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Shadowlands
Charlie David's celebrated collection of short stories explores the heartfelt, and sometimes heartbreaking passion and pain of gay sexuality. Ancient myths are re-imagined with an exciting queer twist masterfully depicting the charged, fragile relationships of urban life today.
258 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 2010
8 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Charlie David
77 books121 followersCharlie has hundreds of hours of film and television to his credit, predominantly exploring the 2SLGBTQIA+ experience. He is on the DEI action committee of the Canadian Media Producers Association and mentors students in the Storyworks Film and Television program from Centennial College for the past four years. Charlie has also served on the board of Webseries Canada which produces the TO Webfest.
As a screenwriter Charlie's credits include the feature
film Mulligans (Netflix, HBO, Sundance), the TV
miniseries Shadowlands (OUTtv, LOGO), the
documentary series Drag Heals and OUTspoken.
He was selected as the Canadian Filmmaker in Focus by the Kashish Film Festival in Mumbai, India, an invited guest of the Canadian embassy in South Africa to share his documentary on HIV+ youth, executive produced Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride, a global look at pride celebrations, and winner of multiple awards including, the HBO Best Doc award at the Miami International LGBT Film Festival.
Charlie is the President and a producer at Border2Border Entertainment and previously owned CTM International, a talent agency based in Vancouver managing union and non-union contracting, payments, and negotiations for a
roster of over 300 clients.
As a screenwriter Charlie's credits include the feature
film Mulligans (Netflix, HBO, Sundance), the TV
miniseries Shadowlands (OUTtv, LOGO), the
documentary series Drag Heals and OUTspoken.
He was selected as the Canadian Filmmaker in Focus by the Kashish Film Festival in Mumbai, India, an invited guest of the Canadian embassy in South Africa to share his documentary on HIV+ youth, executive produced Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride, a global look at pride celebrations, and winner of multiple awards including, the HBO Best Doc award at the Miami International LGBT Film Festival.
Charlie is the President and a producer at Border2Border Entertainment and previously owned CTM International, a talent agency based in Vancouver managing union and non-union contracting, payments, and negotiations for a
roster of over 300 clients.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 8, 2015
If you approach this book thinking to find some quiet CS Lewis like reflection on his theory of 'shadowlands ' you would be most severely mistaken, indeed you would probably collapse with something verging on a stroke and not in a Charlie David type sexy way.
This is a series of short stories dealing with death, ghosts, failed love and lost love, cruelty, missed opportunities and downright nastiness. They are all sexually themed but by no means are they all sexually explicit. I wouldn't lend this volume to my grandmother, were she still alive, but it would not unnerve me particularly to lend this to anyone who realizes sex happens.
One caveat would be that when David wrote some of these I am assuming he was not, to use a phrase, ' in a good place'. Good grief, some of them are horrible and I mean that in the way that not only covers the content but also the very concept. The mind that could have drawn forth his 'Narcissus ' story was not that of a happy bunny but hopefully he was writing that before he wrote some of the more lovely if sorrowful ones such as 'The Hiker ' a clever ghost story linked to the growing relationship between two men, ' Grindr' the story of a man mourning the death of his partner, 'October 13th ' a achingly yearning story of gay and straight communication and 'Pygmalion revisited '.
This last one is the first in the book and a good entree into the series. David manages to communicate the ache of a surviving lover beautifully and it is very moving. The stories are inspired by ancient myth and story and Charlie David is an easy writer to read if sometimes perhaps a little obscure. This obscurity sometimes seems to smack of being purposefully so. I may be doing him a severe injustice and it may be my failure to follow his line of thinking but I wonder if that is necessarily my fault.
There are a number of good stories in this volume but like the old ' curate's egg ' it is good in parts. I think he has written in too many different styles for such a short volume. In any set of short stories you are likely to like some, be moved by others and find others totally not your cup of darjeeling but I feel it is good, at least, to have a sense of the writer's voice and in this volume there are too many different tones. I would certainly look out other stuff if only to try and work out where he is coming from.
This is a series of short stories dealing with death, ghosts, failed love and lost love, cruelty, missed opportunities and downright nastiness. They are all sexually themed but by no means are they all sexually explicit. I wouldn't lend this volume to my grandmother, were she still alive, but it would not unnerve me particularly to lend this to anyone who realizes sex happens.
