Available now from Double Dragon E-Books
Shadows of the Rose
A Book of Tales
by
Annette Gisby
Twelve tales to delight, terrify and entertain you.
Here is just a taster to whet your appetite:
A witch hunter who is not as he first appears...
A dark future where family planning is controlled by the state and making love is illegal...
Aliens have discovered the cure for most diseases, except for the one you have...
Megan thinks a haunted guitar would make an interesting birthday present...
A lover’s tryst, but something is not quite right...
What’s that, there in the shadows of the rose?
Praise for the book:
Shadows of the Rose by Annette Gisby
Reviewed by Karen
Mueller Bryson, author of Hey
Dorothy You're Not in Kansas
Anymore and Where is Wonderland Anyway
Shadows of the Rose by Annette Gisby is an eclectic collection of
short stories that is sure to delight readers. Gisby uniquely
blends elements of suspense, romance, mystery and eroticism
providing readers with extremely satisfying tales. Like the
Twilight Zone or Tales from the Crypt, each of Gisby's stories
has a surprise ending with an interesting twist.
The thing that impressed me the most about Gisby's writing,
though, was the strong female characters that populate her work.
Whether she's writing about a spaceship pilot, as in "Free
Falling"; a witch, as in "The Witch Hunter"; a
psychiatric patient, as in "The Serpent's Kiss"; or a
wife shopping for her husband's holiday gift, as in
"Christmas Shopping for the Man Who Has
Everything", Gisby manages to create highly memorable women
with whom readers can relate. I was also impressed with Gisby's
ability to successfully integrate romance and eroticism into her
suspense stories. This is indeed an art that, at the hands of a
less skilled writer, might appear awkward or forced. Gisby
manages the task with ease and grace.
Shadows of the Rose is a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining
collection that I highly recommend!
REVIEW BY NINA OSIER
SHADOWS OF THE ROSE
by Annette Gisby
coming from Double Dragon in September 2002
I'm not fond of short stories, but every now and then I come
across a writer who handles this format so well
that my enjoyment surprises me. Annette Gisby is such a
writer, because her soon-to-be-released collection
of suspense tales (whose endings I could NOT see coming the
proverbial "mile away") had me gulping it down in a
single evening.
Most of the tales, like opener "Emily's Angel," run
between 1,000 and 2,000 words. Their settings vary from
contemporary England, to the 17th Century, to the future on Earth
and in space. The closing story, a paranormal romance
entitled "Leonae," reaches the lower limits of novella
length without giving the reader any sense that it's gone on too
long.
My personal favorite from this collection, "Witch
Hunter," opens in a 17th Century dungeon. Katherine, a
young noblewoman without male relatives to protect her, is
confined there under horrific conditions-supposedly for
practicing the black arts. In reality, her crime is refusing Sir
Robert's marriage proposal. Sir Robert (a man whom no woman
with a choice would be likely to accept!) sends for the noted
"witch hunter" Lord William Alden, even after
Katherine's herbal healing skills have saved his life, so that he
can force her to stand trial by ordeal. Lady Katherine is
doomed, like so many other women of her era, to die by the means
she has always feared most... and more than that, I wouldn't
dream of telling you.
The writing in these tales is frank. I found its handling
of sensitive subjects (both positive-a few sensual love scenes,
and negative-the aftereffects of rape) appropriate, and the
scenes themselves not at all gratuitous. If you enjoy
irony, and strong
heroines whose lives you can live right along with them as you
read, then I heartily recommend "Shadows of the Rose."
© July 21, 2002 by Nina M. Osier, author of
"Interphase," "Regs," "The Way to
Freedom," and other sci-fi and mainstream novels
(http://www.geocities.com/nina_osier).
REVIEWED BY LORI ENOS, AUTHOR OF THE PORTABLE COACH
Annette Gisby has created a multitude of fantastic worlds in her book of short stories, Shadows of the Rose. The writing is suburb and flows so effortlessly that you are drawn into the stories and hooked before you know it.
Although the stories may be short, Ms. Gisby's characters are exquisitely created and fully developed to the point that you could imagine inviting some of the more sympathetic characters over for dinner.
The stories that comprise Shadows of the Rose take place in a variety of settings--from medieval times to a hi-tech, almost cyborgic future-but each draws you in and creates a tantalizing, and very realistic universe, that is yours to escape to when you need a break from real life.
One thing all of Ms. Gisby's stories have in common is a little twist of plot at the end that makes you go, "Ah, I never would have thought of that."
Ms Gisby is a truly talented writer who, when discovered, will give the great authors of our time a run for their money.
REVIEW BY TIM MILLER, AUTHOR OF WITHOUT A TRACE
Shadows of the Rose is a collection of short tales by Annette Gisby in which she takes the reader on a journey like no other.
From medieval witch trials, to futuristic methods of reproducing, each story is a trip to a different time and place.
Each tale has its own little twist landing you somewhere you'd never expect to be. Ms. Gisby showcases her talents brilliantly in Shadows of the Rose and I look forward to seeing more from her.
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