Hildie at the Ghost Shore A Short Story eBook Paula Cappa
Download As PDF : Hildie at the Ghost Shore A Short Story eBook Paula Cappa 
We are in Old Belgium. Hildie the lace maker, Mistress of Runecraft, knows the secret spells of the runes from the wind-god Odin. When a mysterious old sailor visits her attic workroom, he requests a reading. Hildie agrees. During the casting of the runes, Hildie conjures the Ship of the Dead, Loki the trickster, and flame-eyed ravens. Who will survive this adventure in a land beyond the ghost shore?
Hildie at the Ghost Shore is a quiet little mystery ( Single) with a dash of Norse mythology evoking the magic of the Runes. This story was originally published at Fiction365.
Hildie at the Ghost Shore A Short Story eBook Paula Cappa
Although these are very short for both stories, it takes me to a different time and place-- Scandinavian, Nordic, Greenland, Viking territories--somewhere otherworldly, someplace other than here. The characters are interesting, the landscapes forbidding, and each story has a dash of beliefs in ancient God's and Times, told as if they are a foregone conclusion, completely believed, and accepted by the characters. Well-written.Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: Hildie at the Ghost Shore: A Short Story eBook: Paula Cappa: Kindle Store,ebook,Paula Cappa,Hildie at the Ghost Shore: A Short Story,FICTION Thrillers Supernatural,FICTION Short Stories
People also read other books :
- The Geometry and Physics of Knots Lezioni Lincee Michael Atiyah 9780511623868 Books
- BNSF Locomotive Directory 20112012 Paul Wester Paul K Withers 9781881411666 Books
- Parenting Your ADHD Child A Quick Guide With 20 Natural Strategies eBook Tania Kac
- The River and I John G Neihardt G P Putnam Sons 9781140622789 Books
- Abomination A Thrilling Young Adult Saga Swann Series Book 7 eBook Ryan Schow
Hildie at the Ghost Shore A Short Story eBook Paula Cappa Reviews
The author has a deft, light hand with words, evoking images that appeal to the senses. The story is heartfelt, using Norse legends as a framework.
At first I found the ending enigmatic, and think it might be more easily understood if there were some hint in the beginning that things are not as they seem. But this seems to be the writer's style, and makes the reader think.
Certainly a pleasure to read.
I'm a fan of stories that take an indirect path, layering myth and magic over a framework of mundane life. The title alone inspired me to pick this up, and it was a satisfying read. It meanders around Hildie, an isolated woman with a gift with lace (and some kind of magic), and the haunting landscape that she inhabits. The author transports you to this time and place with beautiful prose. Sit back, immerse yourself in the scent of the sea and hearth fires, and simply enjoy it. If you're looking for a short story that will let you slip away for a half hour or so, I recommend this one.
I like the setting and the plot is unique, but a bit rambling for me until the nice twist at the end. I enjoy short stories and I downloaded 4 of this author's shorts because they sounded interesting and are all currently free, but I agree with another reviewer's suggestion that she combine all her shorts into 1 collection. Even though I fully understand that does not allow an author to set a price lower than 99 cents for any story, I never would have paid 99 cents each for flash fiction.
This short e-story, written by one of my Goodreads friends, is one I picked up when it was offered for free. Originally, I'd proposed to review it a few days ago. But the review proved challenging to write; it's a tale with a great deal of ambiguity and many unanswered questions. Eventually, I read it a second time, with the benefit of some gracious explanation by the author as to the underlying premise.
Our setting here is a village on the North Sea coast of Flanders (the titular "ghost shore") in what seems like the 19th century --no date is specified, but the material culture and social conditions have that feel. Title character Hildie is an aged woman who weaves fine lace; but she's also a widely known reader of runes, inscribed on smooth stones for purposes of divination, a practice handed down from the Vikings, as is the folk veneration of Odin. (According to Wikipedia, the latter actually did survive, in the parts of Europe settled by the Germanic/Scandinavian peoples, into the 19th century.) In this story, she's visited early on by a seafaring man who wants her to read the runes for him. This will be, to put it mildly, a very unconventional consultation, which builds up to an extremely surprising ending. The story is difficult to discuss without spoilers.
Cappa's prose here is beautiful, appealing wonderfully to the senses; considered strictly in terms of style, she writes with a grace and felicity pretty much unequaled among other contemporary writers since Tanith Lee's untimely death. Here she also draws on a serious background of Viking mythology, with references to Odin's hanging on the world-tree Yggdrasil for 9 days (derived from the Old Norse poem "Havamni," or "Sayings of the High One" --it doesn't specify Yggdrasil as the tree, but scholars agree that's what is meant), his eight-legged steed Sleipnir, the malevolence of Loki, Odin's association with rune-craft. (Some references, like the idea of the Ship of the Dead and Odin's role as psychopomp, are new to me, but that's because I'm not as erudite in the lore as the author clearly is.) Indeed, the world view of the story seems more cast in terms of Viking myth, conceived as real, than in Christian terms, though there's some Christian terminology too.) A quibble that could be made is that the ending --and no spoilers here!-- depends on a deus ex machina (literally); but not all readers may take it that way. It's also been plausibly suggested that the story is better appreciated if it's just experienced on its own terms, letting oneself go with the flow of the narrative and language, rather than made to stand detailed analysis.
This is also a really fast read (observing all of the classical unities); I read it easily in a single sitting, and was surprised that it went by so quickly. However, the e-book also contains a short bonus story, "Abasteron House," a prequel to the author's novel Night Sea Journey, and intended to whet reader's appetites for the latter.
For readers completely new to Cappa's short fiction, this may not be the optimum place to start. My own suggestion would be to start with either "Beyond Castle Frankenstein" or "Between the Darkness and the Dawn," and work up to this one. But for readers who want to give this tale a try, I can verify that as of last night, it was still free on !
A classically-styled ghost story that evokes the traditional customs of Denmark. The bonus story was also very good and an added bonus to this charming tale.
For a moment I felt transported back to Jr High School English class. Remember the old Reading book with all the short stories and mini quizzes at the end? That's what this eBook felt like. With me, that's a compliment.
Well written, imagery comes across nicely. It could easily continue.
The author's writing is wonderfully descriptive. She skillfully sets the stage for a well told, old-fashioned ghost story.
I enjoyed this super short book. It was a great way for me to get to know the author and her writing style. I'd certainly be willing to download more of her books after having read Hildie at the Ghost .
A great haunting tale!
Although these are very short for both stories, it takes me to a different time and place-- Scandinavian, Nordic, Greenland, Viking territories--somewhere otherworldly, someplace other than here. The characters are interesting, the landscapes forbidding, and each story has a dash of beliefs in ancient God's and Times, told as if they are a foregone conclusion, completely believed, and accepted by the characters. Well-written.
0 Response to "[MBR]⇒ Read Free Hildie at the Ghost Shore A Short Story eBook Paula Cappa"
Post a Comment