Matt McAvoy Book Review

Valeri’s is a moody and particularly well written book.  His prose is eloquent and artistic, as he shares her intriguing tales of mystery, melancholy and perhaps macabre.  Despite a wide variety of genres, which seem to range from horror to sci-fi to historical fantasy, there is a common style throughout, and at times, as he moves from one narrative to the next, it becomes a little difficult to discern between them.  That said, each of these little anecdotes is a distinct work of art and character.

He is a gifted author, with a talent for atmosphere.  This collection of short stories is best read of an evening, ideally by candlelight, while fully immersed; in any other setting, the metaphorical and philosophical feel of it may be a touch more difficult to engage.  They deserve no less than to be absorbed and indulged, and to do that you really need to get onto the author’s wavelength, which can best be described on occasion as abstract.  I realized very quickly into the first tale that there was concentration and commitment required to optimize the full experience of this wonderful piece of work. 

There is a sense of the very old and the yet to come in this anthology; future and past combine, feeling like they converge continuously – of course, that observation is a subjective feeling, rather than a statement of fact relating to any particular aspect of Valeri’s writing; it is just how this book made me feel.  That said, the only common theme seems to be his melancholy style, which I liked a lot.  I may be wrong, but I did think that there were one or two returning elements in later stories, such as the dismembered hand and the half-buried man on the beach; it is difficult to tell if these were directly related, merely suggested by the author, or wholly in my imagination.  But I like that uncertainty; it felt to me like all part of the experience.  Difficult to choose a favourite of its many tales, though I admit I unashamedly have a taste for the darker.  Either way, whether dark or not so, there’s real promise in his work to come – I for one really look forward to reading it.  Valeri has his own unique style of prose, which runs seamlessly throughout the collection; it would be interesting to read feature-length fiction from him, though it is impossible to second guess what genre and story he might opt for in this format: a dystopian future sci-fi; a Le Fanu-esque Gothic horror; a medieval anti-fairytale?  Whatever he chose, I’m sure he would excel. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much, and I wish I’d perhaps taken more pleasure in the process of reading it generally: setting the environment, preparing my mood, etc. – though at least I now have the chance to advise potential new readers how best to enjoy Valeri’s writing.