Praise for “The Sound of Gematria”
“I adored the setting, strongly reminiscent of gaslit London, the main characters, as well as the striking plot addressing religion, mystery, family and love.”
“A beautiful, meaningful story, with so many seemingly separate events woven together intricately.”
“Absolutely love this book. It’s like nothing I’ve read before.”
“An enthralling story, the end just left me wanting more.”
“Blends murder-mystery, supernatural and scientific whodunnit with romance in a dark, super-clever, funny and deeply immersive way.”
The adjudication report from the Cinnamon Literature Award for “The Sound of Gematria”
The Sound of Gematria is a highly original story that takes a Victorian setting and subverts it. The plot creates a path into the Victorian fantastique without resorting to steam-punk, making it feel like a novel of the period whilst also retaining a contemporary viewpoint on gender and religious and cultural prejudices. A unique story which suspends realism while remaining utterly believable. The characters, flawed, empathic and so real that we feel we might meet them on the street, despite the century’s time difference, draw the reader into
their world. We feel their losses and gains, are involved in their struggles and concerns. There is romance here, but also deeper questions of identity and always against the background of a world that is in danger so that the personal and the larger issues of the time intertwine with skill. A throughly immersive read.
Praise for “The Book of Judith”
[From the introduction by the editor:] One of the great pleasures of editing a short-story magazine is that you get to meet a lot of very talented writers before they become household names. Some you watch develop slowly, while others more or less erupt in a dazzling display of talent, and produce great short stories right from the start.
Judith Field is that second kind of writer. From the very first story she sent me, I could see that someday we’d all be reading her novels, or watching the movies and TV shows based on her stories, and a few of us would be lucky enough to be able to say, “Oh yeah, Judith Field. I was reading her way before everyone else was.”
So here is your great opportunity, to get to know The Remarkable Ms Field before everyone else is talking about her. In the sixteen stories in this collection you’ll see the full range of her story-telling talents on display: sometimes funny, sometimes poignant; sometimes whimsical and fantastic; sometimes romantic, and sometimes disturbing, and sometimes both in the same story!
But always, a good story, well-told.
From reviews:
“These stories present a refreshing fusion of styles. Life, wonder, and magic, sums it up — often the fantastic and magical meets the reality of everyday life in a way that I’d imagine fans of Pratchett and Gaiman might appreciate. There are also hints of magic realism and a depth of characterisation that makes the writing truly engaging and a pleasure to read.”
Judith Field, Author 