One caveat would be that when David wrote some of these I am assuming he was not, to use a phrase, ' in a good place'. Good grief, some of them are horrible and I mean that in the way that not only covers the content but also the very concept. The mind that could have drawn forth his 'Narcissus ' story was not that of a happy bunny but hopefully he was writing that before he wrote some of the more lovely if sorrowful ones such as 'The Hiker ' a clever ghost story linked to the growing relationship between two men, ' Grindr' the story of a man mourning the death of his partner, 'October 13th ' a achingly yearning story of gay and straight communication and 'Pygmalion revisited '.
This last one is the first in the book and a good entree into the series. David manages to communicate the ache of a surviving lover beautifully and it is very moving. The stories are inspired by ancient myth and story and Charlie David is an easy writer to read if sometimes perhaps a little obscure. This obscurity sometimes seems to smack of being purposefully so. I may be doing him a severe injustice and it may be my failure to follow his line of thinking but I wonder if that is necessarily my fault.
There are a number of good stories in this volume but like the old ' curate's egg ' it is good in parts. I think he has written in too many different styles for such a short volume. In any set of short stories you are likely to like some, be moved by others and find others totally not your cup of darjeeling but I feel it is good, at least, to have a sense of the writer's voice and in this volume there are too many different tones. I would certainly look out other stuff if only to try and work out where he is coming from.
March 2, 2020
Intense, beautiful and emotional
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began this book but I loved each and every story. They drag the emotions from you and after you’re done you still feel them. This book will take you on a journey that you’ll never forget.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began this book but I loved each and every story. They drag the emotions from you and after you’re done you still feel them. This book will take you on a journey that you’ll never forget.
May 4, 2016
Way back in November of 2010, I’d snatched up a book for review from Dreamspinner. That book was Charlie David’s Shadowlands, and I have to confess, I judged it—and ultimately, misjudged it—by its cover. I say misjudged because I couldn’t possibly have known the sort of depth and complexity the author would bring to the table based on the provocative cover art for his collection of short stories.
In the twelve stories in this anthology, the author explores myriad themes of the human condition, presented by characters who range from damaged to desperate to deadly. He even throws a touch of mythology into the realism along the way, all while touching the reader’s conscience and engaging our emotions, testing our boundaries, and oftentimes touching our hearts in grief and loneliness. David’s imagination and command of his subjects give gravitas to his talent as an author, taking his readers on a journey through tales that run from the melancholy to the macabre.
With a respectful nod to all of the stories in Shadowlands, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll touch on just a few I felt were particularly moving, beginning with its opening, Pygmalion Revisited. As I stated, grief and loss play a role in several of the tales in the book. David opens with them here in the story of a man who has lost his love, in a reimagining of Ovid’s Pygmalion. The twist here is that the sculptor, Marcus, is already deeply in love with his muse before his art comes alive. Nic has been gone a year, and in Marcus’s work, we see Love and Grief personified, and witness what may be a fracturing of his mind in the process. The story is a testament, in the end, to undying love.
October 13th introduces us to two men, best friends—one gay, one straight (or, perhaps not). These two boys have secrets they’re keeping from each other, thoughts and desires they can’t risk sharing at the expense of their bond. They are “the one on the left” and “the one on the right.” They remain nameless because they are any man who has ever carried a secret desire. The subtle and overt hints and innuendo add to the tension of the atmosphere in this story and gives way to a boys-will-be-boys sensuality that hints at something more happening between these two best friends.
Loss and grief resurface in GRINDR, the story of a man who’s taking baby steps back into the world of the living after losing his lover, with the help of the app and a touch of the paranormal. When James receives a notification that shouldn’t be possible, the author makes a distinct emotional connection between the reader and his story as James reminisces about Robbie and gets a reminder, in the end, that life is for the living.
Lucretia Undone is one of the most gut-wrenching bits of flash fiction I’ve ever read. Weighing in at a short four pages, I had a visceral response to this story about a sixteen-year-old girl whose attempts at self- and sexual discovery go wrong—wrong in a horrific and frightening way. This story is pervaded by an overwhelming sense of despair and anguish, and its ending is simply tragic and tragically final.
The Hiker indulged my imagination and played straight into the hands of my love of the paranormal—the kinds of stories shared in a blanket fort with all the lights turned out and a storm raging just outside the windows. The story follows two men on an excursion into the woods, on a camping trip where they connect with each other on a deeper level and discuss some things about their relationship. Things go bump in the night, of course, and then take a turn towards the interesting when they meet a stranger who’s living rough as a challenge to himself, becoming one with nature. While I knew something was coming, and had an inkling of what it would be, that did nothing to dampen my love of this story in particular, and its chilling revelation.
I could carry on pointing out something remarkable about each of the stories, the collection is just that good, and it was great to revisit it. But the overall picture David draws is haunting and memorable. Shadowlands is a discourse on sex and human sexuality, our obsession with youth and beauty, man’s inhumanity to man, and, of course, love. His ability to draw out a scene in detail without burdening the narrative with minutia is impressive, and there are moments the narrative turns toward the poetic.
If you know Charlie David as an actor and audiobook narrator, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you introduce yourselves to him as an author too; at least if Shadowlands is anything to go by.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
In the twelve stories in this anthology, the author explores myriad themes of the human condition, presented by characters who range from damaged to desperate to deadly. He even throws a touch of mythology into the realism along the way, all while touching the reader’s conscience and engaging our emotions, testing our boundaries, and oftentimes touching our hearts in grief and loneliness. David’s imagination and command of his subjects give gravitas to his talent as an author, taking his readers on a journey through tales that run from the melancholy to the macabre.
With a respectful nod to all of the stories in Shadowlands, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll touch on just a few I felt were particularly moving, beginning with its opening, Pygmalion Revisited. As I stated, grief and loss play a role in several of the tales in the book. David opens with them here in the story of a man who has lost his love, in a reimagining of Ovid’s Pygmalion. The twist here is that the sculptor, Marcus, is already deeply in love with his muse before his art comes alive. Nic has been gone a year, and in Marcus’s work, we see Love and Grief personified, and witness what may be a fracturing of his mind in the process. The story is a testament, in the end, to undying love.
October 13th introduces us to two men, best friends—one gay, one straight (or, perhaps not). These two boys have secrets they’re keeping from each other, thoughts and desires they can’t risk sharing at the expense of their bond. They are “the one on the left” and “the one on the right.” They remain nameless because they are any man who has ever carried a secret desire. The subtle and overt hints and innuendo add to the tension of the atmosphere in this story and gives way to a boys-will-be-boys sensuality that hints at something more happening between these two best friends.
Loss and grief resurface in GRINDR, the story of a man who’s taking baby steps back into the world of the living after losing his lover, with the help of the app and a touch of the paranormal. When James receives a notification that shouldn’t be possible, the author makes a distinct emotional connection between the reader and his story as James reminisces about Robbie and gets a reminder, in the end, that life is for the living.
Lucretia Undone is one of the most gut-wrenching bits of flash fiction I’ve ever read. Weighing in at a short four pages, I had a visceral response to this story about a sixteen-year-old girl whose attempts at self- and sexual discovery go wrong—wrong in a horrific and frightening way. This story is pervaded by an overwhelming sense of despair and anguish, and its ending is simply tragic and tragically final.
The Hiker indulged my imagination and played straight into the hands of my love of the paranormal—the kinds of stories shared in a blanket fort with all the lights turned out and a storm raging just outside the windows. The story follows two men on an excursion into the woods, on a camping trip where they connect with each other on a deeper level and discuss some things about their relationship. Things go bump in the night, of course, and then take a turn towards the interesting when they meet a stranger who’s living rough as a challenge to himself, becoming one with nature. While I knew something was coming, and had an inkling of what it would be, that did nothing to dampen my love of this story in particular, and its chilling revelation.
I could carry on pointing out something remarkable about each of the stories, the collection is just that good, and it was great to revisit it. But the overall picture David draws is haunting and memorable. Shadowlands is a discourse on sex and human sexuality, our obsession with youth and beauty, man’s inhumanity to man, and, of course, love. His ability to draw out a scene in detail without burdening the narrative with minutia is impressive, and there are moments the narrative turns toward the poetic.
If you know Charlie David as an actor and audiobook narrator, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you introduce yourselves to him as an author too; at least if Shadowlands is anything to go by.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
August 29, 2013
Originally reviewed for The Book Vixen
In a Nutshell: This is no romance novel but instead a book of short stories revolving around love, sex and death. It’s a dark but oddly compelling read.
Why I Read this Book: The author is active in the arts scene and reads the audio books of an author I really like, Cardeno C., so I took a chance to read his book.
What I Liked: This is a novel of dark short stories with themes of love, sex, and death. I really enjoyed the short story October 13th as it captures the hopeful, sensual change in the relationship of two college-age roommates. The language in this book is dense and descriptive. For instance, in the afore mentioned short story the author writes, “And so they sit side by side. Two grown men who are still boys. One wants to touch the other. That’s his secret. The other longs to be touched. That’s his secret.” I loved this precision use of language, even in the short stories with themes of death and child abuse that are difficult to read.
