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Compendium
Compendium - the debut novel from Engen superstar author Ellen Curtis is finally available internationally! Read the three shorts that propelled Curtis into "The Tourniquet Revival," "At Midnight, the Dawn," and "Falling into Fire!" Explore the Engen Universe like never before, and even gain early insights into Engen Books' newest series, Infinity. Available now at a special discounted price!
60 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 31, 2013
Compendium is a collection of three short stories by Canadian author Ellen Curtis. A writer from St. Johns, Newfoundland, Curtis was discovered by Engen Books in 2008 at a sci-fi convention. Her first collection of short stories was published a year later and she then went on to become one of Engen’s head authors. I met Curtis at Hal-Con 2013 in Halifax, NS and attended a writing panel she and another author from Engen Books held. She was an inspiration to speak to and showed a lot of passion towards writing so I decided to pick up a few books to review. Compendium is the first collection that I read, and I enjoyed the ideas of each of the short stories but I felt like they could have used more refinement. As I was reading I could tell she wanted to write more, so the stories felt rushed and confused. She has created her own versions of mainstream monsters and each of the stories focuses on new and unique creatures.
As a whole I felt like this book could have used closer editing. I found a lot of careless grammatical mistakes that kept taking me out of the stories. Some of the ideas could have been tightened as well to make the stories more clear and feel less like parts of novels. It seemed like a lot of information was missing and wasn’t just left out intentionally. But the ideas were strong and kept me reading. A few more drafts and these three short stories would be really great. I almost would have preferred to read novels on each of the ideas because it seemed like the author had more she wanted to tell but was cutting it short to make short stories. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for novels by this author. She has a lot of creativity and more space might do her well, so that she can tell the rest of the stories.
Complete review: http://www.paperdroids.com/2013/12/01...
As a whole I felt like this book could have used closer editing. I found a lot of careless grammatical mistakes that kept taking me out of the stories. Some of the ideas could have been tightened as well to make the stories more clear and feel less like parts of novels. It seemed like a lot of information was missing and wasn’t just left out intentionally. But the ideas were strong and kept me reading. A few more drafts and these three short stories would be really great. I almost would have preferred to read novels on each of the ideas because it seemed like the author had more she wanted to tell but was cutting it short to make short stories. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for novels by this author. She has a lot of creativity and more space might do her well, so that she can tell the rest of the stories.
Complete review: http://www.paperdroids.com/2013/12/01...
July 14, 2017
As a writer and a reader, I tend to prefer short stories. I respect an author’s ability to pack a fully realized world in only a few words. For this reason, amongst others, I decided to pick up Compendium (Engen Books, 2009) and I’m glad I did.
With limited space, the storyteller must be in complete control of the language. In Compendium, Ellen Curtis shows why she’s so highly touted. The three stories in this book simply ooze atmosphere. All well-written stories trigger the senses but sometimes it takes a few pages or even chapters before the brain is able to visualize based on the information provided. In Compendium, I found that a few paragraphs in, I had been whisked away to Curtis’ worlds.
So what are these worlds? Things get underway with The Tourniquet Revival, a traditional horror tale in which two girls learn that a slick-talking man isn’t all that he seems. At Midnight, The Dawn leans more toward fantasy and focuses on a young man whose fate is tied to that of the world. Falling Into Fire uses science fiction as a backdrop but is more of a character-driven thriller.
Of the three, I prefer the final entry but cannot fully quantify that feeling. Perhaps it’s the ‘ticking clock’ trope but I suspect the characterization and dialogue had more to do with it. I was not a fan of the protagonists in the first story and not really a fan of anyone in the second one so I suspect Falling Into Fire may win by default.
This may lead you to believe the stories are lacking and this is not the case. Technically speaking, Curtis has shown some serious chops as a storyteller. As a reader, I can see the talent and potential percolating beneath the words; as a writer, I sense someone who understands the craft.
What is my ultimate feeling for Compendium, then? It’s a strong technical book that is over too quickly. Here’s hoping we see some more of Curtis’ work soon.
With limited space, the storyteller must be in complete control of the language. In Compendium, Ellen Curtis shows why she’s so highly touted. The three stories in this book simply ooze atmosphere. All well-written stories trigger the senses but sometimes it takes a few pages or even chapters before the brain is able to visualize based on the information provided. In Compendium, I found that a few paragraphs in, I had been whisked away to Curtis’ worlds.
So what are these worlds? Things get underway with The Tourniquet Revival, a traditional horror tale in which two girls learn that a slick-talking man isn’t all that he seems. At Midnight, The Dawn leans more toward fantasy and focuses on a young man whose fate is tied to that of the world. Falling Into Fire uses science fiction as a backdrop but is more of a character-driven thriller.
Of the three, I prefer the final entry but cannot fully quantify that feeling. Perhaps it’s the ‘ticking clock’ trope but I suspect the characterization and dialogue had more to do with it. I was not a fan of the protagonists in the first story and not really a fan of anyone in the second one so I suspect Falling Into Fire may win by default.
This may lead you to believe the stories are lacking and this is not the case. Technically speaking, Curtis has shown some serious chops as a storyteller. As a reader, I can see the talent and potential percolating beneath the words; as a writer, I sense someone who understands the craft.
