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Spells
The fifty-eight extraordinary pieces which make up Spells , though brief, most being just a page or two in length, are grandiose in their ambition. These miniatures, which are bathed in the light of violet suns and wrapped in the beams of the old moons, take up the themes of strange magics and poisons, curious births and lost theologies, and are like extracts of abbreviated drama, the sum-total of which might or might not be a visionary guide.
116 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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June 4, 2025I felt like I was drunk on absinthe reading this
2.75⭐️
2.75⭐️
April 9, 2023
(3.5)
Though no rival to Metrophilias, this book further attests to Connell's considerable inclination for working in the more experimental environs of microfiction and prose-poetry. Spells, however, does not have the structural and thematic unity that made the aforementioned collection an unsung contemporary gem of avant-garde literature, and this is probably due to the fact that two of the four sections were formerly published as standalone chapbooks.
The first two sections, Vegetable Spells and Drops of Poison, largely focus on various human interactions with psychotropics, often occurring in lushly described, vaguely ancient settings; the latter section feels closer to a modernistic approach and consists mostly of prose-poems which read like cut-ups of Paris Spleen, reworked beyond specificities of place and time, though it is the opening section that, I believe, offers the entire collection's most impressively conceived and executed piece, "Valentina had a Fear": not many other authors other than Connell can transform tree-hugging behavior into a perversely poignant act of self-sacrifice, stunningly rendered in sentences unusually terse and tense for Connell's usual manner of writing.
The remaining two sections--one original and the other reprinted, as in the first half--also display the strangely charming style that is unique to this U.S.-based author. Overall, this book continues a further exploration of the aesthetic value of fables and myths beyond moral utility and religious meaning, extending the singularly creative vision earlier expressed by another of his Snuggly publications, 'Jottings from a Faraway Place'.
Though no rival to Metrophilias, this book further attests to Connell's considerable inclination for working in the more experimental environs of microfiction and prose-poetry. Spells, however, does not have the structural and thematic unity that made the aforementioned collection an unsung contemporary gem of avant-garde literature, and this is probably due to the fact that two of the four sections were formerly published as standalone chapbooks.
The first two sections, Vegetable Spells and Drops of Poison, largely focus on various human interactions with psychotropics, often occurring in lushly described, vaguely ancient settings; the latter section feels closer to a modernistic approach and consists mostly of prose-poems which read like cut-ups of Paris Spleen, reworked beyond specificities of place and time, though it is the opening section that, I believe, offers the entire collection's most impressively conceived and executed piece, "Valentina had a Fear": not many other authors other than Connell can transform tree-hugging behavior into a perversely poignant act of self-sacrifice, stunningly rendered in sentences unusually terse and tense for Connell's usual manner of writing.
The remaining two sections--one original and the other reprinted, as in the first half--also display the strangely charming style that is unique to this U.S.-based author. Overall, this book continues a further exploration of the aesthetic value of fables and myths beyond moral utility and religious meaning, extending the singularly creative vision earlier expressed by another of his Snuggly publications, 'Jottings from a Faraway Place'.
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February 19, 2024??????????? Huh?????????? What did I read??????? Maybe 3 or 4 stories were cool. The rest was like what???????????
December 23, 2023
Not really sure what I was expecting going in, but I came out with the best non-D&D source book for my D&D games. Any time I need a random story or legend, I'm pulling this out. Probably not its intended use, but I'm a lazy GM who only steals from the best.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews