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At the Gates and Other Stories: Sixteen Tales of Magic and Wonder
A ghost searches for revenge in ancient Egypt. A boy unearths the bones of a dragon. A girl risks awakening a dark god to save her dog…
He reached out a hand and touched Grace’s cheek. The touch made her shiver. “You can’t save everyone, Grace.”
“I don’t want to,” Grace whispered. “Just her.”
At the Gates and Other Stories is a collection of sixteen fantasy short stories.
Reviews of stories in this collection
"This is the first story I’ve heard this year that I’d consider a masterpiece. It’s rare for a story to move me to tears, but this one did. The writing is perfect, capturing the period and expressing the torments of war brilliantly." – John Dodds, The Fix on The Western Front
"Marvelous." – Colin Harvey, Suite101, on At the Gates
"This one kept me turning the page without pause, with its natural pace and flow of words, good characterization, and skillful plot build-up. Samphire’s writing skill is matched only by his knowledge of Ancient Egyptian culture and mythology." – Scott M. Sandridge, Tangent Online, on The Land of Reeds.
"A great coming-of-age story." – David Roy, epinions, on When the Dragon Falls
"Patrick Samphire offers an updated Arthurian fantasy, an elegantly crafted modern-day take on the Matter of Britain." – Gardner Dozois, Locus, Issue 598 on Camelot
The Stories
- At the Gates
- Five Things of Beauty
- Uncle Vernon’s Lie
- Finisterre
- A Veil, a Meal, and Dust
- A Field Guide to Ugly Places
- Slipper of Glass
- The Equation
- When the Dragon Falls
- Dawn, by the Light of a Barrow Fire
- Camelot
- Crab Apple
- The Sea Beyond Thule
- The Land of Reeds
- The Western Front
- Dragonfly Summer
He reached out a hand and touched Grace’s cheek. The touch made her shiver. “You can’t save everyone, Grace.”
“I don’t want to,” Grace whispered. “Just her.”
At the Gates and Other Stories is a collection of sixteen fantasy short stories.
Reviews of stories in this collection
"This is the first story I’ve heard this year that I’d consider a masterpiece. It’s rare for a story to move me to tears, but this one did. The writing is perfect, capturing the period and expressing the torments of war brilliantly." – John Dodds, The Fix on The Western Front
"Marvelous." – Colin Harvey, Suite101, on At the Gates
"This one kept me turning the page without pause, with its natural pace and flow of words, good characterization, and skillful plot build-up. Samphire’s writing skill is matched only by his knowledge of Ancient Egyptian culture and mythology." – Scott M. Sandridge, Tangent Online, on The Land of Reeds.
"A great coming-of-age story." – David Roy, epinions, on When the Dragon Falls
"Patrick Samphire offers an updated Arthurian fantasy, an elegantly crafted modern-day take on the Matter of Britain." – Gardner Dozois, Locus, Issue 598 on Camelot
The Stories
- At the Gates
- Five Things of Beauty
- Uncle Vernon’s Lie
- Finisterre
- A Veil, a Meal, and Dust
- A Field Guide to Ugly Places
- Slipper of Glass
- The Equation
- When the Dragon Falls
- Dawn, by the Light of a Barrow Fire
- Camelot
- Crab Apple
- The Sea Beyond Thule
- The Land of Reeds
- The Western Front
- Dragonfly Summer
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 2, 2021
7 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Samphire
34 books191 followersPatrick Samphire is the author of the adult fantasy novels SHADOW OF A DEAD GOD, NECTAR FOR THE GOD, STRANGE CARGO, and the forthcoming LEGACY OF A HATED GOD, as well as the middle grade novels SECRETS OF THE DRAGON TOMB and THE EMPEROR OF MARS. He has published around twenty short stories and novellas.
Patrick has been writing stories since he was fourteen years old and thought it would be a good way of avoiding having to sit through English lessons at school. He was absolutely convinced that he would be famous by the time he was eighteen, but sadly, even infamy has eluded him.
He lives in Wales, surrounded by mountains, with his wife, their sons, and their cat.
When he's not writing, he designs websites and ebooks.
He will now stop talking about himself in the third person.
Patrick has been writing stories since he was fourteen years old and thought it would be a good way of avoiding having to sit through English lessons at school. He was absolutely convinced that he would be famous by the time he was eighteen, but sadly, even infamy has eluded him.
He lives in Wales, surrounded by mountains, with his wife, their sons, and their cat.
When he's not writing, he designs websites and ebooks.
He will now stop talking about himself in the third person.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 11, 2021
I picked up this collection of short stories because of the cover, and it didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed most of the stories. There were few that didn't work for me personally, but I also found some of my favourites:
At the Gates,
Uncle Vernon's Lie,
When the Dragon Falls.
I will check out more by Samphire, really liked writing style in this one.
At the Gates,
Uncle Vernon's Lie,
When the Dragon Falls.