What is my ultimate feeling for Compendium, then? It’s a strong technical book that is over too quickly. Here’s hoping we see some more of Curtis’ work soon.
April 27, 2014
I know Ellen from conventions (and from her time doing a webshow I appeared on) and from being an author in Newfoundland (she's with Engen Books), so after reading a short story she did in Light/Dark (which I enjoyed) I picked this up at Sci-Fi on the Rock and finally got a chance to read it. I like to support local authors and of course I enjoy getting books signed and speaking with the author about their work. Also of course I like short stories. I'll note here that I liked how there is a short preface that introduces the idea that the story themselves are part of the Engen world (and I like the character Matthew, pretty sure I know who that's supposed to be). It was clever and a unique way to start a collection.
Ellen is obviously making most of her main characters female in this collection, which is fine. I can certainly relate to being able to write your own gender easier and I would also agree there are not enough strong female characters in fiction (or most stories period). Ellen has a way with words, she uses phrases I enjoy and her writing is often eloquent and clever. She also makes me look up words, which is always a good thing (especially if you're a writer like me). I do have put out a small criticism, why do the story titles not have any words capitalized? (I added capital letters above just to illustrate) I know it seems very nit-picking but I couldn't help it, just something I noticed. Overall I give this a strong recommendation (for readers 14+). I'm looking forward to reading more from Ellen.
Ellen is obviously making most of her main characters female in this collection, which is fine. I can certainly relate to being able to write your own gender easier and I would also agree there are not enough strong female characters in fiction (or most stories period). Ellen has a way with words, she uses phrases I enjoy and her writing is often eloquent and clever. She also makes me look up words, which is always a good thing (especially if you're a writer like me). I do have put out a small criticism, why do the story titles not have any words capitalized? (I added capital letters above just to illustrate) I know it seems very nit-picking but I couldn't help it, just something I noticed. Overall I give this a strong recommendation (for readers 14+). I'm looking forward to reading more from Ellen.
February 13, 2013
I give this book 4 stars because the author has a lot of potential.
It consists of three short stories, and in the intorduction the author says that two of them were written in high school. The first one reads like a high school story, a little shaky, sometimes jumpy, but overall a good story. The second is a little more interesting, but still a little quick and leaps to the end. And the third brings us back to the preface, rounding off the short novel nicely.
The stories all have a lot of potential to them. They are interesting and original in how they are shaped. I think they would all be improved if they were expanded a bit, if characters were developed just a little more. The author tends to jump quickly through the introduction and the conclusion of each story, but I feel each story could easily be lengthened. But then this is a first collection, and I look forward to checking out more of her work.
If her short stories (and they are very short) are this enjoyable, then I can't wait to see what a full-length novel will bring.
It consists of three short stories, and in the intorduction the author says that two of them were written in high school. The first one reads like a high school story, a little shaky, sometimes jumpy, but overall a good story. The second is a little more interesting, but still a little quick and leaps to the end. And the third brings us back to the preface, rounding off the short novel nicely.
The stories all have a lot of potential to them. They are interesting and original in how they are shaped. I think they would all be improved if they were expanded a bit, if characters were developed just a little more. The author tends to jump quickly through the introduction and the conclusion of each story, but I feel each story could easily be lengthened. But then this is a first collection, and I look forward to checking out more of her work.
If her short stories (and they are very short) are this enjoyable, then I can't wait to see what a full-length novel will bring.
April 27, 2014
Been going to Hal-Con for a few years now, and have made it my mission to pick up as many Indie books as I can. I'm a huge comics and Batman fan, but beyond that I haven't read a lot of books, aside from what I was forced to in high school or University. But I'm finding things I like in these indie titles.
I picked up a few books of short stories, and of them, this one was the best. Especially the story "At Midnight, the Dawn." Ellen Curtis creates such imaginative characters and leave enough to the reader that they can fill in the gaps themselves, not over-burdening the reader with too much information in a limited page space.
It's short --very short -- but sweet and great. Hope there's a bigger book of shorts for her coming soon.
I picked up a few books of short stories, and of them, this one was the best. Especially the story "At Midnight, the Dawn." Ellen Curtis creates such imaginative characters and leave enough to the reader that they can fill in the gaps themselves, not over-burdening the reader with too much information in a limited page space.
It's short --very short -- but sweet and great. Hope there's a bigger book of shorts for her coming soon.
August 11, 2019
Fast-paced, full of action and intrigue with unusual but simply fascinating characters.
The standout for me would be "Falling into Fire". It grabbed my attention from the very first sentence and I was completely swept away. I was left wanting to know more about these characters, more about how their story began and just what was now in store for them! I should also mention that I loved the opening and closing paragraphs. Very clever, and it really added something special to the whole vibe of the book!
The standout for me would be "Falling into Fire". It grabbed my attention from the very first sentence and I was completely swept away. I was left wanting to know more about these characters, more about how their story began and just what was now in store for them! I should also mention that I loved the opening and closing paragraphs. Very clever, and it really added something special to the whole vibe of the book!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews