Summary
The book collects fourteen novelettes and short stories by the author, three original to the collection. They vary by setting, with two tales set in classical Greece, four in the legendary Far East, four in a near-future Mississippi, two in generic fantasy worlds, and two in modern urban venues. They include the first of his Yamada no Goji stories ("Foxtails"), four of his "Eli Mothersbaugh" stories ("A Hint of Jasmine," "Voices in an Empty Room," "Hanagan's Kiyomatsu, 1923," and "Diva"), and the first in his "Laws of Power" series ("A Time for Heroes").
Reception
Reviewer Don D'Ammassa writes "The quality of the stories is consistently high throughout and evidence that no matter how moribund novel length fantasy may be, the shorter form continues to be lively and inventive." He notes he "had previously read most of the stories in this collection in Realms of Fantasy magazine, and several of them felt like old friends revisited." Most of the stories are commented on individually, with the basis in classic and Asian mythology of many noted. "The Penultimate Riddle" is rated "one of his best," and "Fox Tails," in which "[g]hosts and other mysteries abound ... a somewhat darker story than most of the others in the collection." As further evidence Parks is not "a one note author," D'Ammassa cites the four Eli Mothersbaugh tales, noting their "contemporary settings and a much more somber tone ... closer to horror fiction, [though] the approach is more matter of fact and there is little actual menace, though certainly considerable mystery. ... I liked 'A Hint of Jasmine' and 'Diva' the best of these." [2]
Publishers Weekly finds the collection "outstanding," in which "Parks blends wry wit and profound insight with myths and folklore from around the globe. ... Blurring the lines between science fiction, fantasy, horror and spiritual speculation, this compilation of 14 magical and supernatural tales is as entertaining as it is edifying." It singles out "The Plum Blossom Lantern," the title story, and "Voices in an Empty Room" as particularly noteworthy. [3]
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch echoes Publishers Weekly, also describing Worshipping Small Gods as a "blend(ing) wry wit and profound insight with myths and folklore from around the globe." [4]
Charles de Lint in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction wrote "No matter how outlandish the setting of the story, or how other from us his characters appear, Parks always manages to convince us of the humanity that lies at their hearts and has us care for them ... we should appreciate the diversity and skill he brings to the page and just be glad that there still are writers who have so many different things to say, with so many unexpected settings and characters." [5]
The collection was also reviewed by Paul Witcover in Realms of Fantasy issue 78, August 2007, and Richard Larson in Strange Horizons , 7 April 7, 2008. [1]
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