A fantastic collection of short stories by Jonathan Fesmire. Once more he displays his uncanny talent for creating characters ranging from the bizarre to the grotesque. This compilation contains twenty-two tales, including

Her Likeness
A gripping story of otherworldly criminal who have been locked into the form of stone statues. A naive young man and his friend release them from their prison only to have them wreak havoc and almost lose their own innocent lives.

Brotherly Curse
A mistrusting brother accuses his sibling of cursing a protective amulet and threatening the life of its owner. Only later does he realize that the cause of the curse is even closer to home than he thought.

L’Autre Margot
An imaginative tale of a wife and mother who drawn from herself a doppelganger, and uses her to help with child minding and chores. Reluctantly she is forced to realize that her double has a mind of her own and wants to be free.

Natalie Takes a Trip
This story tells of bizarre happenings in an old family home where a young woman is on vacation with her boyfriend. Some years before her twin sister’s boyfriend had a fatal accident in the house while using LSD. Now she finds he is in the house with them but is it his ghost or has she mistakenly taken a hallucinogen?

Inside Cards
An apprentice wizard finds he has a unique gift for divining cards. Gradually he realizes his deck is trying to tell him something; that his friend is about to do something rash that will put him into grave danger. The wizard uses the cards to help.

Mud Puppies
A wildly imaginative tale about a boy who has a unique gift. He is able to bring dead creatures back to life in miniature, made from mud. He embarks on a dog-killing rampage and keeps his miniatures in his bedroom where he intends to bait them with his stepfather. But his plans to kill the other man end up with a very unfortunate result.

The Legend of Merach
Merach has a wizard make him a pair of claws that imbue him with the life of those he kills. But the claws have an unfortunate side effect. They also trap the souls of his victims in his mind where they taunt him and torture him constantly. He returns to the wizard once more to beg for help, but what he does not realize is that there is only one way to quell his raging mind.

Some of the characters in this collection may already be familiar to readers who have already read Fesmire’s novel Children of Rhatlan. Fesmire’s stories are a refreshing change to the growing monotony of current fantasy fiction.


© 2004 by Corinna Underwood for Curled Up With a Good Book
http://www.curledup.com/

Sometimes, fantasy can become a bit monotonous. In fictional worlds where magic exists and everyone has amazing powers and the line between "good" and "evil" is always razor sharp... well, perfection gets tedious after awhile. That may just be why Fesmire's work is so refreshing; in the stories of Seeds Of Vision nobody's perfect and not all wizards are created equal.

The first story in the collection seems tailor-made for Tales From The Darkside or Amazing Stories. Laurence, a young man with too much time on his hands and far more money than he needs, and his best friend, Miranda, give magic a try and find themselves in over their heads. Miranda is a feisty woman who thinks on her feet, and is an extremely appealing character. Picture "Her Likeness" on the screen and see what I mean.

For a truly chilling villain, turn to "Mud Puppies." Herman Underwood is one of the most disturbing sociopaths to come along in quite awhile, and he just gets more horrifying as the story progresses. As much as I loathe pit bulls, I wouldn't wish Herman on a dog. Come to think of it, maybe they are perfect for each other.

"The Missing Half Of Irian" introduces Fesmire's intriguing concept of "duals." Irian and Oanya, you'll find, have a lot in common, especially when you consider the fact that they inhabit a single body. Of course, you wouldn't know it was the same body, unless they let the secret slip. This one body shape-shifts from a male to a female, depending on which person is in control. Oanya is the one in the dress and the missing half. Both are in danger.

If you're experiencing vampire deficiency, "Heather's Family" is there for you. This is not your average, glamourous undead story; this is more like the sobering reality of what would really happen to an average family with such a problem. No castles, no raven-haired temptresses in this picture, just a bare-roots existence and some difficult choices.

Of course, not all is intrigue and a war of powers. Seeds Of Vision offers plenty of comedy relief. Just looking at the title "Free-Loki.com," it's obvious that this is a naughtily playful look at a meeting of legend and life today. "Chasing Down Charlie" is a charming fantasy that will entertain plus is perfect to read to children. In fact, put Fesmire together with a talented artist, and there is a children's book in the making.

Comedy, action, sorcery -- it's a taste of everything fantasy can be. And it features characters that feel real, not perfect or all-powerful; people with talents and weakness -- just like us. The very best part may well be Fesmire's voice. He tells a story in a way that is so accessible, it feels as if he were there, telling you the story face-to-face.

He's waiting to tell you a story. Take a seat and listen.