BOOK TITLE: Among the
Stars: A collection of short stories
ISBN-13: 978-9352062225
AUTHOR: Dhasa
Sathyan
GENRE: Fiction
/ Short Stories
NUMBER OF PAGES: 244
FORMAT: Digital
SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone
REVIEW BY: Dhivya
Balaji
HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: The
author sent me a PDF copy for review.
SUMMARY:
What would you give to know your
future? What happens when poison becomes your only elixir? Does happily ever
after exist for real? Does love transcend time and death? What would it take to
make you kill your closest?
“Among the stars” is a collection of
stories that answer such questions we seldom ask aloud, as it treads along the
gossamer thread that separates reality and fantasy, life and death, a hero and
a villain.
Arjun listens to the stories from his
favourite hero, his dad - a magician who could spin stories that make the world
disappear. Stories that change the way the world seems. The collection also
portrays the magical relationship between a story teller and his faithful
audience and how we hold our story tellers in our hearts as they shape us into
who we are.
“Among the Stars they lie,
Our loved ones - they never
die.
Spread your arms and fly
Far, far away into the starlit
sky.”
REVIEW:
A book that is unique, rare and a
breath of fresh air from some of the books I have been reading of late.
First Impression:
Since this is the digital copy, I do
not have much of an opinion about the print and the pages (well, captain
obvious, that is me!)
But in the PDF I was give, the font
was comfortably readable and I was really amazed with the clarity of Tamil
verses. Dhasa Sathyan has done an amazing job and being a native of that state,
I am slightly elated (yeah, somehow, somewhere) to read those rare bits of the
language in an English book.
Now for a little more detail:
I have always held that short story
books need a lesser attention span than needed for novels. While they are not
my most favourite genre, I still do love to read an occasional short story book
in between novels. But some short story compilations keep you turning the pages
in an eager thirst to know what comes next. Among the Stars was (mostly) such a
book.
The moment I started the book, I knew
that writing an overall review without mentioning individual stories would be a
difficult task. So this review is going to be a compilation of all the thoughts
I wrote down as I finished reading each story. I have given with this review,
the unedited version of the same. (There are a total of 22 stories)
Among
The Stars
If this is considered the first story
of this collection, this captured my attention with a verse and somehow, set
the pace for the book in a nice manner.
Why
Do Babies Cry
Good concept and thinking, but it
takes some time to realise what the whole story is about. Death and Rebirth
cycles are always much debated concepts and sceptics and cynics will find
alternate view points about the story.
The
Escape Route
The first story of this lot that
actually impressed me. Good one, thought it follows all the requirements of
this genre, I really loved the description of the ‘nemesis of time’.
Distance
Matters
A beautiful, heart touching story. It
is amazing how a simple story can connect with the readers on a deeper level -
not only because the words are powerful, but also because the writing is
powerful.
The
Block
This is a thrilling story about the
ways and actions of the people of the underworld. It is written in crisp
language with a good twist in the end. It also made a positive impression with
me about the writing style though it brought an old ‘Goosebumps’ story to my
mind.
Dream
Of A Lifetime
The flashback story had some second
person and third person continuity errors, but still, enjoyable, per se. The
blinding light and the overall beauty of the story really did touch my heart.
Free
As A Bird
Both heroes and villains are made, not
born. And sometimes their fates are intertwined so much that they are made and
fade together. Enough said about this story. I really loved the ending and the
strong message.
The
Mission
I loved this story. Especially the
end. And the father's description of a beast. This will be one of my favorites
from this book.
Blood
Money
A good story with a message. I loved
the writing and though it was confusing a bit, the story and the message it
conveyed were good. Arjun's words in the ending were heartening.
The
Muse
I have always wondered about how
people write touching and engaging stories. While the muse is not common to
everyone, I still liked the way they were described.
Into
Oblivion
A very good story with a lesson in the
ending. A beautiful piece of writing, and somehow painful and stinging the
conscious.
