| Genre | Gay / Historical / Science Fiction / Urban Fantasy / 19th Century / Other Planets / Curses / Ghosts/Spirits/Hauntings / Magic / Shifters / Romance |
| Reviewed by | Christy Duke on 08-October-2020 |
If you're in the mood for romance with a tinge of darkness, immerse yourself in these four tales of love and gothic horror in this anthology from Eli Easton. Each story is novella length.
Reparation
On the harsh planet of Kalan, weakness is not tolerated. When young spore farmer Edward suffers a carriage accident that kills his mail-order bride and his factory manager, Edward has little chance of survival, until Knox—an enormous “reconstitute” slave—plucks him from disaster.
Recons are part machine, part human remains from executed Federation prisoners. But Knox is different from other recons. He can read and has flashes of brilliance. With no one else to rely on over the bleak winter, Edward forms an alliance with Knox, and against social taboos, they become friends. Edward struggles against his growing lust for the large humanoid, and while Knox thrives in his new life, memories of his past torment him.
A twist of fate brought Knox and Edward together, but there will be a price to pay in blood when they learn how deeply their lives truly intersect
The Bird
Colin Hastings is sent to Jamaica in 1870 to save his father’s sugar cane plantation. If he succeeds, he can marry his fiancée back in London and take his place in proper English society. But Colin finds more than he bargained for on the island. His curiosity about Obeah, the native folk magic, leads him to agree to a dangerous ritual where he is offered his heart’s most secret desire—one he’s kept deeply buried all his life. What happens when a proper English gentleman has his true sensual nature revealed and freed by the Obeah spirits?
Among the Dead
Every since his accident, Neil Gaven sees dead people. He’s isolated himself, unable to bear the constant barrage of sadness and grief. But a gentle ghost grabs his attention on the bus one day. He seems to understand, to have some secret to impart. Neil works to interpret the ghost’s clues. They they lead him to Trist, a homeless young man who is also tormented by spirits. Are they two of a kind? Maybe together they can find a way to live among the dead.
The Black Dog
Constable Hayden MacLairty is used to life being dull around the tiny hamlet of Laide on the north Scottish coast. They get occasional tourists, “monster hunters” interested in the local legend of the Black Dog, but Hayden thinks that’s only a myth. A rash of sheep killings, a murdered hiker, huge footprints, and sightings of the Black Dog force Hayden to rethink the matter. With the help of Simon Corto, a writer from New York doing research for a book about the Black Dog, Hayden tries to figure out why the enormous hound is reappearing. Hayden finds himself strongly attracted to another person for the first time in his life. But between the danger stalking the hills, Simon’s inevitable return to New York, and Hayden’s mother’s illness, true love may be more of a phantom than the Black Dog.
First edition of Reparation published by Dreamspinner Press in the anthology Stitch, April 2014.
First edition of The Bird published by Dreamspinner Press in the anthology Bones, October 2014.
First edition of Among the Dead published by Dreamspinner Press in the anthology Spirit, October 2015.
First edition of The Black Dog published by Dreamspinner Press in the anthology Claw, April 2015.
Reparation
I'm a true fan of science fiction and of Eli Easton, so I was not surprised, in the least, that she delivered such an incredible addition to this anthology. Edward is a spore farmer on his home world of Kalan, a harsh and desolate planet that can kill the weak in an instant. After a carriage accident, Edward is rescued by Knox, one of his recon laborers, half man and half machine. Knox is different from the other recons whom Edward employs. Knox almost looks human, he can read, and he seems to recall bits and pieces of knowledge from the human part of him who lived before. This is not normal for reconstituted slaves, built from machines and human remains of executed prisoners, cyborgs, essentially.
Because of Edward's injuries from the accident, and the loss of his right-hand man, he takes a chance and asks Knox to manage the spore harvest, overseeing the other laborers too, while Edward works the factory. Edward also insists that Knox move into the house from the barracks to now separate him from the other slaves. Winter begins, the workdays grow shorter, and Edward and Knox's time together in the evenings in front of the fire, reading, talking, playing chess, grows longer. The attraction they both feel intensifies. But, as the days go by, Knox's memories become more clear and he understands that he was a prisoner, executed, and his brain put into a different body. Knox remembers his other body and begins to know who he was, before. Unfortunately, who Knox was before is the reason that Edward lost his father and his brother and why he is all alone now struggling to run the farm.