I will check out more by Samphire, really liked writing style in this one.
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October 13, 2022*This book is now out in hardcover as well as in paperback and ebook.*
This is my collection of short fantasy stories. Sixteen stories, about 70,000 words.
More about it on my website: https://patricksamphire.com/books/at-...
This is my collection of short fantasy stories. Sixteen stories, about 70,000 words.
More about it on my website: https://patricksamphire.com/books/at-...
December 31, 2021
It is always hard for me to rate a collection of short stories because you will connect to some while you will just not care for others but here I was pleasantly surprise at the amount of stories I really enjoyed!
January 9, 2021
I went into this collection of short stories having read only Shadow of a Dead God by this author, which was probably the most fun I had reading a book all of last year. Not thinking about it, I kind of just assumed the tone of the stories would be light and humorous and full of snark. Well I couldn't have been more wrong.
Two of the first three stories had me in tears. The tone of many of these stories is extremely thoughtful and feels therapeutic almost. Many of them deal with death and loss, and how to live in a world that is unjust. I really appreciated how it felt that the author was opening himself to the reader, especially because each story includes a brief note from the author about the story.
The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I felt it could have used more of a break here and there from the morose and somber mood. Especially knowing how well the author writes sarcastic humour with plenty of fun action. A little yin to the yang. I definitely recommend the collection though, it oozes with genuine humanity.
Two of the first three stories had me in tears. The tone of many of these stories is extremely thoughtful and feels therapeutic almost. Many of them deal with death and loss, and how to live in a world that is unjust. I really appreciated how it felt that the author was opening himself to the reader, especially because each story includes a brief note from the author about the story.
The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I felt it could have used more of a break here and there from the morose and somber mood. Especially knowing how well the author writes sarcastic humour with plenty of fun action. A little yin to the yang. I definitely recommend the collection though, it oozes with genuine humanity.
March 13, 2021
This was a wonderful collection of short stories that was nothing like what I had expected. The mood and tone of many of them caught me a little surprise having come to this after reading Shadow of a Dead God, but these sixteen stories are a fantastic showcase of what Samphire can do. I also enjoyed the brief introductions to how each story had come into being, offering an insight into the emotion and thought process behind which one. What really stood out for me about At the Gates and Other Stories was the variety of fantasy worlds that we get to glimpse in this collection, as well as how history/archaeology and mythology were woven into the tales while telling tales that at their core about the characters and their experiences and emotions.
‘The Glass Slipper’ was probably my favourite story from the whole collection, and I would love to see more of the F.I.S. I’ve found that fairy tale retellings are one of those things that either does or doesn’t work for me with no in between, and I enjoyed the twist that was used here. The idea of the tale rolling onwards regardless, even going so far as to change things to ensure that it can unfold as planned is fantastic, and a wonderful reflection of how fairy tales change and adapt with the times, and I just adore the concept that there are places and people that have been lost to the Path. Another favourite was ‘Uncle Vernon’s Lie’ which was beautifully written, and resonated on so many levels, from Benji’s anxiety about new places and things to many of the things that Vernon said, to the realisation at the ending. While ‘Dawn, by the Light of a Barrow Fire' appealed to my love of archaeology, while being a wonderful, raw exploration of grief and loss.
‘The Equation’ and ‘When the Dragon Falls’ also stood out for me, they’re very different stories, and yet they resonated in a similar way for me with the idea of magic being lost to logic and growing up, and actually put me very much in mind of one of my favourite childhood films ‘The Flight of Dragons’ so there was a little touch of nostalgia when reading those stories. The idea of magic being constrained to an equation was fascinating and also sad in a way because that is never how magic should be, while there were many elements of ‘When the Dragon Falls’ that hit home on a personal level.
Honestly, there was not a story in this collection that I didn’t enjoy, although there were a couple that was painful to read and for some reason ‘Crab Apple’ crept under my skin and unsettled me.
There is an almost haunting quality to many of these stories, perhaps it because of the types of emotions that are explored within them – the pain and grief of different forms of loss, the idea that you can’t save everyone, the loss of magic and wonder – but each and every one of the tales in this collection hits home and makes you think long after you’ve turned the last page. I think this collection is perhaps one that you have to be in the mood to read because it does have more than a little weight to it, but I would wholeheartedly recommend At the Gates and Other Stories, and this book has firmly established Patrick Samphire as a must-buy author for me.
‘The Glass Slipper’ was probably my favourite story from the whole collection, and I would love to see more of the F.I.S. I’ve found that fairy tale retellings are one of those things that either does or doesn’t work for me with no in between, and I enjoyed the twist that was used here. The idea of the tale rolling onwards regardless, even going so far as to change things to ensure that it can unfold as planned is fantastic, and a wonderful reflection of how fairy tales change and adapt with the times, and I just adore the concept that there are places and people that have been lost to the Path. Another favourite was ‘Uncle Vernon’s Lie’ which was beautifully written, and resonated on so many levels, from Benji’s anxiety about new places and things to many of the things that Vernon said, to the realisation at the ending. While ‘Dawn, by the Light of a Barrow Fire' appealed to my love of archaeology, while being a wonderful, raw exploration of grief and loss.
