As the Distant Bells Toll by Aleksander Ziljak
I would like to thank Cheryl from Wizard’s Tower Press for an advance copy of this collection in exchange for affair and honest review
Publisher – Wizard’s Tower press
Published – 2nd October
Price - £12.49 paperback £4.99 Kindle eBook
Aleksandar Žiljak is one of Croatia’s leading writers of science fiction and fantasy. His work has been translated into many European languages. As the Distant Bells Toll takes you on a dizzying trip from Ancient China to modern Croatia via the Caribbean and Japan. The collection focuses on Žiljak’s fantasy writing and features a variety of mythological creatures. A werewolf mother fights to save her kidnapped son. Lesbian ninjas are threatened by a vampiric cat demon. A young girl and a mermaid take on airship pirates. These and other stories provide a fresh and unique take on history and legend.
Žiljak is a multiple winner of Croatia’s prestigious SFera Award, including for fiction, editing and art. Each of the stories is accompanied by an illustration by the author.
All the stories have been freshly edited, and some have not appeared in English before.
Good folk tales are like the best songs they outlast their original composers and can be re-worked into different tunes or even completely changed. In the short story collection As The Distant Bells Toll by Aleksandar Ziljak we have some original folk tales that for the majority offer an intriguing blend of the old and new worlds with some gorgeous word-craft and some truly beautiful artwork too. In this first translated collection from the Croatian author we have some fascinating tales
A Unicorn and A Warrior Girl – A young peasant woman known for her fighting skills is brought to the sinister Emperor Ch’in. He sends her to attract a unicorn so his men can kill it and bring him the horn. Written more as a spoken folk tale I was impressed with the imagery and colour that Ziljak uses to create a story. It moves in three elements and I liked the juxtaposition of powerful emperor versus simple young woman. Also becomes a martial arts tale in the final act which is quite well done.
The Divine She-Wolf – set again in the far east but has a more European feel to it. After a village attack a woman seeks the bandit who stole her son. But this woman is a she-wolf and must transform once more in order to fid the help. Loved the way Ziljak paints wolf culture as something very unhuman yet fascinating plus we get an epic wolves versus bandits fight – before ending with a moment of romance. Again, really well told
The Nekomata – Another eastern style setting this time in early Japanese history a renegade clan of women ninjas is being hunted by the most powerful faction. Their latest tactic is to unleash a truly powerful entity on then. This story has a lot of surprises. I liked how the female roles were the majority of the story and as with others it doesn’t quite go where you think it will go. Has the feeling of something older but with a lot of new elements in it
Elsbet and The Book of Drgaons – Elbet is hired to be an illustrator for a powerful wizard. They bond closer and closer before a final dragon confrontation arrives to ruin things. I was less enamoured of the instalove that arrives in the story, but I loved the way the world was created. Again vivid nature descriptions and its quite tenderly written. Felt a little reminiscent of Naomi Novik’s folk fantasy in approach.
The Law of the Sea – I have a strong dislike of this story. Unfortunately, it contains a rape scene that is both graphic and badly handled. I found the conclusion pretty awful as it tried to celebrate that some good comes out of evil.
The Aeolomancer – A strange mix of steampunk airships and fantasy as a pirate kidnaps a mother and daughter. The mother has the power to call winds and he plans a mighty heist. Ambitiously Ziljak weaves in on top of this aquatic civilisation and Bolivar revolutionary. Amazingly it doesn’t fall over and the elements all come together plus some really interesting epic fight scenes in the air between airships to enjoy.
Rumiko – more modern approach firmly steampunk and another blend of eastern and western ideas. I liked the worldbuilding but the romance between two characters felt a little forced, but I was impressed with the unexpected reveals as the story deepens.
As The Distant Bell Tolls – A would be angel has to pass her exam. She visits a hospital the same time as a demon. A soul is the prize both seek. An unusual tale that on the one hand is about beating evil and yet has some very dark themes. Fascinating and yet slightly troubling too.
Overall a really interesting collection. I liked that Ziljak puts female characters in lead positions but on occasions the women can be easily made to fall in love despite that getting ninjas, warriors and driving the engine of the story is always helpful. I also think the rape scene in that one story mars the collection. Despite that in the other stories the worldbuilding and use of language is however a delight to read. If you enjoy folk tales and watching how they are updated for this century and yet keep their style, then this would be a read many should enjoy.
