The Admonishments of Kherishdar (Paperback)

~ M.C.A. Hogarth (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In Kherishdar, when a person commits a crime, they become their sin.... Suicide. Rape. Child Abuse. Addiction. Twenty-five crimes. Twenty-five stories. Twenty-five narrators... and one minister over them all, to judge, convict and Correct the faulty: the priest who serves Shame. This companion volume to The Aphorisms of Kherishdar explores the wayward and their journey back to society, offering another glimpse into the Ai-Naidari culture. A darker, more difficult glimpse-- Without Shame, there is no Civilization.

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (May 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442145080
• ISBN-13: 978-1442145085
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,360,201 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take your time with this one., May 18, 2009

By	J. Gibbons (Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hogarth has a tendency to pack a startling amount of depth into her short stories, and this is no exception. Each exposition brings new insight into the Ai-Naidari, both into their society and their work to help overcome and correct the flaws of individuals inside of it. This stark look into an alien culture not only shows the talent and passion that the author has for her work, it also gives the reader a counterpoint that allows one to hold up their own ideals of right, wrong, and compassion for contemplation. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys stories with strong characterization.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Admonishments of Kerishdar will bring you back again and again., August 10, 2009

By	Kara Cox "Deyaniera" (Tallahassee, FL) - See all my reviews

The Admonishments of Kerishdar is a companion book to Hogarth's incredibly unique novel Aphorisms of Kerishdar. It is a collection of flash fiction centered around an alien world called Kerishdar, inhabited by the Ai-Naidiri. Each story centers around one word in the aliens' language, but is part of a larger tale, that of Shame, servant of the Emperor of that world and the punisher of those who commit sins in that world. Shame stands alone in the world in order to correct those Ai-Naidiri who cannot be corrected by their families and loved ones to maintain the strictly regimented social hierarchy that the Ai-Naidar live within. Though these stories carry Shame's thread through them, they are told from the individual points of view of the Ai-Naidar who live the sins that he must correct, to restore balance to their society. Thus, we see and feel the corrections from their points of view, yet we see Shame throughout, and develop a relationship with him, despite the one-step-removed point of view.

The Admonishments of Kerishdar contains more of M. C. A. Hogarth's beautiful illustrations, which illuminate the text and add an element of beauty and softness to these rather harsh stories. Each story brings a new and different character for us to get to know in a tiny amount of text, yet we are swiftly brought to sympathy for them and shown how they can either be redeemed--or not. And a few of the characters cannot be redeemed, which is a tragedy that Shame must bear.

The book's strengths lie in its determination to make you think, to allow you to take away from it your own individual conclusions. The book does not drag you to any particular ending point, but rather allows you to think, to savor the story and its lyrical language, and pull your own conclusion from your well of experience. It is beautiful but very uncomfortable, and does not make for easy reading, but despite its discomfiting topics is well worth it.

The Admonishments of Kerishdar is an uncomfortable book, but it is one I have come back to again and again to reread and consider the stories both individually and overall. It is that very rereadability that makes me recommend it so very highly to everyone. Read, ponder, and enjoy these stories. I give it 5 of 5 stars, and think everyone should pick up this unique book.