I just finished F. M. Longo's Shrine of Mirrors. Of all the stories I've read so far in Xchyler Publishing's latest anthology, Beyond the Wail: 12 Graves Stories of Love and Loss, this one is pretty different.
It's a story that reminded me a lot of an Indiana Jones adventure, only this time the tale is set in the Far East. It's a first person perspective where the narrator takes us along on a journey to find three relics, relics with magical powers.
Longo effectively uses a documentary style to set up the story. He's created an exotic world and filled it with magical items, ferocious dangers and personal sacrifices all in an attempt to join the relics. The advice that begins the story, "Trust one!" serves well our narrator.
Like I said before, Longo's story is unique when placed among the other first six or seven stories in this collection. I enjoyed the change of pace. It not only adds a new flavor to the book, it expands the richness of the anthology in general. Beyond the Wail isn't just about ghosts and scary cabins in the woods, it's more than that. I'm hope if you give the book a chance, you'll agree.
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