I’m reviewing In The Shadow of the Gargoyle largely because the Spring 2001 Berkeley Publishing Group catalog which arrived recently had a listing for a novel by Katherine Kurtz called St. Patrick’s Gargoyle. What’s the connection, you ask? Simple — contained in this splendid anthology is a story by Katherine Kurtz called “The Gargoyle’s Shadow” which is set in Dublin, Ireland. I’ve no doubt that it’s the genesis of the forthcoming St. Patrick’s Gargoyle novel! But it’s only one of many fine stories within this theme anthology. In The Shadow of the Gargoyle features fifteen never-before-published stories and three stories the editors call classics of gargoyles in all sorts of settings. (Those stories are Harlan Ellison’s “Bleeding Stones,” Charles de Lint’s “May This Be Your Last Sorrow,” and an excerpt from Brian Lumley’s novel The Luststone.)
This is the first anthology edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and Thomas Roche. It’s important to stress that the definition of gargoyle gets really stretched in this anthology, beyond “decorative rain-spouts guarding old churches” to include things out of nightmares, angels, things that might be hoaxes, sheela-na-gigs, and much more. The back cover says, “For centuries, they have watched over us. Leering from the arches and peaks of ancient cathedrals. Spreading their wings across hallowed doorways. Even decorating our homes in stony, silent elegance. Are they angels or demons? Sacred or profane?” (A pity that no green men come to life in this anthology. We’ll just have to wait for the forthcoming Green Man anthology from Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow for those beings.) [LINK] The best tales are the gargoyle-based ones, but nearly every story here has something to recommend it. I’m not a fan of anthologies. I read little short fiction — only the annual editions of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, and the ever-so-rare short story collections of such authors as Charles de Lint, Terri Windling, and Neil Gaiman — but I found this to be a worthwhile read.
Among the writers in this anthology are Neil Gaiman, Jo Clayton, Brian Lumley, Jane Yolen and Harlan Ellison. In “The Gargoyle’s Shadow,” the gargoyles from the churches in Dublin come alive once a month on the full moon, and gather for a night of conversation amongst themselves. There they learn that a local church was defaced, so one of the gargoyles, on his own, goes off to find the thieves. Katherine Kurtz does a nice job of making gargoyles interesting characters without making them too human. I’m looking forward to the St. Patrick’s Gargoyle novel that I mentioned before.
“The Hour of the Sisters” by the late Jo Clayton is a nicely done look at gargoyles in a very strange setting. This was her last work to be published. The story is also the only one which has a completely fantastic setting. The setting works against the story, as I got so used to reading about gargoyles in more realistic settings that it took a while for me to accept the fantasy world Clayton created. It’s not a bad story per se, but it took some time to grasp. Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris attempt to use a sense of refined humor in their tale of a Scottish gargoyle who has decided to better itself. “Studies in Stone” is one of the best stories collected in In the Shadow of the Gargoyle, and addresses itself to questions about how one improves oneself in the face of ongoing opposition. The basic premise is that having spent four hundred years perched on the same spot of a Scottish university building, a gargoyle named Gryx disengages himself from the building, and enrolls in the university.
I won’t detail all the stories herein; suffice it to say that I’m keeping my copy of In the Shadow of the Gargoyle, as I expect to reread these stories from time to time. Indeed, I must now sit on our couch and savor “The Gargoyle’s Shadow” again.
This anthology of fourteen new stories and three reprints is stronger than most recent theme anthologies, and is one of the better fantasy fiction anthologies of late 1998. You needn’t be a dark fantasy fan to enjoy In the Shadow of the Gargoyle. Go get your own copy — you can’t borrow mine!
(Ace Books, 1998)
