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Refracted
Rivers are drying and crops are dying, but children run and play in the fields, and think they might even enjoy setting monsters free. Of course, the parents won’t approve, but that’s the least of their problems, come the flood. Next time he wakes, the young man remembers running in different fields. But he still can’t catch the girl, or find how to stay in one place. Loves proves as elusive as gold at rainbow’s end, and time slips through his fingers once again. Maybe it’s fate. Maybe fame and fortune have something in mind. Or maybe when time finally runs out someone else might help him find what he’s looking for.
40 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2010
18 people want to read
About the author
Sheila Deeth
85 books190 followersSheila Deeth is an English American, Catholic Protestant, mathematician writer and editor, author of contemporary novels - Divide by Zero and Infinite Sum from Indigo Sea Press - the Five Minute Bible Story Series from Cape Arago Press, Tails of Mystery from Linkville Press, and several spiritual speculative novellas and short stories.
Sheila is a prolific reader and her book reviews are published on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powells, Goodreads, and Librarything, as well as on her blog at http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com
Find out more at http://about.me/sheiladeeth
Sheila is a prolific reader and her book reviews are published on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powells, Goodreads, and Librarything, as well as on her blog at http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com
Find out more at http://about.me/sheiladeeth
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 27, 2013
'Refracted' by Sheila Deeth (Gypsy Shadow Publishing) is the kind of book that starts out by making the reader wonder, "What am I reading?"
After the first chapter or two, you might think you were in a Christian fiction novel, one that follows child witnesses to Biblical events who tell of miraculous happenings from their own points of view. Soon you begin to realize these characters aren't particularly religious, at least not in any orthodox way. After the third chapter, the narrators aren't quite so innocent anymore, and a bigger picture begins to emerge.
Let me give you a hint: this is a work of science fiction, though one that's told in a particularly poetic voice. It evoked a number of associations for me. Let me name just a few so I can attempt to parse out the flavors of this fantastic dish:
~If you've ever listened to the song "I've Loved You Before" by Melissa Etheridge, you can have some idea of the emotional underpinnings
~If you read The Prestige by Christopher Priest (or even saw the movie), you can have some idea of the strange, eerie type of science fiction this turns out to be
~If you think back to the horcruxes in the Harry Potter series, and how Lord Voldemort split his soul into pieces, you can imagine the meaning Deeth assigns to the colors of the rainbow
~If you read the anthology She Nailed a Stake Through His Head: Tales of Biblical Terror you can have some idea of the various settings.
That's probably all I can say without spoiling too much.
Did I enjoy this novel? Yes, tremendously. I was pleasantly surprised by its twists and turns. I liked the way it subtly invited the reader to walk a mile in seven different pairs of shoes without being overtly political. It is highly relevant to all the religious misunderstanding that's going on in the world, so in that it's realistic enough to carry non-science-fiction fans through some of the more fantastic elements. It certainly gives the reader something to think about.
After the first chapter or two, you might think you were in a Christian fiction novel, one that follows child witnesses to Biblical events who tell of miraculous happenings from their own points of view. Soon you begin to realize these characters aren't particularly religious, at least not in any orthodox way. After the third chapter, the narrators aren't quite so innocent anymore, and a bigger picture begins to emerge.
Let me give you a hint: this is a work of science fiction, though one that's told in a particularly poetic voice. It evoked a number of associations for me. Let me name just a few so I can attempt to parse out the flavors of this fantastic dish:
~If you've ever listened to the song "I've Loved You Before" by Melissa Etheridge, you can have some idea of the emotional underpinnings
~If you read The Prestige by Christopher Priest (or even saw the movie), you can have some idea of the strange, eerie type of science fiction this turns out to be
~If you think back to the horcruxes in the Harry Potter series, and how Lord Voldemort split his soul into pieces, you can imagine the meaning Deeth assigns to the colors of the rainbow
~If you read the anthology She Nailed a Stake Through His Head: Tales of Biblical Terror you can have some idea of the various settings.
That's probably all I can say without spoiling too much.
Did I enjoy this novel? Yes, tremendously. I was pleasantly surprised by its twists and turns. I liked the way it subtly invited the reader to walk a mile in seven different pairs of shoes without being overtly political. It is highly relevant to all the religious misunderstanding that's going on in the world, so in that it's realistic enough to carry non-science-fiction fans through some of the more fantastic elements. It certainly gives the reader something to think about.
January 30, 2011
Refracted by Sheila Deeth is a book where religion meets existential thought, wrapped in beauty. The novel is, technically, science fiction, but it is far more of a love story spun through history, theology and the human spirit.
The tale in Refracted is woven through a series of vignettes, always revolving around two people set against history and religion, which pull the thread of the story through to its conclusion, where we find one man in a pivotal life struggle.
There is a certain poignant tone lilting through the graceful prose and the reader is inexorably drawn into the mysterious and multifaceted story. Ms. Deeth pours genuine emotion into her characters and manages to convey remarkable continuity, despite the rapid changes in settings. This novel is a delicate and affecting piece of writing.
The book offers an apparent scientific explanation for the events that unfold, but the brilliant heart of the story is that details don’t matter; whatever is happening, the inspired essence would stay as heart-rending if it were a dream, past life remembrance, or as the author depicts.
The only flaw I found in the book was the occasional modern language usage in the historic passages; it was a bit distracting and sometimes jarred me out of the narrative. But such a defect can be easily overlooked considering the total quality of Refracted.
I can only give this book my highest recommendation.
The tale in Refracted is woven through a series of vignettes, always revolving around two people set against history and religion, which pull the thread of the story through to its conclusion, where we find one man in a pivotal life struggle.
There is a certain poignant tone lilting through the graceful prose and the reader is inexorably drawn into the mysterious and multifaceted story. Ms. Deeth pours genuine emotion into her characters and manages to convey remarkable continuity, despite the rapid changes in settings. This novel is a delicate and affecting piece of writing.
The book offers an apparent scientific explanation for the events that unfold, but the brilliant heart of the story is that details don’t matter; whatever is happening, the inspired essence would stay as heart-rending if it were a dream, past life remembrance, or as the author depicts.
The only flaw I found in the book was the occasional modern language usage in the historic passages; it was a bit distracting and sometimes jarred me out of the narrative. But such a defect can be easily overlooked considering the total quality of Refracted.
I can only give this book my highest recommendation.
May 9, 2011
What a fun read! I smiled the whole time … about an hour. Yeah, pretty short, but memories of the story will linger much longer. If you find yourself describing the book to someone, adjectives will spill forth like the colors of the rainbow. My suspicion, however, is that each reader’s experience will be different … your adjectives will not match mine.
Delightful. Colorful. Fanciful. Meaningful. It’s a very “full” 53 pages. Half the book is a dreamlike romp through familiar Biblical territory, and at its midpoint I felt momentary disillusionment to uncover the machinery that made the magic within the book “real,” but I was just as quickly swallowed up again into its emerging sci-fi plot line.
I dare say no more, because the beauty of the book is in its unfolding wonder, and further hints will dampen your reading experience. Yes, it’s religious, on several levels really, but the setting (which eventually tends more toward New Age than Judeo-Christian) adds flavor … and leaves you thinking about the role of religion in our lives.
(available in electronic form only)
Delightful. Colorful. Fanciful. Meaningful. It’s a very “full” 53 pages. Half the book is a dreamlike romp through familiar Biblical territory, and at its midpoint I felt momentary disillusionment to uncover the machinery that made the magic within the book “real,” but I was just as quickly swallowed up again into its emerging sci-fi plot line.
I dare say no more, because the beauty of the book is in its unfolding wonder, and further hints will dampen your reading experience. Yes, it’s religious, on several levels really, but the setting (which eventually tends more toward New Age than Judeo-Christian) adds flavor … and leaves you thinking about the role of religion in our lives.
(available in electronic form only)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews