Review: Echoes of the Arcane by Cody Campbell
Blurb:
Echoes of the Arcane is a collection of short fiction by Cody D. Campbell. It contains several works of general fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and poetry.
The places and times where these stories are set range from ancient worlds of magic to distant dystopian futures. They have different perspectives and voices, different magic systems, and scientific frameworks, but many of them revolve around a common theme – loss.
21 different works of fiction and poetry are featured in this collection, including:
Little Bugs follows a young woman who’s exploring the forest near her family’s home where her grandfather died. She marvels at the insect-like robots that were designed to clean the pollution that rendered the area toxic but laments that they were necessary and wonders whether the land will ever be the same.
Pan’s Shadow is about Dante, an elderly man who is having a final conversation with one of his oldest friends as he lies on his deathbed. He reminisces about their misspent youth and slowly realizes that his friend’s involvement in these events was more fantastical than he ever knew.
Crossing Over is the story of a girl named Poll. It’s set in a dystopian near future where the United States is locked in a civil war between nationalist factions. Poll is a refugee who has made her way to Canada, but is powerless to save the loved ones she left behind.
Last of the Legion is a novelette and the longest story in the collection. It tells the tale of a Roman centurion named Hadrian who was one of the few remaining soldiers protecting the city before it was sacked by the Germanic Vandals. After the fall of the city, his journey eventually leads him into the mountains where he discovers a strange creature and a millennia-old plot of revenge.
Review:
“Books are living proof that people didn’t always used to be so stupid.”
Echoes of the Arcane was an emotional shattering mix of poetry and dystopian short stories collected together. The author indicated that he had been working on some of these for 10 years, and I believe it. This is a great coffee table book, including some longer stories and some poems that are a single page. It was especially welcome that each story has a theme, with clear messages or life lessons that left a lasting impact on me, as they offered more than just an entertaining read!
I immensely enjoyed it. In the way that one can enjoy thing that cause you to question things, and to examine things in a new way. It is mostly stories of present-day characters in a setting where some sort of dystopian event has plagued the world. The book touches on a wide range of themes, including motherhood, loss, addiction, grief, and rage, while also exploring environmentalism, consumerism, colonialism, and various forms of prejudice. Each story carries a clear message or life lesson that made a lasting impact on me, offering more than just an entertaining read—it left me questioning the world and examining my own beliefs.
“You must understand that there is no respite from grief to be found in memory. Past love cannot erase fresh loss, nor the bitterness of being alone.”
There are 21 short stories here, and we have a wide range of narrators.
One standout is “New Eyes,” which presents a world where a single color mysteriously disappears. This strange phenomenon leads to a deep reflection on how we use color to shape our emotions and perceptions. The story follows a pre-teen boy as he grows into adulthood and becomes a father, offering an uplifting yet tragic meditation on change and loss.
Last of the Legion is slightly longer than the other stories in the collection and deviates from the modern-day setting, instead taking place during the fall of the Roman Empire. This story was absolutely spectacular. Told through the eyes of a single legionnaire struggling to protect the city where his family lives, it explores themes of trials, hope, and grief. The emotional depth and heartache in this story truly resonated with me, and I’m back in my Mythology era needing to read more Roman and Greek retellings.
“Perhaps these stories of women with the power to bend men to their will are to blame. They put strange ideas in her head.”
“Is that what you think that story was? It seemed to me more like a story about men who can’t help but blame women for their own impotence.”
This is going on my emotionally heart shattering book list. With just 183 pages, Echoes of the Arcane is the perfect length to help meet your end-of-year reading goals. It's ideal for new readers or anyone looking to get back into reading, as the stories are short but deeply impactful.
Would I reread? Yes, and I would read a full-length novel of the Last of the Legion as well!
Would I recommend? Yes! I’s say fans for poetry and mythology would enjoy it, but also fans of dystopian contemporary fantasy.
Recommended for Fans of Nikita Gill , Arrival, Greek Mythology and Dystopian Science Fantasy
