Tales of the Lost Horizon

Every once in a while a book will come along that has everything: stories of adventure, fantasy, science fiction, and the mysterious. Even rarer books will feature a combination of mediums, with short stories, poetry, and illustrations. Tales of the Lost Horizon by award-winning author and screenwriter Michael Eging is one of those books. As a result of encouragement from his daughter, Gwen, these stories come from Eging’s youth and college days and run the gamut of genres, wonderfully blending fairytale and legend with the fantastical and speculative.

The book opens with a poem, Where Are You Now? a little tale of writing and where ideas come from, reaching back into distant history. The first short story of the collection, Procession of the Ants, is a story out of Indian folklore and does a wonderful job of pulling these familiar characters into a well-described world and ending with an amusing moral. The poem The Cry of the Hunt is a tale from ancient Britannia, and with precise words paints a powerful picture of the history and the beliefs of its people. The story Stardusted takes the reader to space and the distant stars on a science fiction adventure, where Eging clearly has a lot of fun creating the world and describing what’s going on.

Tales of the Lost Horizon has something for everyone, whether it’s elves and goblins you’re in search of, or perhaps dwarves and demons. Perhaps you’d like something a little darker that crosses into the realm of horror, then you’ll enjoy From Beyond the Grave. Then again, maybe you’re in the mood for science fiction, well along with Stardusted, you can also enjoy The Cyborg Heartache. Along with each story and poem is an original piece of artwork relating to the tale, each done by a different artist, so much as the writing covers many genres, the artwork covers many styles and it’s a treat to find out what the next illustration will be. Eging credits all the artists right at the beginning of the book, should you want to see more of the artist’s work. Sometimes the piece is obvious and relates directly; sometimes it’s more subtle and obscure. As for Eging’s writing, it’s immediately engaging, drawing you in. He does a great job of describing the scene, whether it be in a poem or short story, painting a full picture in the reader’s mind; while the stories are fun and interesting.

Tales of the Lost Horizon is a great collection to be enjoyed in one long sitting or to be picked up occasionally with a story or poem being read when possible. There’s something for everyone in this book.