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]
Ray Olson in Booklist called the collection's "stories ... mostly darker than Parks' ever-so-appealing Hereafter, and After (2007)," but like in that "they are mythologically based and all about gods and heroes, demons and angels, and spells and hauntings," concluding that "[s]ome may think that Parks dilutes irreverence, uncanny chills, and eldritch humor with sentiment and psychological realism. Many more will rejoice that his work has so much heart." His assessment of individual pieces: "'Kallisti' compellingly interprets the Judgment of Paris and what happened to the shepherd prince thereafter in terms of individual erotic psychology." "Several stories seize on Japanese supernatural themes to marvelously humane effect; perhaps 'Yamabushi,' about the duel between a tengu, a demon of temptation, and a dissillusioned samurai who sure seems to the tengu to be a solitary monk, is the most delicious of a ravishingly bittersweet lot." "Four stories feature benevolent ghostbuster Eli Mothersbaugh of Canemill, Mississippi, and are so fine, sensitive, and southern that Eudora Welty might approve of them." "The ironically titled 'A Time for Heroes' is the legend of how a rueful wizard bloodily shortcircuits a war because knighthood’s flower has wilted." [6]
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]
Tengu are a type of legendary creature found in Shinto belief. They are considered a type of yōkai or Shinto kami. The Tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey and a monkey deity, and they were traditionally depicted with human, monkey, and avian characteristics. Sarutahiko Ōkami is considered to be the original model of Konoha-Tengu, which today is widely considered the Tengu's defining characteristic in the popular imagination. He is the Shinto monkey deity who is said to shed light on Heaven and Earth. Some experts theorize that Sarutahiko was a sun god worshiped in the Ise region prior to the popularization of Amaterasu.
In Japanese folklore and Folklore, Sōjōbō is the mythical king and god of the tengu, legendary creatures thought to inhabit the mountains and forests of Japan. Sōjōbō is a specific type of tengu called daitengu and has the appearance of a yamabushi, a Japanese mountain hermit. Daitengu have a primarily human form with some bird-like features such as wings and claws. The other distinctive physical characteristics of Sōjōbō include his long, white hair and unnaturally long nose.
Phantoms and Fancies is a 1972 collection of poetry by science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp, illustrated by Tim Kirk. It was published by Mirage Press.
The Purple Pterodactyls is a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer L. Sprague de Camp. The collection was first published in hardcover by Phantasia Press in January, 1980, and in paperback by Ace Books in April of the same year. It has also been translated into German. An e-book edition was published by Gollancz's SF Gateway imprint on September 29, 2011 as part of a general release of de Camp's works in electronic form. The pieces were originally published between 1975 and 1979 in the magazines The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Fantastic, Escape!, and Fantasy Crossroads.
The Fallible Fiend is a fantasy novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, the third book of his Novarian series. It was first published as a two-part serial in the magazine Fantastic for December 1972 and February 1973, and subsequently expanded and revised for book publication. The novel was first published in book form as a paperback by Signet Books in 1973; it was later reprinted by Remploy (1974), Sphere (1978), Del Rey/Ballantine (1981), Baen (1992) and the Thorndike Press (2002). The Remploy edition was both the first British and first hardcover edition. An e-book edition was published by Gollancz's SF Gateway imprint on September 29, 2011 as part of a general release of de Camp's works in electronic form. It has also been translated into German and Italian.
Adrian Christopher Synnot Cole, is a British writer. He is known for his Dream Lords trilogy, the Omaran Saga and Star Requiem series, and his young adult novels, Moorstones and The Sleep of Giants.
Conan the Great is a fantasy novel by American writer Leonard Carpenter, featuring Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. It was first published in paperback by Tor Books in April 1990. It was reprinted by Tor in August 1997. It is the only one of the Tor series of Conan novels set in the period of Conan's kingship.
Brak the Barbarian is a short-fiction collection by American writer John Jakes, featuring his sword and sorcery hero of the same name.
Gods and demons fiction or Shenmo fiction is a subgenre of Chinese fantasy fiction that revolves around the deities, immortals, demons and monsters of Chinese mythology. The term shenmo xiaoshuo, coined in the early 20th century by the writer and literary historian Lu Xun, literally means "gods and demons novel". Classical works of shenmo fiction include the novels Journey to the West and Investiture of the Gods.
Awaiting Strange Gods: Weird and Lovecraftian Fictions is a collection of dark fantasy and horror short stories by American writer Darrell Schweitzer. It was first published in hardcover and trade paperback by Fedogan & Bremer in September 2015.
Billy Richard Parks is an American fantasy, science fiction and horror writer. He writes under the names Richard Parks and W. J. Everett, aside from a few early works written as by B. Richard Parks and Rick Parks.
The Ogre's Wife: Fairy Tales for Grownups is a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Richard Parks. It was first published in trade paperback by Obscura Press in August 2002. A Kindle edition was issued in 2011, and a new trade paperback edition in September 2020. The collection was nominated for the 2003 World Fantasy Award for Best Collection; its title story won the SF Age Reader's Poll for short story in 1995.
On the Banks of the River of Heaven is a collection of fantasy short stories by Richard Parks. It was first published in hardcover by Prime Books in November 2010.
Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter is a collection of historical mystery fantasy short stories by Richard Parks, the first volume in a series featuring his sword and sorcery character Yamada no Goji. It was first published in simultaneous trade paperback and ebook form by Prime Books in January 2013.
The Long Look is a fantasy novel by Richard Parks, both his first novel and the first volume in his series The Laws of Power. It was first published in hardcover by Five Star in September 2008. It has appeared as an ebook in 2011 and a trade paperback in October 2018. The book placed twelfth in the 2009 Locus Poll Award for Best First Novel.
Bibliography of fantasy writer Richard Parks:
Ghost Trouble: The Casefiles of Eli Mothersbaugh is a collection of mystery fantasy short stories by American writer Richard Parks, gathering together the stories featuring his ghost hunter character Eli Mothersbaugh. It was first published as an ebook on Kindle in October 2011; a trade paperback edition was issued by Canemill Publishing in January 2013.
Twilight of the Gods is a collection of science fantasy short stories by American author Edmond Hamilton. It was first published in trade paperback and ebook by DMR Books in November 2020. It was the first of two Hamilton collections issued by that publisher, the second being The Avenger from Atlantis (2021).
The Last Heretic: The Best Short Fiction of Darrell Schweitzer Volume II is a collection of fantasy short stories by American author Darrell Schweitzer. It was first published in hardcover by PS Publishing in April 2020 as the second of its two volume set The Best Short Fiction of Darrell Schweiter. An ebook edition followed from the same publisher in September of the same year.
