Owl Goingback delves into the world of Native American verbal history where tales are woven to explain the past and speculate on the future. His writing harkens effortlessly to something in all of us that speaks to the understanding that the deepest truths are often told in the strangest of tales.
Tecachale
Tecachale is a simple tale told with the assured steps of a fine writer. The story seems comfortably familiar from the outset, like a story you were told as a child but had since forgotten, and is only made better by an excellent performance from Cathi Colas. It is written more as a cautionary tale than a horror story, and it could almost be suitable for a younger audience.
Last Man In Line
Two young men, inspired by a documentary on the American Civil War decide to visit Anderson National Park, but being young men they decide to sneak in to perform an initiation. Last Man In Line doesn’t present a tale you have not heard before, but it does provide a well-written story that still engages and entertains despite the well-trodden path it takes. Cathi Colas doesn’t have the same range to play with as she did with Tecachale, but she does a good job with what she has, as well as navigating a couple of information-dump moments with ease and performing the chracters gusto!
Animal Sounds
Animal Sounds is the least interesting story – so far – in the collection. Like the previous tales, it treads well-used ground, but unlike them, the payoff isn’t quite as satisfying. There is nothing bad about the story, though it does feel a little clichéd and inauthentic. Thankfully Cathi Colas does keep the listener interested with her delightful performance.
The Bride
A nice reading of a nice poem, though it seems misplaced in this collection. It feels a little like “filler”.
Spoils of War
More a significant nod to George Romero – by way of Fulci – than to anything Native American. It’s a good premise for a story marred by muddled execution, and a gradually more silly presentation of simplistic morality. This is also Cathi Colas’ least effective performance, but she doesn’t have a lot to work with.
Gaitor Bait
The best story of the collections so far. Gaitor Bait is about a person who falsely claims to be of Native American descent. It’s a good story, but it cannot be read without the reader’s mind wandering down paths the author probably didn’t intend. If you do decide to research Owl Goingback, read this story first.
Ashes
An odd few hundred words of “filler” that didn’t do anything for me.
Keeper of Souls
Another fine story about the invading Spanish and a Native American seer who is taken to aid the Spanish king. Besides the characters being little more than caricatures, the story is well-conceived and presented as a straightforward fantasy adventure tale with a rewarding finale.
Sealed With A Kiss
The most straightforward story of the collection. A man finds himself on a long road with a broken car, and while trying to get back home he encounters a woman while sheltering from a storm, but as the night wears on the storm becomes something far more sinister and the story transforms into a cautionary tale asking the reader to be careful what they wish for. There was nothing spectacular about Sealed With A Kiss, but it was well worth the time taken on it by this reader.
My Favourite Halloween Memory ( A True Story)
Another piece of “filler”, I didn’t see the point of this story. I think it’s meant as a bit of a joke that I simply didn’t get.
Grass Dancer (A Nebula Award Nominee for Best Short Story of the Year)
This is easily the best story of the collection, emotional and sure to sit with a reader long after they have finished reading. I did think that it overstayed its welcome a little, and it does underline its main message a little too enthusiastically, making me think that a little less might make for a stronger tale. Don’t be discouraged though, this story is worth the price of the book on its own, and you are certain to like it even more than I did.
Coyote Rage
I didn’t read this one. It’s the first two chapters of a book, and I’ve never really understood the interest in reading a bit of a book (or why publishers often include them as they have here). I’d rather wait and read the complete work.