Shadowlands [Paperback]

I am guilty of the unpardonable sin of judging this book by its cover. I'm ashamed to confess I was anticipating little more than a series of erotic and pleasantly entertaining short stories. I had no idea whether I would make an emotional connection to the characters, their conflicts, and their conquests. I had no idea, being unfamiliar with this author, whether his writing style and command of language would transport me to that familiar and intoxicating place where time and reality cease to exist. My suppositions and misconceptions lasted'roughly through the first paragraph, at which point I realized that my gaping maw would serve as a precursor to my overall reaction to the book.

Shadowlands is a collection of twelve stories, presenting dark, and at times disturbing, but ultimately stunning observations on everything from life, love, and sexuality, to death, grief, endurance, fear, obsession, and madness; as well as the heartbreaking truth that the burdens of existence sometimes overwhelm the desire to persevere. These themes thread their way throughout the book, leading the reader on an often intense journey, but one which plumbs the depths of the connection we all share'our humanity; the stories run the gamut, from unbearably melancholy to deliciously macabre, and succeed on varying levels, from proficient to utterly exquisite.

Outstanding among them are Pygmalion Revisited, the moving tale of a man whose grief over the death of his lover perpetuates his lonely descent into despair and surrender. Based on Ovid's tale of a man who sculpts and falls in love with a statue, Charlie David brings a new twist to the tale of a sculptor who is in love with the man who inspired the statue of St. Pelagius he has been commissioned to create. The story is positively stunning in its depiction of loss and undying love.

October 13th is the story of two men, best friends, one gay and one straight. The narrator of the story refers to them as merely 'the one on the left' and 'the one on the right'. They are nameless, yet they are familiar'the eternal boys, a theme that is also explored later in the book. They exist in their own Pleasure Island, a subtle reference to Pinocchio, where they smoke, drink, and play, but they never come back'as boys. Each holds a secret, each is deeply in love with the other; neither is willing to jeopardize their bond by overstepping the boundaries of their friendship. The use of repetition as a literary device in this particular story was brilliant, influencing the tone of the piece perfectly.

GRINDR is another standout tale, a ghost story for the 21st century; it is the story of a man who loses his lover in a car crash. It is a tale that illuminates the difference between what it means to exist and what it means to live. GRINDR is an iPhone application that uses geolocation to alert users of other gay or bisexual men in their vicinity. James receives a GRINDR alert, one that should not be possible, one that comes from beyond the grave from his deceased lover Robbie. The subsequent messages send James on a journey of remembrance to places that held an emotional connection for the couple. The final destination, one that is unfamiliar to James, becomes a last wish, a reminder for James to go on living.

Lucretia Undone is the concise (just four short pages) but haunting tale of a sixteen year old girl attempting to come to terms with her sexuality. An experiment that goes horribly wrong awakens long buried memories, memories that cause her to question her attraction to other girls, to reason that she was created to desire girls through horrific circumstances rather than by nature. The story is pervaded by an overwhelming sense of anguish, both heartrending and tragic in its simplicity.

The Hiker is a story that weaves romance with the macabre; Harvest is a dark fantasy; Numbers is a story written in non-linear fashion, arranged in a series of short but effective sentences to heighten its dramatic impact.

I could go on and on, pointing out something brilliant within each of the stories included in this book which makes that particular tale unique and compelling, as each is impacting in its own way. As this review is entirely too long, however, I'll close with the final three stories: Xander & Hephaestion, which borrows from the history of the close friendship, some speculate a deeper bond, between Hephaestion and Alexander the Great. It is the story of a man who has discovered the secret to eternal youth, and of his deceased lover who chooses to follow life's course to its natural end. It is tale that contrasts the eternal boy with his shadow, the aged man, and is done so with finesse.

Narcissus is an invective discourse on the contemporary obsession with youth and beauty, written in the form of a screenplay of sorts, giving direction to Dr. Alex Mandara's descent into madness; and Puer Aeternus'the eternal boy, fitting that if follows both Xander's and Alex's stories, as the narcissist and the eternal adolescent are often one and the same.

