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Seascape: A genie, a selkie, a firebird, goblins ... I invite you into a world of fairy tales
I invite you into a world of fairy tales where a selkie leaves the sea for the first time to go to university; three young boys find a genie in a can of Irn-Bru; two friends see a firebird in an old housing estate; a man is spirited away by a snake charmer; goblins crawl through mirrors; an unwilling princess is "saved" from a tower; and Rapunzel is kidnapped by an automaton. A series of original short stories to amuse and entertain.
"I've absolutely laughed my butt off! You've taken all the classic fairy tale stereotypical characteristics and turned them into a ball of irony and laughter."
— Rosa Fiore (software engineering student and writer)
"I especially enjoyed the story called Brick Lane Gang! I really liked the use of the firebird myth, and I noticed that particularly in the second half, as is noted within the story, it follows the path of the myth up to the success of the three trials. 'Yeah, this is the real world' contrasts effectively with the fact that what Uncle Reza has done is almost a metaphor for Ivan Tsarevich's death in the myth. Even better, it ends there before reaching the end of the myth, leaving the reader to decide whether it follows the myth or deviates from it."
— Sam Iggy (beta reader)
"I've absolutely laughed my butt off! You've taken all the classic fairy tale stereotypical characteristics and turned them into a ball of irony and laughter."
— Rosa Fiore (software engineering student and writer)
"I especially enjoyed the story called Brick Lane Gang! I really liked the use of the firebird myth, and I noticed that particularly in the second half, as is noted within the story, it follows the path of the myth up to the success of the three trials. 'Yeah, this is the real world' contrasts effectively with the fact that what Uncle Reza has done is almost a metaphor for Ivan Tsarevich's death in the myth. Even better, it ends there before reaching the end of the myth, leaving the reader to decide whether it follows the myth or deviates from it."
— Sam Iggy (beta reader)
122 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2017
27 people want to read
About the author
E.L. Parfitt
13 books19 followersEmma's new book The Secret Cult of the Miners' Library is out now!
In the lead‑mining village of Wanlockhead, Scotland, danger runs deeper than the pits themselves. After a devastating mining disaster, sisters Rachel and Sarah are left reeling — one desperate to escape, the other just trying to cope with daily life.
Amidst rising complaints about the library’s morally questionable books, Minister Laurie, a man grappling with his faith, becomes an unwilling witness to the Duke’s dark secrets surrounding the Miners’ Library and the spiritual corruption wrought by gold.
The Miners’ Library hides more than books. Georgiana, the duke’s restless wife, suspects her husband’s ties to a Jacobite plot that could destroy them all. Disguised as a man, she dares to infiltrate the society – only to uncover a bewitched mirror and a soul imprisoned within, feeding on the chaos it creates.
The Secret Cult of the Miners' library is a historical-fantasy fiction novel. Inspired by the village of Wanlockhead and its folklore.
Emma is a British-Scottish author of contemporary fiction, whose writing has been featured on Radio 2, and won second place in the Just Imagine short story competition with her story A Traveller's Daughter. It is possible to identify several themes in her novels – the relationship between parents and children and between siblings, obscure fairy tale references, and, more recently, the structure and organisation of society and how this relates to social challenges and the individual lives of her characters.
In the lead‑mining village of Wanlockhead, Scotland, danger runs deeper than the pits themselves. After a devastating mining disaster, sisters Rachel and Sarah are left reeling — one desperate to escape, the other just trying to cope with daily life.
Amidst rising complaints about the library’s morally questionable books, Minister Laurie, a man grappling with his faith, becomes an unwilling witness to the Duke’s dark secrets surrounding the Miners’ Library and the spiritual corruption wrought by gold.
The Miners’ Library hides more than books. Georgiana, the duke’s restless wife, suspects her husband’s ties to a Jacobite plot that could destroy them all. Disguised as a man, she dares to infiltrate the society – only to uncover a bewitched mirror and a soul imprisoned within, feeding on the chaos it creates.
The Secret Cult of the Miners' library is a historical-fantasy fiction novel. Inspired by the village of Wanlockhead and its folklore.
Emma is a British-Scottish author of contemporary fiction, whose writing has been featured on Radio 2, and won second place in the Just Imagine short story competition with her story A Traveller's Daughter. It is possible to identify several themes in her novels – the relationship between parents and children and between siblings, obscure fairy tale references, and, more recently, the structure and organisation of society and how this relates to social challenges and the individual lives of her characters.
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March 23, 2017
Without wanting to give too much away, this unexpected collection of stories features a range of magical creatures: selkies (a Celtic mermaid), a genie, goblins and a firebird. Except these are also stories about young people’s lives, young people with no special gifts, facing real world difficulties. In other words commenting on the difficulty of growing up in the UK today. Some of the stories merge reality of young people living in Coventry with fairy tale creatures like the firebird or a genie. Other stories exist ‘In the land of Make Believe, and passed the valley of tranquillity,’ like the main character in Enchanted sort of said. There are also some strong satirical pieces that carve pieces out of the fairy tale genre. Overall really enjoyable to discover a fresh new voice in the fairy tale genre, and a female one at that.
Displaying 1 of 1 review