Customer Reviews

Setting Suns

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This anthology contains one of the finest stories I have ever read, "Sisyphus". If O. Henry and Steven King had collaborated on a love story, this is what they would have written.

I read "Sisyphus" two days ago, and the little hairs are still standing on the back of my neck.

I look forward to reading the rest of the stories in Setting Suns!

One of the things I like best about this anthology is its range; it covers several genres and there seems to be a story or two for everyone in the mix. Like a few other reviewers I really enjoyed "Sisyphus", but I'm also partial to the far different themes of "The Puzzle" and "Symphony of the Woods". I have read few books as quickly as this one and several tales I will read over again, just in case I missed some small detail.

The author is very open and honest with the reader, giving us a glimpse at what helped set each story in motion. More authors should do this. No need to guess what she was thinking - she tells you at the end of each account, and in doing so she makes the stories seem much more real. It's almost as though the author was writing for her close friends, and once you pick up the book you find yourself drawn into that select group, and by flipping through the pages you open the secrets only a few others know.

Another author to add to the list - now I can't wait until she publishes something else.

"Evocative" is a terribly over-used word, but it's all I can come up with to describe "Setting Suns". Elizabeth's writing is clear and concise, mixing the normal with the macabre, throwing Rod Serling against a 2006 backdrop and letting the strangeness flow.

I enjoyed all the stories, but "Symphony Of the Woods" is closest to my heart. It talks about a time - puberty - most of us would like to forget. I swallowed back tears reading it, because I saw in print a little piece of truth about my own childhood.

Keep an eye on this author.

Having read Ms. Donald's first two published works, I knew that she could write about the supernatural and the physical without going over the line into cliche. Now this collection of stories shows that she has even more range. She delves into the human psyche to find not only what's on the surface of their relationships, but the hidden secrets and pasts that make the characters tick. "Sisyphus" alone is worth the price for this book - it's the ultimate tortured love story, times 10. If you want to read stories that stick in your head for days to come, this book is for you.

Never has a collection of short stories made such a lasting impression in my mind. The terrible hopeless hope of Sisyphus, the deadly quiet of Silent and the murderous insanity of Memory Lane mix with the camraderie of The Gauntlet, the selfless sacrifice of Our Turn and the myriad of other emotions and situations of the other tales to make a book that spans the gamut of things we fear as humans.

Unlike other suspense/horror stories I've read, these don't rely on the "slash-em-up" blood type themes to terrify readers. Elizabeth instead uses the small niggling things hiding deep in our minds that none of us likes to think about to bring her tales to terrifying life.

This book is a definite must read for anybody who likes suspense or horror fiction. We all need to keep our eyes open for future works from Elizabeth Donald - I have a feeling Setting Suns is but a tantalizing glimpse of what she has to offer.

Elizabeth Donald's collection of short stories rather deliciously makes a point against the adage that shining a light on our fears makes them go away.

What I liked (??) about this collection is that some of the stories ["Gauntlet," "Memoir," and "Our Turn" from her first (unpublished) novel, Sanctuary] touched the fears hidden within my own soul. Growing up when I did (early cold war), I have a latent fear of the "enemy" attacking. The enemy in these stories is as unknown as the one I feared as a child, and perhaps more worthy of fear. The fear is the same, though not as buried.

Another story that I particularly liked was "Symphony of the Woods." The young heroine of this story has a lovely ability that is apparently both her burden and her salvation.

"Wonderland" takes a look, with a classic science fiction stance, at the fear many have of any new technology -- even some of us who embrace it.

Each of these fifteen stories held my attention and even compelled me to continue. I appreciated the diversity of stories -- from present day psychological tensions to futuristic science fiction, with a dash of fantasy, and not a little adventure.

This is dim sum of Elizabeth Donald--a little bit of everything, but not enough to satisfy your appetite. The stories inside leave one wanting more, especially those related to her "Sanctuary" universe.

"Memoir" left me with a melancholy feeling, and it's one of those stories that will remain with the reader for a long time. "Sisyphus" is a powerful piece, as is "Prisoner's Dilemma".

Ultimately, the one thing I take away from this collection is the power of love...it might lead to futility and death, but it's what keeps us going, whether giving us the power to save someone from a mad gunman, or simply to pack away a demonic, er, defective teddy bear. The only thing you won't like about this book is reaching the end.

Like her work in her vampire-related fiction (see NOCTURNE! OUT NOW!), Elizabeth Donald delves into the shadows of the human psyche and plucks out the darkest, squirmiest bits fit for the spookiest of campfire gatherings.

I had the priviledge of attending a reading of hers...and that warmly lit and cheerful room grew steadily colder, smaller, suffocating as she wove the tales of an unending horror of love, loss, and a terrifying car accident as well as a story of a submarine crew stranded at the bottom of the sea...but not alone.

If you want some well-crafted and shiver-worthy fiction that will invade your dreams and keep you glancing over your shoulder, get yourself a copy of SETTING SUNS!

In this book, Elizabeth Donald has penned some wonderful tales of horror and scifi. There is something in the book that can be enjoyed by any fan of dark tales and things that go bump in the night. My favorite stories in the book by far are 'Jesus Loves Me' and 'Memory Lane', two tales that hit close to home for me on several levels. If you are a fan of horror...you can't go wrong with getting a copy of this book. You won't be disappointed.

This collection of horror and SF short stories opens with a bang: "Sisyphus" is a time travel story that manages to be horrifying and brilliantly clever at the same time. It delivers a Twilight-Zone style punch that grabs the reader immediately, and it's a nice lead-in to the claustrophobia of "Deep Breathing" and the suburban creepiness of "Silent" and "Jesus Loves Me".

Elizabeth Donald delivers very strong characters and realistic situations, and plays to a wide range of fears from the moment-by-moment terror of a campus sniper attack to the global apocalypse of the stories from her alien-invasion series, "Sanctuary".

There are three Sanctuary stories here. "Our Turn" is a twist on Shirley Jackson's classic "The Lottery" involving a rather nasty arrangement that one village has made with the alien conquerors. "Gauntlet" is basically a running gunbattle and brawl that's good old-fashioned fun to read. My favorite of these, though, was "Memoir", which features a fascinating AI character and the opening moments of the alien attack on Earth.

Donald writes some great fight scenes, whether it's the deadly urban fighting in "Gauntlet" or the fight against the schoolyard bully in "Symphony of the Woods", the action scenes are crisp, visceral, and vividly described.

As a whole, this is a nice collection that showcases the range of the author's talent, and delivers a good variety of scares and thrills while it gets the reader thinking, and in some cases worrying a bit.