In Shadow of the Gargole

Gargoyles have often been harbingers of fear, fascination, and fun -- from the creepy, beclawed critters that glower down from the impressive heights of the Notre Dame cathedral, to the friendly felines in pseudo-Goth mail order catalogues with their batwings and big grins. In the Shadow of the Gargoyle brings us the stony sentry in all his expected guises -- fearsome, fascinating, and funny -- and a few more for good measure. This is a well rounded collection, with a least a story or three to suit everyone's taste. Charles L. Grant's `The Soft Sound of Wings' starts the collection off, but I found it to be one of the weakest stories of the bunch -- it's about an old widower who heads up a neighborhood watch, and... well, does the neighborhood watch group symbolize modern-day gargoyles, or are they watching for actual gargoyles? I didn't get it. Neil Gaiman's `Gargoyle of the Heart' is interesting and engaging, despite its lack of an actual ending. That's okay -- the obsessed lover, whose heart turns as hard and lifeless as the gargoyle he sculpts, is an interesting character, so I didn't mind following him essentially nowhere. Katherine Kurtz's `The Gargoyle's Shadow' is a humorous, modern-day jaunt that transports the reader to "gargoyle powwows" in which the protectors of church treasures lament, "We used to be avenging angels. But now we don't get to kick ass like we did in the old days. The Boss has gotten a little soft on sinners..." Don D'Amassa's `Scylla and Charybdis' follows shy Kim from the age of nine into adulthood, and her two gargoyle friends, Scylla and Charybdis, who are always there for her. There to listen, there to protect. This story was engrossing and somber, and it captured a gloomy mood while maintaining an interesting, if predicable, plotline. Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris, collaborators on `Studies in Stone,' present a story that is similar to `The Gargoyle's Shadow' in that it takes a light, humorous look at the gothic icons, but I enjoyed this story a lot more in its' utter daftness -- cleverly titled, this "study in stone" follows the escapades of Gryx, a Scottish rainspout gargoyle who breaks free from his ledge and goes off to study at University. Melanie Tem's `Hagoday' follows guilt-wracked ex-con Eric, who accidentally killed an acquaintance of his. He's haunted by gargoyles, and while the idea is interesting, I didn't think it panned out. The strange, unsatisfying ending left me feeling, well... strangely unsatisfied. Charles deLint's `May This Be Your Last Sorrow' takes place in Bordertown (the creation of Terri Windling and Marc Alan Arnold). Never having read any Bordertown novels (or whatever they are -- no background or explanation was given), I got absolutely nothing from this story, although it was well-written. Nancy Holder's `Little Dedo' was perhaps one of the most creative uses of the gargoyle in this collection, though personally, I do prefer a more traditional view. Sam and Jeannie, a m

In the Shadow of the Gargoyle was a really good book, all the stories were really cool, and some of them even sad. My favorite was Scylla and Charybdis. It is really cool, though some of the stories, especially the second one, are kind of weird and nasty. But without those it's a really great book and I think everyone should read it!