doesn't help Sheila. Her hallucinations increase. The Asian woman haunts her everywhere she goes, mysterious shadows follow, and a strange gray fox has been spotted hanging around the house. Plus, she can't escape the incredible attraction she has for one of her new neighbors, Chad. Chad is trying to open up a collapsed mine on the property, and for some reason, Sheila feels his success is imperative.

The shapeshifter that haunts Sheila will take its toll on everyone around her, causing death and destruction. No one is safe. An ancient force is determined to manifest in this world through the emotionally weakened young mother. The succubus needs a missing amulet to follow through with her desires, and she's using Sheila to get to it.

Dark Maiden is a new supernatural suspense novel from Norma Lehr, released in 2007. Chinese legend and earth magic meet in this fast paced story. It was obvious from the beginning that some characters would need to be eliminated for the story to work, and it was interesting to see how Lehr took care of that detail. There are so many characters, the reader only gets to know each person on a surface level. The ending is left wide open with the possibility of a sequel. It's a fun story, but I think Lehr, who has previously written children's ghost stories, would do well to break out of that writing style. With its short, choppy chapters and surface content, Dark Maiden is very similar to a young adult novel.