Some of the stories intersect with mythology, such as Narcissus but with a modern and gay spin. This is perfectly exemplified in Harvest where a man is tricked by a sexual orgy into giving up his freedom. The stories are very unique such as the last one which is told as a screenplay and clearly come from a creative mind.
What I Didn’t Like: I’m an unabashed romance reader and this isn’t the book for a romance reader. The stories aren’t hopeful with a few exceptions like the one I mentioned about the roommates. The themes are very dark with suicide, lost love and even ghostly threesomes.
IMO: If you’re a HEA fan like me this isn’t the read for you. But if you want a gothic anthology with dark themes and lush writing this will fit the bill.
*review copy from author*
In a Nutshell: This is no romance novel but instead a book of short stories revolving around love, sex and death. It’s a dark but oddly compelling read.
Why I Read this Book: The author is active in the arts scene and reads the audio books of an author I really like, Cardeno C., so I took a chance to read his book.
What I Liked: This is a novel of dark short stories with themes of love, sex, and death. I really enjoyed the short story October 13th as it captures the hopeful, sensual change in the relationship of two college-age roommates. The language in this book is dense and descriptive. For instance, in the afore mentioned short story the author writes, “And so they sit side by side. Two grown men who are still boys. One wants to touch the other. That’s his secret. The other longs to be touched. That’s his secret.” I loved this precision use of language, even in the short stories with themes of death and child abuse that are difficult to read.
Some of the stories intersect with mythology, such as Narcissus but with a modern and gay spin. This is perfectly exemplified in Harvest where a man is tricked by a sexual orgy into giving up his freedom. The stories are very unique such as the last one which is told as a screenplay and clearly come from a creative mind.
What I Didn’t Like: I’m an unabashed romance reader and this isn’t the book for a romance reader. The stories aren’t hopeful with a few exceptions like the one I mentioned about the roommates. The themes are very dark with suicide, lost love and even ghostly threesomes.
IMO: If you’re a HEA fan like me this isn’t the read for you. But if you want a gothic anthology with dark themes and lush writing this will fit the bill.
*review copy from author*
March 11, 2020
Whatever excuse you might have - you don't really do short stories, you read the introduction and it said they were "dark", trust me ignore those excuses and read these stories. Yes, they are sad, yes you wll be emotionally drained, but you will also have found an author who can expertly take you inside the heart of someone who has loved and lost. Some of these characters find a new reason to hope as in my favorite of these stories entitled "Grindr". A ghostly little tale with a wonderfully hopeful ending. My second favorite is the first story Pygmalion Revisited". It was like the author had been inside my head after I lost someone very dear to me. All the feelings and actions were there from smelling their pillow and the heartbreak of noticing the scent fading to to wanting just one more word. The ending just shattered me. If you have enjoyed Charlie David's talents as a filmmaker and audiobook narrator you will be blown away by his talent as a writer of these stories. I devoured the entire book in one sitting but I now plan to go back and read one story every other day so I can ration them out and savor every single word. I am getting a paperback copy for that purpose. A truly stunning achievement!
September 24, 2010
Although many of the stories were a little short for my taste (they were, indeed, 'tastes' rather than 'meals' in their own right), Charlie David accomplishes something impressive here. Each story has it's own style, almost as if they were written by different authors, but there is definitely a consistent 'voice' that connected them. I simply can't think of any better way to explain it than that. You can almost picture yourself curled up on the couch, a pillow clutched to your breast, as you sit and listen to Charlie tell you some of his favourite stories.
I genuinely liked the characters, but wish we could have had more time together. Many of the stories were so short (3-10 pages), there simply was no opportunity to really explore a relationship with them. Perhaps 'tease' would be a better description than 'taste' but some of the longer stories (Pygmalion, Harvest, and and Narcissus) are handled beautifully, and even some of the shorter stories (I'm particularly thinking of October 13th) do an admirable job, considering their brevity.
I genuinely liked the characters, but wish we could have had more time together. Many of the stories were so short (3-10 pages), there simply was no opportunity to really explore a relationship with them. Perhaps 'tease' would be a better description than 'taste' but some of the longer stories (Pygmalion, Harvest, and and Narcissus) are handled beautifully, and even some of the shorter stories (I'm particularly thinking of October 13th) do an admirable job, considering their brevity.
