Review of The Sad Eyes of the Lewis Chessmen by George Berguño

Taking inspiration from Icelandic sagas, mixing in old-fashioned atmospheric horror tale aesthetics, as well as provincial, unsettling conversations at far-flung cafés, the reading experience may be enhanced if you enjoy the work of Bulgakov and Flaubert.

The Sad Eyes of the Lewis Chessmen
Flaubert’s Alexandrine
The Leviathan at Rifsker
The Son’s Crime
Billy Goat Blues
The Bannað
The Farewell Letter
The Woman from Malta
The Dogs of Valparaiso

I adore tales told in Europe, about fabulous phenomena, about strange people chasing after phantoms or enacting cruel justice upon one another. Hence I found great enjoyment from these stories. Some of the circumstances described are ghost-story-adjacent, like the first tale of the somewhat haunted chess puzzle. As an amateur player, I’ve often experienced the dramatic discomfort of facing opponents whose skill is not only beyond my own but truly beyond my comprehension. There is a sudden, overwhelming despair, accompanied by a disturbing awareness of the fathomless depths forever hidden from view. One can but grope around in the shallows.

“Billy Goat Blues” attempts to reconcile poetry with inscrutable violence.
“The Leviathan at Rifsker” tells of an encounter with a great sea monster and ensuing chaos in a Viking-esque setting.
“The Son’s Crime” is a weird mystery of madness taking place in a museum.
“The Bannað” invokes a simulacrum of ancient Icelandic literature. Magical Realist and dreamlike.
“The Woman from Malta” was very impressive. A creepy recounting worthy of M. R. James. Subtle shades of terror invade another luscious setting.
“The Farewell Letter” was an elegant paean to a Russian author’s frustrations amid censorship.
“The Dogs of Valparaiso” marked a strong finish for the collection. Another story within a story. Philosophy, the unconscionable behavior of people and stray dogs, and a lingering sense of injustice within the lower rungs of the world.

The book will reward repeated reading. The way the author conjures compelling scenes smacks of storytelling mastery. His work is unpredictable and defies convention. 5 stories were previously published in the sold-out edition of The Exorcist’s Travelogue. Also offered from Egaeus Press is the author’s must-have volume The Tainted Earth. Rounding out my collection is the currently on-order reprint of “Sons of Ishmael.”

With chameleonic style and inimitable vision the author is comfortable working in the liminal space between cosmic weird fiction and historical mythmaking.
With great anticipation I hope to complete the author’s published works later this year.