Review: Divine City: Bangkok Fantasies

Divine City: Bangkok Fantasies by Scott B. Robinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Short-story anthology/Magical Realism
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: those who enjoy magical, lyrical short stories
Trigger Warnings: murder

My Thoughts: First of all, my apologies to the author. I've had this book for almost two years and just hadn't read it yet. I had originally planned to take these books as I received them, but found that just wasn't realistic, as I would find myself just not in the mood for something, which can adversely affect my opinion, so I gave myself permission to just read what appealed to me at the moment. So, sorry it's taken so long!

At any rate, like the previous book I read, this was an anthology of short stories. Each takes place in Bangkok. The language is lovely, lyrical and beautiful to read, although any plot is mostly hidden underneath symbolism and subterfuge. The underlying theme is a set of strange and mystical boxes; they spread through all the stories in the set.

There's not much I can say about the book because with short stories you can't really discuss the plot or story arc or character development. But if you enjoy stories that blend beautiful language with mysterious symbolism, you should like this book. I certainly enjoyed reading it.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this e-book from the author in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Supernatural forces and secret societies descend on modern Bangkok as a series of mysterious black boxes surface into the lives of five remarkable individuals in this magic realism collection of five short stories. As this cross-genre piece modulates through elements of the psychological mystery, horror, the thriller, the detective mystery, adventure and romance, it explores classic Western themes—the Fall, the Temptation, Pandora’s box—in an Eastern setting. The book is ultimately a study of the human obsession with the unknown.



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