June 23, 2011
Reading 'Boy Midflight' has been a very pleasant experience and I was really looking forward to read another book by Charlie David. 'Shadowlands' is an addictive masterpiece collection of short stories, my favorite one being 'GRINDR'. The twelve stories of 'Shadowlands' are passionate, dark, disturbing, sensual, imaginative, deep, everything but meaningless. 'Shadowlands' makes you travel in a land where time doesn't exist and after reading it you just want to thank Julia Cameron and her book 'The Artist's Way' who made Charlie want to write.
December 13, 2010
I just finished the audioversion of the book, narrated, I think, by the author. It is different from what I expected and I would have loved some of the stories to be longer. But the art of telling a poignant and often moving story with less words isn`t an easy one and it is beautiful done in this stories. I sure will have a look for other books by Charlie David and would highly recommend this collection.
March 12, 2020
I need to tell you first that this is a book somehow difficult to read but also, so interesting in many ways. The stories on it are intense and emotional showing in many of them a balance between vulnerability and strength while the characters confronted a new part of themselves. A very twisted and complex reading! Totally loved it!
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
March 13, 2020
I really enjoyed these short stories.
They all in some way touched on the themes of grief and loss.
This was dark, twisted, intense, haunting and emotionally compelling.
All together , these stories were a rousing testament to vulnerability and fragility of the human spirit while at the same time showcasing the flip side of the coin, strength of will and character.
They all in some way touched on the themes of grief and loss.
This was dark, twisted, intense, haunting and emotionally compelling.
All together , these stories were a rousing testament to vulnerability and fragility of the human spirit while at the same time showcasing the flip side of the coin, strength of will and character.
March 19, 2020
This is an engaging collection of stories. Each short pulls you in and keeps your attention all the way to the end. They are full of interesting characters and worlds. The author does a good job of painting a vivid picture that readers can see. These stories are fast paced and full of erotic imagery that grabbed me right from the start and kept me entertained all the way to the end.
March 12, 2020
This was such a bittersweet, poignant, grab-you-by-the-feels, hauntingly beautiful, intense, raw, emotionally charged, amazing, sad, memorable, dark, and totally awesome collection of stories that left me thinking about them long after I finished reading it.
January 16, 2018
This is a great collection of stories by David, showing that his talent apparently knows no bounds. The stories were so rich and entertaining. Dark, scary, funny, sexy, sad, joyous: this book runs thge gamut of these emotions and beyond! should be included in all gay men's reading lists (straight and bi folks, you'd enjoy it too)!
February 3, 2015
This is really tough for me to rate. I actually had to force myself to finish this book, and only did so for a challenge.
What I Liked:
--Charlie David is a great writer. His words flowed and made sense and were poetic at times. GRINDR was a great story. This one actually made me tear up in public and was beautifully written.
What I Didn't Like:
--This was too sad/grotesque/dark for my tastes. I prefer HEA type romances and there was none of that in this book. Suicide, murder, ghosts; this book had it all--except happiness.
My rating: 3 stars. I would have given 2 stars for content (because it wasn't my type) but 4 stars for how well it was written.
What I Liked:
--Charlie David is a great writer. His words flowed and made sense and were poetic at times. GRINDR was a great story. This one actually made me tear up in public and was beautifully written.
What I Didn't Like:
--This was too sad/grotesque/dark for my tastes. I prefer HEA type romances and there was none of that in this book. Suicide, murder, ghosts; this book had it all--except happiness.
My rating: 3 stars. I would have given 2 stars for content (because it wasn't my type) but 4 stars for how well it was written.
Read
May 16, 2016so this was new to me from DSP, I've seen some CD movies even enjoyed one or two.......gracious this was horrendous. kinda wtf? sorta " did he let his friends... his honest friends... read this and did they not advise him to stick to acting.
no STAR, no recommendation, deleted this so it wouldn't infect my tablet with its horribleness. failed to meet even my most basic read Requirements.
no STAR, no recommendation, deleted this so it wouldn't infect my tablet with its horribleness. failed to meet even my most basic read Requirements.
August 26, 2016
I'm an idiot. I'm reading along, thinking, "when's the author going to tie this all together? " The answer is, duh, he's not. It is a collection of short stories. But, in my defense, the stories are so short, they don't seem complete. Oddly, the writing is good.
June 20, 2014
Pretty but the stories remind me of short story literature I couldn't get a handle on in school.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews