Ratings9
Average rating4.2
I'd round this up to 4.5 stars, especially for “Glass-Lung,” “Robert Greenman and the Mermaid,” “Killer of Kings,” and “Pleiades.” All the stories are lovely and haunting, but those 4 will stay with me for a long time. This collection was as beautiful as it was unsettling.
Imaginative
And, well written, I suppose. I found most of the stories to be too dark and unsettling for my taste.
All the Names They Used for God is a collection of unique stories that seamlessly fit together, oozing mysticism. Though unrelated, they are woven increasing with both intensity and undertone of allusion to god either explicitly or in a more nuanced way.
The stories take place across a variety of worlds and years, but what I enjoyed most was the feeling that each character was driven by some force unbeknownst to them. I found this captivating. Only one of the stories was centered on religion, and yet every single story expressed the nature of our world and our faith in an unknown beyond.
I withhold my fifth star simply because it was hard for me to stay completely engaged with the format of a short story collection itself due to all the stopping and starting, but don't let that deter you from picking up this fantastic work! I really enjoyed the reading experience overall.
Super fantastic gently weird stories of strangeness and wonder. What are you waiting for? #bookclub4m