The
Lone Soldier
Life is not black and white. It is a
murky grey. A brilliantly written story that left a bitter taste in my mouth.
First
Kiss
I had been forewarned about this story
before I read this, and though the end surprised me, I had kind of expected it
to be horrific. Convoluted ending on an age old folklore.
The
Fork
My favorite of the lot. This one is
the classic example of choices defining the ending. An amazing piece of write
up. I have read way too many ghost stories to be caught unawares but still,
this one was a really pleasant twisty end.
Poison
Elixir
What do you do with an ailment that
keeps you awake? What do you do with a poison that is also an elixir. What do
you do with something that you know is your life force and is also killing you?
Another nicely written story.
The
One Who Never Was
The story already is titled in such a
way that you could easily guess the ending. The one who never was is a story
about the one who could have been. While the chalking was nice, the unknown
reason is still not the right conclusion to this story. Could have been written
better using a literary license.
The
Hitchhiker
Another favorite. Though this one is
macabre, kudos to the author for writing this. I will never look at an orange
the same way again.
Happily
Ever After
A story that connected with me on a
personal level. Written nicely and a bittersweet tone to show exactly how
uncontrollable life actually is.
The
Uncertainty Factor
Is the cat meant to be up on the wall?
What would happen if you knew your future? Will worrying about it help? A great
story with a good ending. This is how stories should be written.
Coin
Flip
A story that deals with the
psychological effects of disciplining a child by caning. Subtly written, and
nicely phrased. The gory ending caught me off guard.
Tear
Of Love
With this story the author has proved
that he can write multiple genres. Though a bit paranormal, the story still
holds a melancholic closure, a poignant sadness.
The
Second Genesis
Somehow, I found this story the
hardest to complete in the whole book. And this story was the only one that
delayed my reading. Not because it was six times longer than the other stories,
not because it was split into many parts, but because I really could not
understand the point, not until the very end. This easily is my least favorite
story in the whole lot.
Overall Comments:
The book is a really nice potpourri
of stories. I loved the attempt and the writing style. While the language could
do with polishing, it is still leaps better than most books. The book boasts of
an amazing dream to put the writings of a muse and a wanderer into print and
will leave you with a similar effect. There are some confusions during the plot
and only seasoned readers will have the patience and the understanding that by
the time the book ends, the pieces would all connect.
WHAT I LIKED:
·
The concept and the execution
·
The overall set of stories and the
surprise element in a few of them
·
The dialogues between father and son
and the mystical quality of the writing
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
·
Too convoluted for a beginner to
read
·
Some parts are still standing out as
loose ends
·
The book needs to be a little less
confusing and a little more engaging to make sure readers do not lose
continuity.
·
Just how many people are going to
understand the significance of using the same character names over and over
again? (I personally have an opinion – one which I am not sure is right)
VERDICT:
A different book. Expect paranormal
stories, set in the twilight zone, realistic fiction and most importantly, something
that demands your complete attention and ability to patiently sit through words
until you could grasp the point.
Go
for it. It is unique, after all!
RATING: 3.75/5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dhasa Sathyan, is the pseudonym under which the
Chennai-based Engineer and writer, Yamunai Thuraivan pens down his stories. He
believes coffee and good books hold the key to our souls. He writes short
stories and poems for several blogs and e-magazines including the online
monthly - Reflection. He connects with his readers through his social networks
and pens his thoughts regularly in his blog, musestruckwordsmith.blogspot.in.
He also has penned down many songs in his mother tongue for several short
films. A movie buff and a wanderlust, he spends his leisure hours experimenting
with his culinary and gardening skills or by going on long bike rides to explore
new people and places. He marks his entry into the print media with his debut
book “Among the Stars”. - See more at:
https://notionpress.com/read/among-the-stars#sthash.k4tIAM0q.dpuf
EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback,
Kindle
PRICE: Rs. 125.62 for Kindle,
Rs. 259 for Paperback.
BOOK LINKS:
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