While I would never go so far as to presume every reader would share my reaction to Shadowlands and the impressive way in which Charlie David delivers each of his expositions of the human condition, I would not hesitate to say that the book will be on my list of this year's outstanding reads.

Reviewed By: Lisa

I had no idea what to expect when I ordered this book but when I opened it for the first time last night and read the first short story, I was captivated. Then I read the second, and I couldn't wait to read the rest of the book. I took it with me everywhere I went today and finally finished it late in the evening. What a wonderful writer this is!

None of the stories would qualify as the traditional, formulaic gay romance kind of thing, that's for sure. Most have a strong component of the supernatural or paranormal but then this is a modern retelling of some of the great myths of old. And while not every short story will be to everyone's liking, there are some amazingly powerful ones in this mix. For example, the second story, 'October 12', is a perfect jewel, with a completely new take on an old, familiar scenario between two best friends. I loved it. Few words. Lots of meaning. Beautifully done!

Another story, entitled 'Grindr', brought me to tears. Perhaps it was partly the setting, all of my own familiar neighbourhoods in Vancouver, or more likely it was the theme of a lover lost through death that rang so true. Again, the writer brought a fresh and completely unexpected point of view to the familiar story. Many of us have had our lives shattered when a partner dies. My own scars were still fresh even after more than three years so while I was deeply moved by this story, it wasn't necessarily pleasant to have those feelings brought back up again. Still, this is another perfect jewel of a tale and I'll read it again and again.

'Lucretia Undone' was very sad, especially since what was described so poignantly is something that happens all too often in our cities and towns. My heart went out to the character and I hoped right to the end....

In 'The Hiker' we see a familiar situation that I've encountered in books by several other authors but, again, this is an interesting, fresh look at an old fantasy. I have a minor quibble with the French that one character uses and would suggest that he'd be more likely to say, "Y a rien", instead of "C'est rien" and "Y fait froid" instead of "C'est froid" but those are minor. The characters are so real that the fantasy seems almost real as well. Excellent!

"Harvest" was a sinister retelling of the old scarecrow myth, a version that I found very dark and foreboding. I'm not sure I'd ever go into a field at night after reading that story.

The chapter headed as 'Numbers' turned out to be a collection of poetry. It left me pretty cold but I've always preferred prose to poetry so that's no criticism of the poems per se. I zipped through those 22 pages very quickly and wouldn't have missed them if they'd not been included.

In 'Xander & Hephaestian' we see a slightly different version of another myth, similar to the earlier 'Grindr' in some ways. Again there is a strong feeling of desolation and hopelessness at the beginning but the author shows us all the way to moving on after we've been affected by a great personal loss.

'Narcissus' is a true extreme horror story, written in movie script format. There were a couple of places where an editor would have been welcome, e.g. in the following directions: 'Insert of syringe drawing liquid from a small vile" (sic). I laughed out loud at that one. But the rest of the story was definitely no laughing matter. I think that it needs a strong stomach to get through parts of it but that's the appeal of a good horror tale, of course.

A few minor niggles and editor's oversights apart, I loved this book. There were several stories I did not mention in this review but I've hit on the major ones that had an impact on me. As soon as I'd finished this book I immediately searched for more titles by this author and found several that I'll order next week. And speaking of other titles, at the end of this book we are treated to a teaser chapter from the author's upcoming novel 'Boys of Montgomery'. That book is scheduled for publication in spring 2011 and is one that I'll definitely be buying.

I recommend 'Shadowlands' and have no doubt it deserves a full 5 star rating. But don't expect light fluffy feel-good stories. This is heavy stuff and will make you think, and quite possibly shed a few tears along the way.

I absolutely LOVED that book, the writing is excellent, stories are all interesting and have that paranormal touch I love so much ^^
I have a soft spot for "Pygmalion Revisited" and "The Harvest"
For those who know Charlie David, you can learn lots of stuff under the lines of that book, he put lots of himself in each stories. Style is great, easy to read but absolutely not cheap if you see what I mean, it's the contrary, Charlie's style is deep and beautiful, and I really can't wait to read his next novel (there is a preview at the end of Shadowlands)
A must to have in your library, go buy it, you won't be disappointed !