C.S.E. Cooney creates a confluence of three worlds: a world like ours, a world of magical beings, and a world of goblins. Walls separate the three worlds, but certain locations allow movement between the worlds at certain times…like midnight.
Dark Breakers, just published by Mythic Delirium Books, features five linked stories. “The Breaker Queen” introduces struggling painter Elliot Howell who accidentally meets Nyx the Nightwalker, a gentry queen who occasionally visits Athe disguised by charms after she crosses the Veil Between Worlds. Howell, who can sometimes see the other worlds, finds himself drawn to Nyx. Nyx faces deadly forces in her world who want to topple her from her throne and seize her Antler Crown for themselves.
My favorite story in Dark Breakers is “The Two Paupers” where the unusual relationship between haunted sculptor Gideon Alderwood and writer Analise Field hits a crisis when Analise rescues one of Gideon’s sculptures after she witnesses it coming alive. Gideon frantically created statues and then, when finished, would destroy them. The secrets revealed upend the three worlds.
“Salissay’s Laundries”, is a short story told as a journalistic expose written by reporter Salissay Dimaguiba who exposes the horrific conditions she encounters when she goes undercover as a pregnant woman desperate for work at the laundry.
I enjoyed Sharon Shinn’s Introduction to Dark Breakers and her insights into C.S.E. Cooney’s work. I also found Cooney’s “Story Notes” fascinating with her descriptions of how these stories came about. If you’re looking for fantasy stories with intriguing characters and strange worlds, I recommend Dark Breakers. I’ve ordered Cooney’s upcoming novel, Saint Death’s Daughter, and plan to read her Tor.com novella, Desdemona and the Deep (2019). GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Introduction by Sharon Shinn –13
- The Breaker Queen –16
- The Two Paupers — 106
- Salissay’s Laundries — 202
- Longergreen — 256
- Susurra to the Moon — 276
- Story Notes –284
Magical beings and goblins? Glad to say that it doesn’t appeal to me, as I have too many damn books already.
Jeff, magic beings, goblins, battles, and love stories. I was entertained by DARK BREAKERS.
I’d take a chance on this if my library got it, but that’s unlikely. They do get a few books from small presses, but they’re mostly from familiar ones like Cemetery Dance. I’d never heard of Cooney or Mythic Delirium Books.
Michael, I like to support small presses like Mythic Delirium Books. C.S. E. Cooney was a new writer to me, but I enjoyed DARK BREAKERS and have two of her other books on order.
George, you probably already know this but there’s an interesting piece on Cooney in Black Gate today.
Michael, yes, I read the BLACKGATE.COM review of DARK BREAKERS. I hope these reviews generate some interest in the book and the author!
Not really my thing, and at $40 too pricy for a slender hardcover, but an attractive cover.
Rick, DARK BREAKERS is also available as a trade paperback.
I am afraid the stories would not appeal to me either but I love that cover. I will have to ask my husband if it comes closer to his tastes. I am not sure.
Tracy, I think your husband would enjoy DARK BREAKERS.