What do you think?
Rate this book
Lilies
"Alex thought of his grandfather, of the way that the river at home curved between the fields and shone secret and silver in the light of the moon, of the trains full of soldiers that rattled off up into the hills towards the mud and the fear, and of the dead that walked the city."Lilies is a short story of the dead and the living, in a city at war where it is hard to tell one from the other, and where the men who carry the lilies commit the strangest of murders and kill the already dead.Lilies was chosen for Stephen Jones' Best New Horror anthology and recommended for the British Fantasy Society's Best Short Story. Iain's short fiction has been reprinted in anthologies, won awards, and been the basis for a novel shortlisted for the UK Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger award."Iain Rowan is both a meticulous and a passionate writer, and these stories showcase his ample talent wonderfully well. You owe it to yourself to discover Rowan's fiction if you haven't already had the pleasure." (Jeff Vandermeer, author of Finch, Afterword, City of Saints and Madmen; two-time winner of the World Fantasy Award)
- GenresShort Stories
17 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 12, 2011
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Iain Rowan
33 books16 followersI've had a lot of short stories published, and some of those have won awards and been reprinted in anthologies. I was shortlisted for the UK Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger novel award a while back. I'm now working on something else.
ONE OF US is the crime novel that was shortlisted for the Debut Dagger, and which is now published in paperback and ebook by Infinity Plus.
NOWHERE TO GO is a collection of eleven of my previously published crime stories, which includes the Derringer Award-winning One Step Closer, and is available for all e-readers. It's published by Infinity Plus.
ICE AGE is a collection of eight stories of the strange and the chilling that have been published in various places over the last few years, and it's also available for all e-readers. Stories in ICE AGE have been reprinted in Year's Best anthologies or were first published in anthologies that ended up being nominated for the Stoker or Shirley Jackson Awards.
You can read more about all of this at my website, www.iainrowan.com.
ONE OF US is the crime novel that was shortlisted for the Debut Dagger, and which is now published in paperback and ebook by Infinity Plus.
NOWHERE TO GO is a collection of eleven of my previously published crime stories, which includes the Derringer Award-winning One Step Closer, and is available for all e-readers. It's published by Infinity Plus.
ICE AGE is a collection of eight stories of the strange and the chilling that have been published in various places over the last few years, and it's also available for all e-readers. Stories in ICE AGE have been reprinted in Year's Best anthologies or were first published in anthologies that ended up being nominated for the Stoker or Shirley Jackson Awards.
You can read more about all of this at my website, www.iainrowan.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 10, 2012
Book Info: Genre: Horror Reading Level: Adult
Disclosure: I picked up a free copy of this eBook after winning another of this author’s books the LibraryThing Members Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I decided to read and review this one, too, in the interest of completeness.
Synopsis: Alex thought of his grandfather, of the way that the river at home curved between the fields and shone secret and silver in the light of the moon, of the trains full of soldiers that rattled off up into the hills towards the mud and the fear, and of the dead that walked the city.
Lilies is a short story of the dead and the living, in a city at war where it is hard to tell one from the other, and where the men who carry the lilies commit the strangest of murders and kill the already dead.
Lilies was chosen for Stephen Jones' Best New Horror anthology and recommended for the British Fantasy Society's Best Short Story. Iain's short fiction has been reprinted in anthologies, won awards, and been the basis for a novel shortlisted for the UK Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger award.
My Thoughts: This is a very short story (15 pages) that I read whilst taking a break from editing this week. This story can also be found in the short-story collection Ice Age, which I’ll be reading soon.
This is a beautifully written short story; the writing is poetical, evocative, gorgeous. The world Rowan creates in this story is outlined imaginatively, and I would love to learn more about it. That is the beauty of a short story, and the frustration – so many wonderful worlds, but so little time spent there. Rowan’s writing is sublime, and I look forward to reading more of his work. Highly recommended.
Disclosure: I picked up a free copy of this eBook after winning another of this author’s books the LibraryThing Members Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I decided to read and review this one, too, in the interest of completeness.
Synopsis: Alex thought of his grandfather, of the way that the river at home curved between the fields and shone secret and silver in the light of the moon, of the trains full of soldiers that rattled off up into the hills towards the mud and the fear, and of the dead that walked the city.
Lilies is a short story of the dead and the living, in a city at war where it is hard to tell one from the other, and where the men who carry the lilies commit the strangest of murders and kill the already dead.
