Prism by Roland Allnach

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

Prism presents the best of Roland Allnach’s newest stories together with his most acclaimed published short fiction. These selected stories fracture the reader’s perceptions among a dazzling array of genres and styles to illuminate the mysterious aspects of the human experience. Roland Allnach has been described as a ‘star on the rise’ (ForeWord Clarion), ‘a master storyteller with a powerful pen’ (Cynthia Brian, NY Times Bestselling author), with writing that is ‘smart, elegant, and addicting’ (San Francisco Review).

Prism collects seventeen stories into one volume, following a trail of diverse genres and narrative forms. From literary fiction to speculative fiction, from humor to horror, from tragedy to mythical poetry, Prism represents a wide ranging journey united by contemplations on the human condition. Including Allnach’s award winning published fiction (“Conquest’s End” and “The City of Never”), a Pushcart Prize nominated story (“Creep”), Prism also consists of the previously unpublished pieces “Titalis” (a tragedy along the lines of Shakespeare and Greek theatre), “Of Typhon and Aerina” (a tribute to epic verse), “Tumbleweed” (a humorous ditty), and “Dissociated”, a surreal short to cap off the collection.

my thoughts:  

Short stories are my jam, so I was pretty excited to read Prism by Roland Allnach.  Especially, since he would be tackling a variety of genres with this book - horror, poetry, fantasy, etc.  And, he'd be using various narrative formats to do so as well.  Talk about a fun idea.  Unfortunately, the lack of cohesion made this book feel a bit stilted.  If Allnach had found a way to link the stories together by some common thread, then the book would have felt richer and more whole.  Instead, you read this book and feel like you are reading a mishmash of stories that have no connection - its a bit disruptive.  Not to say that the stories themselves were bad, because they weren't.  Allnach has knack for penning shorts about human experiences. He's keen on showcasing the dark side of human nature through his writing and I found it to be rather edgy and imaginative.  So, even though I found the book lacking some form of commanlity (aside from short stories), I did enjoy reading it.  I would definitely read more of Allnach's works.

Here's the TLC Book Tour schedule for: Prism

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!