What an incredible story! I loved every minute of it, Eli. Knox and Edward are amazing characters and their love story is sublime. A true tale of heartache and redemption.
The Bird
Obeah. A type of folk magic that traces itself back to the African slave trade. Colin, a graduate of Eton and Cambridge, is fascinated by this from a scientific standpoint. When Colin provides the means to save one of his plantation workers’ daughters, Tiyah tells him that in exchange, Erzulie, an Obeah loa, a powerful spirit, will grant him a life of his secret passion. This is a huge honor, and not something normally given to a non-follower, but Tiyah's daughter is also Erzulie's, as the loa was riding, or possessing, Tiyah at the time of conception.
What is Colin to do? He is here in Jamaica in 1870 to restore his family's plantation in exchange for the right to marry his fiancée when he returns to England. However, the way he thinks of, and writes to very often, his close and dear friend Richard, made it obvious what his heart's desire is. I just wonder if Colin is aware of it? And, if he isn't, what will happen to this proper Englishman when his desires explode in the Jamaican heat? The ceremony was exciting, to the point where I almost felt as if I was there, listening to the drums and the chanting.
Another wonderful addition to this anthology. Colin and Richard find what they both need from their lives, and Jamaica becomes their home. I liked this story, and the mysticism really grabbed, and held, my attention. Once again I felt I could have read a much longer story with these characters.
Among the Dead
Neil's life is split into two distinct timeframes. BC - Before Concussion, and AC - After Concussion. It was a pretty bad one because AC hardwired his brain to see dead people. Neil has gotten pretty good at ignoring all the ghosts he sees, especially after trying to help a few didn't turn out very well. But when Edward Cleary shows up, Neil can't help but get involved, particularly when Edward goes to a lot of trouble to communicate who he was to Neil. Turns out Edward was a medium who died in 1898.
Edward helps direct Neil to Trist, who just happens to be the cute guy Neil used to see in the park, BC. It turns out Trist can see the dead, too, but he's homeless and has no way of getting away from them, whereas for some reason, Neil's apartment is free of ghosts. They're both so excited, and relieved, to find someone like them, someone who can understand, and empathize. It doesn't take long for them to fall in love.
Oh, Eli, what a wonderful and somewhat surprising ending. If only that's how it really is, wouldn't that be lovely?
The Black Dog
Hayden is the constable in a tiny town in Northern Scotland where the legend of the black dog has existed for what seems like forever. Hayden is the youngest of seven boys, and the only one who stayed in the area, and he now cares for his elderly mother who has dementia. His life is routine, structure, responsibility, and lonely. Very, very lonely. Until the night he meets Simon while out guarding some sheep from an unknown predator. Simon is an American author who writes fiction based around real life legends and he's in Scotland to write about the black dog.
Suddenly very strange and horrible things are happening in and around Laide, and Hayden doesn't know what to make of it all. A young couple from London camping out by the loch get attacked by an animal and the husband is killed, his throat torn right out. More and more people are claiming to see a large, black, vicious animal, and Simon has done research into the history of the legend only to discover some of the descendants still live in the area. Could it be true? Could some of them change into the black dog?
Running around trying to find answers and keep people safe doesn't leave a lot of time for getting to know someone, but Hayden and Simon do their best. Even with Hayden's fears about how his townspeople might respond, he can't help but feel the attraction. But when Hayden discovers the truth, what will happen to him and the man he's grown to love?
Oh wow, Eli. Just, wow. You outdid yourself here. I loved every moment of this story. I was amazed at the twist ~ I never saw it coming. Thank you, so much, Eli, I loved it!
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first editions of these stories were provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.
| Format | ebook |
| Length | Collection/ 4 novellas, 302 pages |
| Heat Level | |
| Publication Date | 08-October-2020 |
| Price | $4.99 ebook |
| Buy Link | https://www.amazon.com/Gothika-Tales-Supernatural-Eli-Easton-ebook/dp/B08KC9RWQ9 |