Lilies was chosen for Stephen Jones' Best New Horror anthology and recommended for the British Fantasy Society's Best Short Story. Iain's short fiction has been reprinted in anthologies, won awards, and been the basis for a novel shortlisted for the UK Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger award.
My Thoughts: This is a very short story (15 pages) that I read whilst taking a break from editing this week. This story can also be found in the short-story collection Ice Age, which I’ll be reading soon.
This is a beautifully written short story; the writing is poetical, evocative, gorgeous. The world Rowan creates in this story is outlined imaginatively, and I would love to learn more about it. That is the beauty of a short story, and the frustration – so many wonderful worlds, but so little time spent there. Rowan’s writing is sublime, and I look forward to reading more of his work. Highly recommended.
May 29, 2011
This is a hard story to describe - it was originally published in one of the Mammoth Best Horror anthologies, but like so much in those collections it's weirder and subtler than straight horror. It's set in a nameless city, in a nameless war, where the central character is spending time before going back to the front-line. Even before the supernatural element is introduced, this setting for the story is gripping and realistic, despite the anonymous place and time. There seem to be a few clever little nods to some of Hemmingway's stories in the description.
The supernatural part of the story is introduced really well, background that becomes foreground. Rowan doesn't make the mistake of over-explaining what is happening and why, and this makes the story unsettling and stick with you even after you've finished it. The plot unfolds really well, and befitting it's title it doesn't need a tacky 'twist' ending; instead Lilies it moves seamlessly to a very satisfying one.
A genuinely original story that's hard to classify - superb stuff for all short story fans.
The supernatural part of the story is introduced really well, background that becomes foreground. Rowan doesn't make the mistake of over-explaining what is happening and why, and this makes the story unsettling and stick with you even after you've finished it. The plot unfolds really well, and befitting it's title it doesn't need a tacky 'twist' ending; instead Lilies it moves seamlessly to a very satisfying one.
A genuinely original story that's hard to classify - superb stuff for all short story fans.
December 28, 2012
I downloaded this story as a freebie for kindle, based on the synopsis and the one review that had been written at that time. I'm not a fan of short stories in general, but am always open to something that sounds original, which this certainly is.
The writing is very, very good - restrained, yet conveying the sadness and despair of a society caught up in a continual war. The setting and time are never specified, which gives an otherworldly sense to the story. It has elements of both past and present, not defined but suggested, that makes it almost but not quite a familiar world. I found the story very compelling - I haven't read any of Iain Rowan's other work yet, but it will be on my to-read list. If his other work doesn't engage me as much as Lilies, that won't matter because this is stand alone excellence.
The writing is very, very good - restrained, yet conveying the sadness and despair of a society caught up in a continual war. The setting and time are never specified, which gives an otherworldly sense to the story. It has elements of both past and present, not defined but suggested, that makes it almost but not quite a familiar world. I found the story very compelling - I haven't read any of Iain Rowan's other work yet, but it will be on my to-read list. If his other work doesn't engage me as much as Lilies, that won't matter because this is stand alone excellence.
March 21, 2021
Good read
I found this little short story on Amazon kindle and it sounded rather interesting. This book is in the perspective of Alex , set in a world of death and life. It is a rather weird world that Iain Rowan has created where the read and the living aren't too dissimilar but the dead for twice. It is very well written and even though I wouldn't want a world like that to exist I can picture in through the authors description. A great short read if you have a few spare minutes to fill .
I found this little short story on Amazon kindle and it sounded rather interesting. This book is in the perspective of Alex , set in a world of death and life. It is a rather weird world that Iain Rowan has created where the read and the living aren't too dissimilar but the dead for twice. It is very well written and even though I wouldn't want a world like that to exist I can picture in through the authors description. A great short read if you have a few spare minutes to fill .
December 7, 2012
Lilies is an excellent short story that’s both warming and chilling at once. It doesn’t go where you first think it will and where it does go is both charming and macabre. It’s almost touching but something tells you no, you really shouldn’t feel quite like that. You can read this in the time it takes to have a coffee and for the download price of less than most cups of coffee these days, it’s definitely worth a look. Wonderful prose, brilliant atmosphere, a great appetiser for Rowan’s work.
December 31, 2011
Short, sweet but chilling to the bone.
August 21, 2014
Very short story, interesting concept and would have liked to have read it as a longer story.
October 4, 2015
What a great little short
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews