Storybook Favorites

(The Storyteller painted by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo within 1727–1804, taken from Wikimedia Commons )

Yama's Collected Souls

This publication has a mystifying black layout with captivating usage of images, as well as an attractive element adding a human element mythical figures with the premise being a recounting of particular souls collected by the death god Yama. Unfortunately it gets a little messy in execution. While the introduction establishes the narrator as Yama, the stories do not indicate his position as the storyteller clearly enough. The introduction also establishes the stories afterwards as "opening your mind to the purpose of death," but while the stories came to a definite ending and each holds an important death, it did not enlighten me to how death is important as a force of nature in any story. An interesting concept, but messy.

Creatures of Irish Lore

The dominating green layout and images of Irish landscapes and folklore coupled with the induction of Irish dialect into the narrators of each fable make this collection of stories incredibly immersive by capturing the feel of Irish history. Three backpackers stumble into a bar on a stormy night and hear three accounts of apparent supernatural encounters of misfortune with the creatures of Irish folklore. This collection, more than any of these three, demonstrates my wonder in having the worlds of the supernatural and everyday interact, and the joys and perils that come with it.

Monstrous Beings of Greek Mythology

The layout is simple, the usage of images could have been more elaborate, and the content is short, but the distinct writing styles in each story make each of these Greek-inspired drabbles feel unique and inviting. Outside of the third story, the stories themselves don't seem too original, but I feel taking into account multiple styles is a great way to make even the most tired of stories feel new, such as in the account of Jason's travels through letter and the firsthand experience of the terrors of Charybdis and Scylla.