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A review by brennanlafaro
We Live Inside Your Eyes by Kealan Patrick Burke
5.0
4.5/5 Stars rounded for Goodreads.
When attempting to get acquainted with a new author, I like to try a collection of short fiction. Thus begins my introduction to Mr. Kealan Patrick Burke.
We Live Inside Your Eyes is bookended with a prologue and epilogue vaguely tying together the eleven works we are about to read in a way mildly reminiscent of Clive Barker's Books of Blood. We are then jettisoned into The Land of Sunshine, most notable to me because of how it gives a glimpse of what to expect from Burke's prose. These stories read as though every single choice of word and the construction of every sentence is agonized over. There is an essence of extreme fine tuning to these works that is not always visible in a finished product.
Our visits to a variety of different worlds and settings are consistently bleak. Burke excels in creating an atmosphere of dread regardless of whether he's telling us about a man who comes to covered in someone else's blood as is the case in Traveler, or a boy setting out to retrieve his father from the pub in Sanctuary. Burke paints us gritty pictures of life, made all the more terrifying when sometimes there isn't something supernatural lurking around the corner. It's the ever present darkness in the world we inhabit that makes for the antagonist.
One of my favorites from the collection is the previously mentioned Traveler, which goes in some wild directions after the synopsis listed above. A Wicked Thirst is a cut above the rest and comes in as one of the strongest short piece offered within. It's a terrific rendition of man haunted by the demons of his past. Also of note is Down Here with Us. Even in my brief time spent with Mr. Burke, it surprised me to enter into a fantasy story, but it is imbued throughout with a similar dark nature to its more realistic counterparts. Without revisiting every story in great detail, I have to also mention Go Warily After Dark and You Have Nothing to Fear From Me as things to look forward to should you find yourself picking this book up.
The House on Abigail Lane gets a special mention as the main attraction of sorts for this collection. We conclude with a 60-ish page take from Burke on the haunted house. The presentation is the star of the story as we are treated to what reads as a non-fiction account of the disappearances and strange happenings surrounding this house from 1956 to the present. In no way is it a standard haunting and the scenes presented to us from the second floor range from desolate to nightmare fuel to confusing and mysterious. As self-contained as this story is, if Burke decides to expand on the mythology of the Sunflower God, I'll stake myself out a spot at the front of the line.
There were certainly some entries here that were more entertaining than others, but every piece works in its own capacity. They offer their own unique viewpoints and I would advise against skipping any. For those that like author's notes presented with the story, and I do, they are short, insightful, and add a bit to each piece. I will visiting the literary vistas created by this author again very soon.
When attempting to get acquainted with a new author, I like to try a collection of short fiction. Thus begins my introduction to Mr. Kealan Patrick Burke.
We Live Inside Your Eyes is bookended with a prologue and epilogue vaguely tying together the eleven works we are about to read in a way mildly reminiscent of Clive Barker's Books of Blood. We are then jettisoned into The Land of Sunshine, most notable to me because of how it gives a glimpse of what to expect from Burke's prose. These stories read as though every single choice of word and the construction of every sentence is agonized over. There is an essence of extreme fine tuning to these works that is not always visible in a finished product.
Our visits to a variety of different worlds and settings are consistently bleak. Burke excels in creating an atmosphere of dread regardless of whether he's telling us about a man who comes to covered in someone else's blood as is the case in Traveler, or a boy setting out to retrieve his father from the pub in Sanctuary. Burke paints us gritty pictures of life, made all the more terrifying when sometimes there isn't something supernatural lurking around the corner. It's the ever present darkness in the world we inhabit that makes for the antagonist.
One of my favorites from the collection is the previously mentioned Traveler, which goes in some wild directions after the synopsis listed above. A Wicked Thirst is a cut above the rest and comes in as one of the strongest short piece offered within. It's a terrific rendition of man haunted by the demons of his past. Also of note is Down Here with Us. Even in my brief time spent with Mr. Burke, it surprised me to enter into a fantasy story, but it is imbued throughout with a similar dark nature to its more realistic counterparts. Without revisiting every story in great detail, I have to also mention Go Warily After Dark and You Have Nothing to Fear From Me as things to look forward to should you find yourself picking this book up.
The House on Abigail Lane gets a special mention as the main attraction of sorts for this collection. We conclude with a 60-ish page take from Burke on the haunted house. The presentation is the star of the story as we are treated to what reads as a non-fiction account of the disappearances and strange happenings surrounding this house from 1956 to the present. In no way is it a standard haunting and the scenes presented to us from the second floor range from desolate to nightmare fuel to confusing and mysterious. As self-contained as this story is, if Burke decides to expand on the mythology of the Sunflower God, I'll stake myself out a spot at the front of the line.
There were certainly some entries here that were more entertaining than others, but every piece works in its own capacity. They offer their own unique viewpoints and I would advise against skipping any. For those that like author's notes presented with the story, and I do, they are short, insightful, and add a bit to each piece. I will visiting the literary vistas created by this author again very soon.