A Labyrinth by Michael J. Wilson
155 pages, Paperback
Stalking Horse Press, October 16, 2023 Pre-order now!
A writer and reader I am generally a narrative structure guy and tend to prefer books of a higher standard. Somewhere between popcorn and high art. Stalking Horse Press is consistently producing books that are of the high art variety. A Labyrinth by Michael J. Wilson is a classy piece of art from the design in a small compact size that made my Voyager 2 bookmark (over 700 books and counting read with it) look comically big as it held my spot. I read the first 100 pages on a bus and trolley trip across San Diego and this book classed up the joint.
"Zoe looked at the tapestry. A dragonlike serpent a mountain rising from a sea an expanse of clouds. She reached out to touch it - the pile was clearly fine silk she wanted to buy her fingers in it."
The prose is lush, and while it tells a story familiar in the mythological character of Daedalus (I'll admit much of it probably went over my head) it gives the whole experience a fantastical feeling. Wilson plays with words and rhythm that comes off like a magic trick to this writer who can't imagine keeping up this kind of style at such a length.
There were so many moments of beautiful prose that I found myself dog-eared pages so I could come back to them.
"Anyone could see the hummingbird in Minos' eyes. The boredom once the chase was over He cared only for the shooting of arrows not the blood and meat on the earth."
This is an incredible book. Not my normal jam, but very impressive nonetheless.
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