Bret James Stewart

Tales From Transylvania Bret James Stewart

A person is not readily-definable by one descriptor or limited to a false label based upon his preferences. Neither is this collection. Magical realism, supernatural, horror, psychological terror, dark fantasy, high fantasy, religious, social commentary, literary realism, and humour can all be used to describe the works in this compilation, but one such label will always fall short of the essence of existence these stories represent. The entirety of life with all its glory and vagaries is the goal of these tales, welded together in a mosaic of life and death that defines what it means to be human. At some point in their lives, most people have brushed against the odd, the macabre, or the unexplained. These experiences leave those involved grateful to be alive, morbidly curious, shattered emotionally, or dead-but it never leaves them unchanged. Most of the stories contained in Tales from Transylvania depict such occurrences. In dreamscape versions of familiar settings, good and evil vampires, deadly wizards, brooding faeries, ghosts, other horrors, and the boundless recesses of the human mind all demonstrate that, more often than not, things are not what they seem. These illusions often crumble with devastating consequences for those involved. These tales, set in recognizable settings, seem even stranger than they would in an unknown setting. Terror and despair, though, are not the whole of life, and they are not the sum of this collection. Relationships, time, and the divine are inseparable from the human condition, so they have a place herein. Humour is also present because it is a vital part of existence. Tales from Transylvania touches on a number of themes and genres, and should appeal to a wide variety of readers.