In the Valley of the Kings

For a moment, I was tuned in looking for my lucky pencil. Long time it has been when I agree to the writing of books, the concepts to shake a reader imagination is well given. To see it and understand is well worth a time.

This anthology offers a host of unsettling stories that is one part Lovecraft and one part Beckett. The first story, O Aoyos, is Lovecraftian in its narrative structure (crazy doctor reflecting on the horrors of an "unnameable" plague, but rich with allegory (the power of the Word, Logos, whatever). The second story, My Father's Heart, is an unsentimental reflection of the power of our parents, even after they're gone. Next comes three sci-fi shorts (Charybdis, Aurora, and Eurydike) that are eerie stories of being marooned in space (as a doomed astronaut, a probe, and an experiment gone wrong - respectively). Again, these are fairly allegorical in nature - each modern man lost in the vacuum of an unknown future. I loved the ambiance of these stories, but felt like some of the underlying themes were going over my head. The gem of this anthology is In the Valley of the Kings. It is a great story of a modern-day Egyptologist that falls victim to his own theories and passions. Well paced and well told - this was by far my favorite of the lot. The last 2 stories, Scylla and Apocalypse, are again heavy on the allegory. They remind us that the world often ends not with a bang, but with a whimper. Overall - Holt is a master stylist and storyteller. If you are not into books that are heavy into allegory and metaphor; stay away. But if you want a dose of dark philosophy, wrapped in creepy ambient short stories - look no further!