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Gothic Reflections
Two aristocratic parents find themselves plunged into a nightmare world when their twins vanish. The disappearance was triggered by the parents' lifelong war with the world of birds… And the birds are out to exact their revenge.
49 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2015
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Alex Burrett
16 books10 followersMy first collection of short fiction, ‘My Goat Ate Its Own Legs’, was published in the UK in 2008 by Beautiful Books. In 2009 it was published in the US and Canada by Harper Perennial. In 2015 it was published in translation in France by Aux Forges de Vulcain.
I write to reflect on what it means, for me, to be human. It is my hope that others will find my reflections entertaining and engaging… thought provoking, even. This is what I get from my favourite books and comics such as The Outsider / L'Étranger, Candide, The Wasp Factory, Animal Farm, anything by Kafka, Anna Karenina, Lucifer etc.
Poetry is very dear to me: reading it and writing it. In September 2021, I challenged myself to write a sonnet every day for a year: lovessonnets.com.
My writing explores the human condition:
The Titans, a novel that examines the relationship between truth and megalomania.
Axel is Free (sequel to The Titans), an existential supernatural novel with a psychopathic protagonist who possibly wants to change.
Outstared by a Bullfrog, a novel that challenges the fallacy of an omnipotent god.
A damaged boy, a second collection of short fiction covering multiple themes.
Fedw, a collection of poetry about being human that covers several poetic genres.
Gothic Reflections, a Gothic novella that reflects on the human treatment of animals.
The Year My Tears Failed, five short stories and five poems about human struggles.
Rewarding Behaviour, a non-fiction proposal for a more rewarding monetary system.
I write to reflect on what it means, for me, to be human. It is my hope that others will find my reflections entertaining and engaging… thought provoking, even. This is what I get from my favourite books and comics such as The Outsider / L'Étranger, Candide, The Wasp Factory, Animal Farm, anything by Kafka, Anna Karenina, Lucifer etc.
Poetry is very dear to me: reading it and writing it. In September 2021, I challenged myself to write a sonnet every day for a year: lovessonnets.com.
My writing explores the human condition:
The Titans, a novel that examines the relationship between truth and megalomania.
Axel is Free (sequel to The Titans), an existential supernatural novel with a psychopathic protagonist who possibly wants to change.
Outstared by a Bullfrog, a novel that challenges the fallacy of an omnipotent god.
A damaged boy, a second collection of short fiction covering multiple themes.
Fedw, a collection of poetry about being human that covers several poetic genres.
Gothic Reflections, a Gothic novella that reflects on the human treatment of animals.
The Year My Tears Failed, five short stories and five poems about human struggles.
Rewarding Behaviour, a non-fiction proposal for a more rewarding monetary system.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 30, 2017
If I had to describe this book in one word it would be 'inconsistent'. The story had an interesting start: distraught parents seeking counsel from a mud puddle oracle in the middle of a forest, who gave a cryptic message. Unfortunately, that was the best chapter of the book. After that the author went back and forth telling the reasons behind the parents' dislike of birds, which seemed to me rather plain.
The parents were presented with little redeeming qualities which made it hard to relate to them or care for their struggles. The kids had no personalities whatsoever and hardly any dialogue. There were secondary characters (the diplomat, the captain, the bird seller, the druid) with no point other than move the story to certain points.
The writing didn't catch me at any point. The author kept using archaic or obscure terms over and over, maybe to give the story some authentic old time gothic feel. Well, it didn't feel organic, it just threw me off. And the author kind of strayed from his own old timey style when he started going on about psychoanalysis and dinosaurs out of the blue. It seemed so out of context and unnecessary.
This book was short but I think it could have been shorter. Some descriptions were unnecessary long (do we really need a full paragraph about how a bird drew circles in the sky before it finally descended?) and some chapters felt stretched. I could keep on pointing aspects I disliked about this book but it would involve spoilers and I really see no point dwelling on it.
The parents were presented with little redeeming qualities which made it hard to relate to them or care for their struggles. The kids had no personalities whatsoever and hardly any dialogue. There were secondary characters (the diplomat, the captain, the bird seller, the druid) with no point other than move the story to certain points.
The writing didn't catch me at any point. The author kept using archaic or obscure terms over and over, maybe to give the story some authentic old time gothic feel. Well, it didn't feel organic, it just threw me off. And the author kind of strayed from his own old timey style when he started going on about psychoanalysis and dinosaurs out of the blue. It seemed so out of context and unnecessary.
This book was short but I think it could have been shorter. Some descriptions were unnecessary long (do we really need a full paragraph about how a bird drew circles in the sky before it finally descended?) and some chapters felt stretched. I could keep on pointing aspects I disliked about this book but it would involve spoilers and I really see no point dwelling on it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review