The latest issue of Black Static has a review of Dead Red Heart, the anthology in which my story “Such Is Life” appears. The reviewer has words for every story, including mine, thus:
“‘Such Is Life’ by Jeremy Sadler is the first of two stories to give a vampire twist to the tale of outlaw Ned Kelly. In this one Kelly is a vampire, tricking another vampire to escape with his life, the story engaging enough, but with nothing much to add to vampire mythology.”
True enough, I guess; I’ve never found myself to be a “deep” writer. Though I am concerned that the reviewer completely missed what the protaganist of my story actually is – he’s not another vampire, though I can see how that thought may arise. Was that my fault as the writer, or did the reviewer just not grasp it? I guess when you’re reading so many stories (and not translating phrases written in Latin) you can miss such details.
Personally I prefer Mario Guslandi’s review on SFsite.com:
“In Jeremy Sadler’s “Such Is Life”, a disquieting tale full of chiaroscuro literary effects, the Ned Kelly myth blends with the vampire canon.”
Mario Guslandi
It’s nice to learn a new word and be pleased by its meaning:
These reviews just go to show how different people can view the same piece of work so differently. Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder.