Visions of the Moonchild And Other Strange Tales
Visions of the Moonchild And Other Strange Tales is the newest collection of short stories by Jeb R. Sherrill. Order it here at https://www.jebrsherrill.com/product/visions-of-the-moonchild/3?cs=true&cst=custom
I never used to be a fan of science fiction and fantasy but as I’ve gotten older this genre appeals to me more. I blame Ray Bradbury and Ursala K. LeGuinn for this.
I am a fan of Jeb Sherrill’s work (his novel Storm Dreams is great), and this is a wonderful collection. It is quite a variety of stories. Some very serious and creepy. Others full of disfunctional characters and quite funny.
The first sentence in Cupa’ Joe is “It had been a half an hour since death and we still hadn’t been seated.” You quickly find out that the narrator has died and gone to Denny’s. It appears that an afterlife Denny’s is pretty damn similar to the ones that exist here on earth. Good luck getting service in the afterlife.
When I first read The Mummy Thief, I was absolutely blown away. The main character is someone who has “lived” for centuries and is tired and world weary. His senses are still sharp but he is ready to stop. Reading this story he is so “human” with so many traits that we can identify with and yet in habits a whole different wprld than we do. I found myself having so much sympathy for him even if his reason for being is not necessarily a good one.
In Garage, Black Friday, and Toilet Paper Jesus we are introduced to one of the funniest dysfunctional families I’ve ever encountered, dealing with holiday sales, putting up decorations, and hoarding toilet paper. I want to see more of these characters.
All of the stories in this book feel original. As I journeyed through this strange world I was always surprised where they ended up, but in Jeb’s stories it always made sense where we ended up.
I could go on about this book and Jeb’s writing but I think it’s better to recommend it to others so hopefully at some point we can sit down over a glass of wine and talk about it after you’ve read it.
It’s very imaginative and a fun and/or creepy read depending on the story.
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