The Weight of Words

Ten surreal tales, stories drawn from the images depicted in the gloomy funereal paintings by multi-talented artist David McKean, fit in the scifi/horror/fantasy genre favored by this publisher. Along with the artist, the story writers present a diverse selection of interpretative portrayals of these leaden figures contoured on a sepia background. Each of the selections is bordered by the imposing mournful illustration, and they run from the very short to the boundlessly long. “Belladonna Nights” will impress the scifi fans with a twirl though the galaxies where time is endless. Rather compelling is the detailed story of the Spanish Golem from the 11th century, a creature carved from an orange tree under the direction of an abysmally lonely Hebrew poet. Wit lightens the content with the whimsical account of “The Monkey and the Lady.” There is much to entertain those who enjoy the thrill of terror, the attraction of the grotesque, and the fantasy of imaginative outer space fiction. This is an impressive anthology for those aficionados of this genre, but it lacks the qualities of empathy, compassion, and geniality that are needed in everyday life.