The Green Cathedral

by Dale Parnell

A collection of contemporary fantasy stories.
Seven stories, seven what ifs?
What if your house was haunted?
What if it never stopped raining?
What if a gift from a stranger could mend your broken heart?
What if we stopped talking to each other?
What if you met God?
What if babies really did grow under the gooseberry bush?
What if someone was stealing your photographs?

204 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2017

About the author

Dale Parnell was born and raised in Norwich, and moved to Staffordshire in 1999. He has been writing for almost thirty years, but it wasn’t until 2017 that he self-published his first collection, “The Green Cathedral”, a selection of seven contemporary fantasy short stories.

This was followed by a second collection in 2019, “Bramble and other stories”, this time branching out to include horror and science-fiction as well as fantasy.

Dale’s first foray into poetry came in 2018, when he was fortunate enough to have three pieces accepted for the anthology “Further Within Darkness & Light” from Nothing Books. Since then, Dale has featured in over forty fiction and poetry anthologies from some of the best independent publishers around the world.

In 2022, Dale released his third collection, “Foundations”, featuring a variety of short (mainly horror) stories that have been featured in previously published anthologies, along with a brand new, exclusive tale.

In 2023, Dale published his first novel, a science-fiction space opera, PYR.

Dale lives in Staffordshire with his wife and their imaginary dog, Moriarty. He is currently working on a follow-up to PYR, and his strangest wish is to find a copy of one his books for sale in a second-hand bookshop.

Reviews

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the pleasure to hear Dale read from The Green Cathedral at a book club I run. He read the opening story, The Haunted House, and I knew, instantly, that I needed to read the rest for myself.

The above story evoked many, lovely memories of my Nan (and Grandad), and bought a lump to my throat one minute, and a smile to my lips the next.

Following on from this wonderful, opening shot, are six more stories, all very different, in genre and length.

Parnell creates such brilliant imagery with his words, in each story, and I enjoyed every one of them.

My particular favourites are The Haunted House, The Jewellery Box, and the last story, Photographs. All three got under my skin and left me mouthing, “wow”.

I do have a few, minor criticisms. There were a number of typos peppered throughout the book, and I think the book would benefit from indented first lines of paragraphs. At times, the author confused tenses, particularly in the last short story. However, this did not ruin my enjoyment of this eclectic, and varied, collection of short stories, and I sincerely look forward to reading Dale’s next book.

[Thelma Parnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dale Parnell has put together a collection of 7 short stories. I’m not great at defining genres, but I would say that each is a real life scenario with just a tiny tweak. There are whimsical, thrilling, creepy and emotional tales, which is ideal when you love all styles of writing. There is the epic “Rain” which unfortunately seems really quite plausible. The creepy “Photographs” stays with you long after you read it. The title story is beautifully descriptive of how things could be if nature and people are allowed a little freedom. Personally I feel there are stories in there can provoke discussion and ones that cry out for further exploration.

I can’t recommend it enough!

[Rachel Oram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading The Green Cathedral by Dale Parnell. It's a collection of 7 short stories, each based on a different 'What if'.....scenario. I heard Dale read the title story and it blew me away- a great tale about a future where organised religion is banned. The stories vary in length, although a couple are perhaps too short for my tastes and I would like to have known more about their worlds. I really enjoyed Rain - it has an excellent twist and Photographs is an excellently twisted and creepy idea. The only minor drawback is a couple of typos and an occasional issue with tenses, neither of which spoil the enjoyment. Definitely recommend this book 🙂

[Bekki Pate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of stories!

[Natalie Rix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these stories which explore the concept of “what if?” What if your house was haunted? What if a gift from a stranger could mend your broken heart? Dale has a talent for creating engaging dialogue, vivid description and emotive imagery. I like how he infuses abstract ideas into a realistic setting, such as exploring a world where it never stops raining and a world where organised religion has been banned, creating an insight into how we would react if these bizarre or surreal situations were thrust upon us. I particularly enjoyed The Haunted House, The Jewellery Box and Photographs. I feel like some of the endings were left open to interpretation which left me wanting more! I look forward to reading more from this author. Keep up the great work.

[Paul Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Green Cathedral is a beautiful book of wonderful story-telling. Engaging and thought-provoking, Dale has presented a collection of short tales that at times are chilling and heartwarming in equal measure. I also felt that they instilled a sense of hope. I particularly enjoyed Rain, The Jewellery Box and Photographs, the latter being a story that I would love to see expanded upon, maybe as a stand-alone book. Absolutely brilliant read.

[Jodie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. I particularly enjoyed the short stories Rain and Photographs and thought they were such new interesting concepts that I found fascinating. Easy to get into and found the way Dale writes to be captivating. Thoroughly recommend

[Ian Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading A Green Cathedral a while back but I find myself still thinking about some of the issues raised in this collection. There is an everyday feel to Dale's writing which quietly draws you into the worlds he creates and makes you a part of the dialogue and dynamic he develops there.

Green Cathedral poses big questions subtly, such as 'how would we take advantage of climate change if we survive it?' 'where is the line between personal and social responsibility?' There is a matter-of-fact descriptive quality to the characters in these worlds which makes the events written about all the more believable and intriguing.

[Richard Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first heard Dale read from this book I was hooked I had to know more. The book does not disappoint taking the classic "What if" idea and taking it in brilliant new directions, highly recommended.