“A Matter of Perception” a collection of short stories by Tahlia Newland

Thought those of you who enjoy reading SF/Fantasy may be interested in the following review I have written:

A Matter of Perception is a collection of short fantasy stories by writer Tahlia Newland.  There are underlying themes of love and redemption as well as an overall theme of perception and how each character uses how they perceive a situation to change the course of their lives – for good or bad.

A Matter of Perception cover

It begins with The Drorgon Slayer’s Choice, a story filled with gods, monsters and love.  This is an exploration of the hero’s perception of what is happening around her – is she really seeing monsters?  When no-one else sees what she does she must question what she believes and how it affects her actions.  On the other hand, The Boneyard is all about assuming one thing when the reality is quite different.  When the hero’s lover is lured by sirens she has to save him but at what cost to herself?  Mistril’s Mistake looks at how following your heart can lead to some really bad decision making resulting in far reaching consequences.  While A Hole in the Pavement is about self esteem.  When the hero wants to meet the girl that travels on the same bus as himself, his fear gets in the way, creating big holes that he must learn to climb out of.  Not Me, It Can’t Be takes a look at dying, shifting between two realities and exploring the attitudes of the two heroes as well as those around them.  Finally, The Rose Coloured Glasses is a story that compares how the hero feels, in other words what mood she is in, to how she sees and reacts to people and the world around her.

These short stories offer a look at the human condition of perception – what a person sees is often nothing like how another person perceives exactly the same situation.  Newland’s exploration of this offers an interesting viewpoint and the stories are thought provoking.  Each ends with a dilemma either conquered or reached to the point that the question is what will happen next, beyond what the reader has seen on the page.  And love is certainly an important element either as self-love and the importance of how an individual looks at him or herself, or else as the passionate love for another and how it can lead a person to act heroically or irrationally.  Ultimately, A Matter of Perception’s stories have a positive tone and satisfying endings.  It is certainly worth a read.

A Matter of Perception is out now and is currently available as an ebook from the following online book stores:

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0061V4H9C

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/100869

Catapult Press – http://catapultpress.wordpress.com/a-matter-of-perception/

Also coming soon from Tahlia Newland Realm Hunter – a Diamond Peak novella.  Available in  December 2011.

A philosophy student falls in love with a handsome shadow slayer, but their relationship jeopardises the fulfilment of his destiny in another layer of reality that she cannot see or enter. When his master orders him to leave the mundane world for ever, she must find the entrance to the hidden realm and penetrate the veil between the worlds or she will never see him again.