Review of The Conjurer and Other Azorean Tales

[Alexander C Schmoock]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Conjurer and Other Azorean Tales" by Darrell Kastin.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Conjurer and Other Azorean Tales by Darrell Kastin is a book consisting of a collection of seemingly interrelated short stories with characters from different home backgrounds but the same location, The Island of Pico in the Azores. The stories range from blind painters and giant men to stories about dresses that moved like living, breathing Italian dancers. We are told the story of a dying man with an unshakable resolve to climb the unconquerable Mountain Pico, despite everyone’s warnings of the dangers involved. He was approaching the end of his life, and if anything, that would be his final act. It wasn’t an easy journey, but he would put everything he had into it. Another story detailed the life of a man obsessed with the beautiful dress of a prestigious lady in the town. It is almost a love story, if not one. You can tell the author is a fan of poetry and elegant prose from his writing; he has a unique style to his stroke.
 
I love how the chapters of the book each hold a story with its own plot and separate characters, but as you read through the chapters, you find characters from former chapters intersecting and getting involved in new chapters, even if only with minor roles. That was very unique, making it some sort of game to recognize the characters from other chapters and what particular chapter they were from while reading. Also, figuring out how they would impact the story and trying to understand how they related to the new chapters was a fun exercise as well. The tales themselves were as interesting as they come. This book was definitely an exciting read with plot twists that you wouldn’t expect, though they weren’t as effective as they would have been if each story was given more time to flesh itself out. The font style for the chapter titles was very appealing, and I looked forward to new chapters, wondering what interesting title I would find next. Lastly, I liked that the book was exceptionally well edited.
 
A big negative for me was how rushed some of the stories felt. I get the idea that they were meant to be short stories, but some of them felt way too short. Towards the ending parts of the book, they felt like summaries of some characters’ lives rather than short stories, but they were still fun reads nevertheless. Most of the issues I had while reading this book were in relation to the pacing of the book. Some chapters were longer than others and felt dragged out, like the chapter about Constança’s War, while some felt very short, and I couldn’t get so much from them.
 
I would find it really difficult to believe the author hasn’t tried his hands on poetry before. I really enjoyed reading his writing style, which was simple and straightforward. He also knew how to use his words and articulate sentences and phrases that felt like lines from a poem. This book is deserving of a 4 out of 5 stars rating. I struck out a star because of the points in the negative aspect section of this review.

Lovers of short stories with a poetic feel will enjoy The Conjurer and Other Azorean Tales. The lessons in each chapter are timeless and will prove valuable to the readers.  

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The Conjurer and Other Azorean Tales
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[Edwardsjay]

Despite the shortcomings mentioned, I want to read this book as I'm to know how it ended. Nice review.

[Mhiz Vyi Vyan]

I love reading interrelated stories, I find them interesting and enjoyable. Thank you for a well written review.