From the Sphinx communicating through a Ouija board to Narcissus’s traditional, terrible fate morphing into his first glimmer of hope, Tales of a Spiritual Sun re-writes the Greek myths as never before. The tales of the familiar are tackled, such as the stories of Medusa, King Midas, and Pandora. Yet, Tales of a Spiritual Sun also includes those that are, perhaps, less well known such as Orpheus, Proteus, and Psyche. All the stories are viewed from new angles or written with modern twists. They take on new lives, with fresh locations and messages at their heart. These include a scientific experiment ready to change the world on the night it is set to end and a personal detective who must decide if a man, claiming his wife is a nymph, is delusional or about to commit an awful crime. Tales of a Spiritual Sun allows readers to discover ancient myths in a bold and original way, in both contemporary and traditional settings.
Reviews:
“A short story collection that offers numerous twists on ancient tales from Greek mythology. Kiritsis begins with a creation myth, “To Propitiate the Earth,” in which the beginning of one world necessitates the end of another, which priestesses try in vain to stop; the end of the story, however, offers a sliver of hope for the future. This opening work effectively shows the author’s ability to balance the dreamlike elements of myths with a modern-feeling narrative structure. Overall, Kiritsis’ stories are skillfully written and introduce an array of memorable players. An offbeat and thought-provoking set of mythic narratives.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Kiritsis is at his best with his lengthy descriptive passages, using language that often evokes imagistic poetry. I found the book to be an engaging page-turner: surprisingly violent and sexually graphic at times, squeamishly uncomfortable at others, but inventive, highly creative, and fascinating throughout. The book interweaves shrewd observations about the human condition into its tales, even throwing in comedic laugh-out-loud lines on occasion, often when least expected.“
David Messineo, Publisher/Poetry Editor, Sensations Magazine
“Because they attempt to make sense out of a seemingly disorganized and chaotic universe, mythological tales have been told and retold for thousands of years. Paul Kiritsis has a unique and profound understanding of myths and shares his insights with his fortunate readers in thismagnificent retelling of the sagas of Orpheus, Pandora, Medusa, Eros, the Trojan Horse, and more. I have read those myths several times, but never before in a form that is both contemporary and ageless, providing road maps to navigate the challenges of our times in a way that is both profound and entertaining.”
Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., Co-author of Personal Mythology
“Entrapment” stands out for the two sides switching in an unexpected and entertaining twist in the end. A kidnapped monastic defends her monastery’s leader, from whom her captor claims he’s rescuing her. This story shows the intricacies the tales exploit, where accepted truths become lies, and the unexpected, the unimaginable becomes the most real and most captivating. The in-depth arguments between characters-the stories’ “meat”-provide multiple perspectives that a wide audience can get behind.”
Mari Carlson, US Review of Books
“Greek myths are revitalized via the modern additions of psychology and science in the involving short story collection Tales of a Spiritual Sun. The effects of the original stories are heightened by the influence of disciplines including biology and psychology. Indeed, the stories recognize that nothing is ever quite as it seems, either in myth or in reality. The line between fact and fiction is blurred in intriguing ways, including with a question of how Aphrodite and Odysseus might fare in the present.”
Foreword Clarion Review