A Dirge for the Temporal

Rating:
Summary: Subtle, haunting, and prolific
Review: What is a Dirge? It is a lingering sense of supernatural, the mystical, and mixed with a bevy of fear and excitement, seen in only half exposure. A Dirge for the Temporal encompasses these meanings and treats us to a blend of subtle temptation and brutal beauty. Thirty-four stories take us through a poignant mind's eye of gifted author Darren Speegle.

Forget formulas here, it is a time travel of past, present, and future, fused in a collection, where you have to question whether you are the character or the reader. While I wouldn't mind telling you a little about each story, I think it best to let you go on your own journey. From this vast collection, I will recount the ones that most intrigued me.

I drifted in and out with "September", caught up in the subtle references to name and places. It has a unique voice and rhythm to read by. The context of the story is like a puzzle, and once put together leaves you in awe.

"Illusions of Amber" had me engrossed. It's a story to pay attention to and yet become lost in. A sense of strange inhabits the desolate town of Amber, Indiana, but is it safe to stay in Room One at the Traveler's Lodge?

"The Smell of Sex" is like an ethereal moment where it would appear time has stopped. It caresses you in, with incredible character development, and imagery, only to leave you cold and wanting more.

To read the story "A Dirge for the Temporal" is to be caught in the middle of a dream and a nightmare. The author's voice speaks in languid motions, bringing you in, taunting you close, and then drifting away for you to decide what you come away with. It's hauntingly sweet and yet disturbing.

In a "Nasty Set of Circumstances", the character feels the girl he is seeing is sucking the life out of him. He believes she keeps him in a perpetual state of apprehension, and questions who holds the power in the relationship. If he had the opportunity, what would he do to change it?

"The Day it Rained Apricots" left me with a smile. It is a blend of mood and tone; mixed with history and visual bliss. A competition among bakers in a small village in Bavaria, serves up an interesting twist.

"Junkyard Fetish" is a hardcore, bloodthirsty tale that is one of my absolute favorites. I loved the dialogue, the flow of the story, the characters, and the element of "the game".

"Mousse" reminds me of a smooth tawny port at the end of the day, it definitely tastes like another.

And finally "Dandelion Girl" rounds out my favorites, for its sweet, sentimental, and subtle descent into questioning the nature of evil. Appearances can be deceiving, and leave a bittersweet taste in the air. I liked the whimsical poetic path it took me on and the feeling I was left with in the end.

Atmosphere and imagery run amok in these stories. You don't just read about the places, you experience them, the people, and the entities that inhabit them. Daren Speegle has the ability to capture your soul, and slowly release it back to you, with merely a few scars. It's more than worth the read, it's worth the euphoria your mind senses when you've turned the last page.