‘The Equation’ and ‘When the Dragon Falls’ also stood out for me, they’re very different stories, and yet they resonated in a similar way for me with the idea of magic being lost to logic and growing up, and actually put me very much in mind of one of my favourite childhood films ‘The Flight of Dragons’ so there was a little touch of nostalgia when reading those stories. The idea of magic being constrained to an equation was fascinating and also sad in a way because that is never how magic should be, while there were many elements of ‘When the Dragon Falls’ that hit home on a personal level.
Honestly, there was not a story in this collection that I didn’t enjoy, although there were a couple that was painful to read and for some reason ‘Crab Apple’ crept under my skin and unsettled me.
There is an almost haunting quality to many of these stories, perhaps it because of the types of emotions that are explored within them – the pain and grief of different forms of loss, the idea that you can’t save everyone, the loss of magic and wonder – but each and every one of the tales in this collection hits home and makes you think long after you’ve turned the last page. I think this collection is perhaps one that you have to be in the mood to read because it does have more than a little weight to it, but I would wholeheartedly recommend At the Gates and Other Stories, and this book has firmly established Patrick Samphire as a must-buy author for me.
January 10, 2021
This is a collection of sixteen short stories in different fantasy worlds. Each story has a little forward giving us Patrick Samphire’s thought process behind the story, then the story itself begins. The title story, “At The Gates,” details Grace’s struggle to save an abandoned dog and give justice to the tenant in her home that her would-be stepfather wants to throw out. She’s told repeatedly she can’t save everyone, and she only wants to save her dog, who she named Hope. It’s a small, everyday kind of story, and the thought of Grace saving Hope is a wonderful one to have. “Five Things of Beauty” follows, and is a quiet, melancholic story with an ending I didn’t expect at the start. For such a short story, it still gives quite the sucker-punch at the end. This start pretty much establishes the theme for the rest of the book: the fantastic elements and everyday magic just point out and enhance the relationships that people have with each other. These stories ultimately feature magic, but they're not about magic.
While Patrick is a little hard on himself for how he wrote Benji in “Uncle Vernon’s Lie,” his anxiety is very relatable as he goes to visit his uncle and is unsure about everything new around him. Vernon’s words also resonate: “The world’s a frightening place. But it’s also wonderful. You can’t have one without the other. You just have to go poking into the corners to find the wonderful things.” It has a bittersweet ending when we figure out what the lie of the title actually is, and it’s such a beautifully written story. Similarly, elements of grief and loss feature heavily in "Dawn, By The Light of A Barrow Fire" and "Camelot," with poignant endings. Loss is difficult to deal with, and sometimes the characters don't deal with it at all.
As a fan of fractured fairy tales, "The Glass Slipper" is a fun and interesting take on the ways that fairy tales can be twisted into new stories. They take on a life of their own after a fashion, and in this tale, the Path is almost literal in its need to reach the conclusion of the story. There are also stories based on mythology and ancient history, from Greek-influenced "The Land Beyond Thule" and Egyptian history for "The Land of Reeds." It's sad, the loss that plagues these stories and the ones that close the book; pain and suffering seem to fuel the otherworldly elements of these stories.
This is a wonderful collection of stories, with glimpses into other worlds just beyond our normal day-to-day.
While Patrick is a little hard on himself for how he wrote Benji in “Uncle Vernon’s Lie,” his anxiety is very relatable as he goes to visit his uncle and is unsure about everything new around him. Vernon’s words also resonate: “The world’s a frightening place. But it’s also wonderful. You can’t have one without the other. You just have to go poking into the corners to find the wonderful things.” It has a bittersweet ending when we figure out what the lie of the title actually is, and it’s such a beautifully written story. Similarly, elements of grief and loss feature heavily in "Dawn, By The Light of A Barrow Fire" and "Camelot," with poignant endings. Loss is difficult to deal with, and sometimes the characters don't deal with it at all.
As a fan of fractured fairy tales, "The Glass Slipper" is a fun and interesting take on the ways that fairy tales can be twisted into new stories. They take on a life of their own after a fashion, and in this tale, the Path is almost literal in its need to reach the conclusion of the story. There are also stories based on mythology and ancient history, from Greek-influenced "The Land Beyond Thule" and Egyptian history for "The Land of Reeds." It's sad, the loss that plagues these stories and the ones that close the book; pain and suffering seem to fuel the otherworldly elements of these stories.
This is a wonderful collection of stories, with glimpses into other worlds just beyond our normal day-to-day.
January 29, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up - I was not expecting this to be so melancholy and it was not the right time for me to read it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews