Prayers to Broken Stones (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I loved my mother very much..." (more)
Key Phrases: cancer vampires, hawking mat, motile isles, Brother Freddy, Vanni Fucci, Captain Montgomery (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Thirteen tales of science fiction by the author of Hyperion, Phases of Gravity, and Carrion Comfort feature a woman returning from the dead, a medieval ritual of terror, and a post-apocalyptic Christmas. Reprint.

From the Publisher

A woman returns from the dead with disastrous results for the family who lovesher.... An old-fashioned barbershop is the site of a medieval ritual of bloodyterror.... During a post-apocalyptic Christmas celebration, a messenger fromthe South brings tidings of great horror.... From a ghostly Civil Warbattlefield to a combat theme park in Vietnam, from the omnipotent brain of anautistic boy to a shocking story of psychic vampires, journey into a world offear and mystery, a chilling twilight zone of the mind.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 403 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (April 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553296655
• ISBN-13: 978-0553296655
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #242,223 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice variety, September 22, 2002

By	Glenn McDorman (Denver) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Prayers to Broken Stones (Hardcover)

Although this is mainly a collection of Simmons's early horror work, there is an astonishing amount of variety. There are classic ghost and vampire stories, science fiction horror pieces, science fiction work, and a few stories which defy categorization. As a whole the collection is fun, with the author's introductions as interesting and entertaining as the stories themselves. Each story is well written and enjoyable to read. If you've been disappointed with much of Simmons's recent work, you won't be with this collection.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Adequate Collection; Evolution of Simmons Into Novelist, June 19, 2005

By	Eiji Hirai (San Mateo, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've read and have been impressed with Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos and Carrion Comfort, and wanted to explore his short stories to see if they were up to his novel's quality.

Unfortunately, the short stories are mostly from his earlier years and aren't really up to the incredibly high standards he's set for himself with the Hyperion series, Carrion Comfort and other novels.

The stories are adequate, but none of them really stick in the mind after a while. If they were from any other author, I would say there "good" though not excellent, but knowing Simmons, I'd rate them as "just ok". Some of the stories seem to be more concerned with hammering the reader with the "message" rather than telling a good yarn. This is most evident when his rant (err, story) against televangelists. I agree with Simmons viewpoints, but didn't care much for the story.

However, this collection does offer some interesting glimpses into his novels. First, "Remembering Siri" is word for word, a chapter in his later Hyperion novel, and this is where it started. Second, "Carrion Comfort" is probably the best short story in the collection (and hence, the last story in the collection) and this forms the first chapter of Carrion Comfort, the novel. Again, this is where it started. Third, "Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams" forms the basis of his later novel The Hollow Man, with exactly the same characters and premise. You can also see his fascination with the US space program in "Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds", which was marred by getting the "message" across at the expense of storytelling. He explores the US space program from a different angle later on his novel Phases of Gravity. Lastly, there is a "story within a story" in "The Death of a Centaur" about a teacher telling kids a fantasy story. The story involves Raul (err, Raoul Endymion) guiding an unlikely band of characters to save the universe, battling the Shrike (yes the Shrike) and Wizards (err, The Pax) who are out to get them. The story is, well, standard fantasy fare, but it's interesting to note that he uses this story as a basis of his later Endymion novel.

So this collection is interesting if you're interested in "forensic" analysis of where some of his later great novels came from, but as storytelling tales in themselves, they're ok, not great. Having read both his novels and short stories, I recommend reading more of his novels before plunging into his weaker short stories.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great short fiction, October 26, 1998

By	Doug Mitchell (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

If you're not in the mood to sit and read an entire novel, Dan Simmons' short stories are a great way to pass time. He is a very gifted writer and I have read everything he has written. I especially liked "The River Styx Runs Upstream", and "Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell." The former a horror story along the lines of Stephen King and the later hilarious. Also included is the novella to Carrion Comfort which, in novel form, one of the best horror novels ever written. I recommend anything and everything by him, especially the Hyperion novels, Summer of Night, and Carrion Comfort.