As I started reading this story the very first thoughts for it were that this story is like a dream within a dream. Yes, that is right, now that I think about it this author has that “dream-like” writing style. A fantasy, a tale with peculiar images painted in words. And so I took this journey, in this beautiful dreamland called Eynhallow where I met Shaw and Innes.
I submerged into Shaw’s body and watch through his eyes as this story unraveled. I saw him love his ethereal husband Innes, I saw him worship him. I saw the beautiful task they had as guardians of Eynhallow and the creatures all around. But alas, as it is in most dreams, something intruded their peace. A man showed up with his human misguidance and false conception looking for his long lost wife. This man came with a lot of determination and a lot of misery. As much as Shaw and Innes valued their peace and wanted the man away, they could not let him suffer or harm himself. And so they set to help him on his journey.
Like I said this story started like a dream, continued in the light form of a nightmare and ended like a fairytale. For the most part it was quite a haze, you don’t understand what the story is about until the very end, so you keep wondering about the connection of this wonderful paranormal world, a world with gorgeous finfolk and their ways of life, and the human world, full of pain, cruelty and nightmares. The twist in the end although it shines a light in the story it left me not quite satisfied. I don’t know what I was expecting really, but I was a bit surprised by it. I suppose that’s just me, once again wanting just a bit more…
As it is the story seems unique, at least I haven’t encountered a similar one in the genre. I liked the idea and Shaw and Innes were quite alluring. It is not the hot-makes-my-heart-race kind of story and even the anticipation that is build is not on the high levels. Never the less it was quite good and I would suggest it to the fans of the genre.
Thommie