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Monsters in a Mirror: Strange Tales from the Chapel Perilous
There is an imperfection in the human mind - a crack, a flaw, a crevice - one that fascinates and repulses all those who find it. It is empty of all but impulse and appetite and the memory of hope. What if you looked over the edge? What if you fell? And after the fall, what would you see in the mirror? Dragon shadows, bleeding statues, wolf dreams and time machines - your biological clock is ticking, and it's time to get metaphysical in this twisted cabaret of the macabre. This is the road map to your own personal inferno, fondly dedicated to everyone who is dying...especially you. WARNING: contains tales of horror and dark fantasy, and consequently some disturbing, violent, and sexual imagery, including references to sexual assault.
- GenresHorror
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2021
1,111 people want to read
About the author
Phillip Andrew Bennett Low
3Ìýbooks20Ìýfollowersphillip andrew bennett low is a Chinese-American playwright and poet, storyteller and mime, theatre critic and libertarian activist. His solo performances have won acclaim from Minneapolis to Atlanta, New York to LA - even as far as Melbourne, Australia. He was the co-founder of the Rockstar Storytellers (a supergroup of bestselling Twin Cities spoken-word artists), founder and producer of the touring theatre troupe Maximum Verbosity, and founder and host of the country's only recurring open-mic dedicated to speculative fiction, "The Not-So-Silent Planet," and its associated podcast. He has published three collections, "Indecision Now!", "Get Thee Behind Me, Santa," and "Monsters in a Mirror."
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 15, 2021
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for promising to writing a review of it.Ìý But he can't make me. Sucker.
Okay, fine....
Monsters in a Mirror: Strange Tales from the Chapel Perilous is the latest collection of works by phillip andrew bennett low (god damn it, autocorrect, just stop!), this time delving into psychological horror and darker themes, though frequently with a healthy amount of comedy and acerbic wit. The book contains about 20 or so works of short fiction, poetry, and drama (and some fun activities!) divided into four parts and...well, there's a lot to digest with this one.
There is a lot of really ambitious material, particularly the poetry (and I appreciate the terza rima opening and closing portions), some really heavy material, a good dose of fatalism and comedy. There's some really great stories, particularly in Parts I and II. "The Hollow Woman," "In the Shadow of the Dragon," "flesshe," and "The Yip of Cthulhu" were all entertaining, though in very different ways. There are others, too, that I can't think of off the top of my head.
This is a dark book, both psychologically and often violently, and it's certainly not going to play to everyone's tastes. A lot of weird and fucked up shit, so consider yourself warned. And a lot of things that completely went over my head, I'm sure. And, as with any collection of works, not every piece worked, and there were a few that I either didn't like or didn't get. Still, the good far outweighs the bad here. I'd probably give this one 3.5 stars if I could, but I'll round up in this case.
Okay, fine....
Monsters in a Mirror: Strange Tales from the Chapel Perilous is the latest collection of works by phillip andrew bennett low (god damn it, autocorrect, just stop!), this time delving into psychological horror and darker themes, though frequently with a healthy amount of comedy and acerbic wit. The book contains about 20 or so works of short fiction, poetry, and drama (and some fun activities!) divided into four parts and...well, there's a lot to digest with this one.
There is a lot of really ambitious material, particularly the poetry (and I appreciate the terza rima opening and closing portions), some really heavy material, a good dose of fatalism and comedy. There's some really great stories, particularly in Parts I and II. "The Hollow Woman," "In the Shadow of the Dragon," "flesshe," and "The Yip of Cthulhu" were all entertaining, though in very different ways. There are others, too, that I can't think of off the top of my head.
This is a dark book, both psychologically and often violently, and it's certainly not going to play to everyone's tastes. A lot of weird and fucked up shit, so consider yourself warned. And a lot of things that completely went over my head, I'm sure. And, as with any collection of works, not every piece worked, and there were a few that I either didn't like or didn't get. Still, the good far outweighs the bad here. I'd probably give this one 3.5 stars if I could, but I'll round up in this case.
January 18, 2022
Very bizarre book indeed. The only thing I can say is that reading this book without reading any of Philip Low's other works is similar to listening to a Tori Amos album without any context, knowing who she is or why/how she writes what she does.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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