Items related to To Dance with Death Beneath the Falling Stars: A very...
What if cancer were a man and it was up to you to track him down and kill him? This book travels through all of the darkness and the light that make up that very journey. It is sad but funny, and heartwarmingly, tragically, hopeful. It goes there, and then comes back, but you will not forget that you have been.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
Judge, 24th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards
Judge's Commentary*:
I wasn't sure what to make of Stephen R. Wagner's TO DANCE WITH DEATH BENEATH THE FALLING STARS initially. What struck me first was the occasional elegance of the prose and the book's interesting structure. Wagner's bout with cancer is the focus of the book, and it doesn't shy away from the grim realities of cancer treatment; seeing my mother go through this before her death allows me to vouch for the authenticity of his descriptions. And yet he somehow manages to depict the treatment without wallowing in self-pity, which is quite an achievement in itself. The book's subtitle is "A very short novel," and I do find myself wondering just how much of it actually is fiction--it reads rather like a memoir with some fantastic elements thrown in. But I also firmly believe that if a writer says a work is fiction, then it's fiction--the author is the one who should be making that call. I can imagine that this is a difficult book to market, as its subject matter is rather grim for the average reader, but I think that the recent success of very intense memoirs like H IS FOR HAWK by Helen Macdonald indicates that many readers are perhaps ready for grown-up books on heavy topics. Wagner is to be applauded for taking his own personal trauma and experience and making something beautiful out of it.
From The Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2016Title: To Dance with Death Beneath the Falling Stars: A very short novel
Author: Stephen Wagner
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 28
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 3/10
Of the 28 readers:
25 would read another book by this author.
2 thought the cover was good or excellent.
26 felt it was easy to follow.
26 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
16 felt the author's strongest skill was 'plotting a story'.
Readers' Comments
'A very interesting, indeed clever, take on the battle with cancer. The writing is pretty good although the short chapters are ridiculously short. Dark with elements of humour.' Male reader, aged 34
'Philosophical, albeit rather sad. A moving story that is well-written. I congratulate the author on sharing it with his readers. Sadly, the cover is terrible. This book is deserving of much better.' Female reader, aged 43
'This author is very, very good. He works well with character and speech. I'm not so keen on the short chapters. The dark detective story is a wonderfully smart way of looking at the battle with cancer. I think anybody suffering from this terrible sickness will find this novel rewarding.' Male reader, aged 56
'Not an easy read but still rewarding. The title, I felt, didn't work for this novel. It felt a bit flimsy.' Female reader, aged 50
'There's a good flow to this book. The writing style has a jaunty sort of feel to it; flowing, a little bit velvety perhaps. I enjoyed the language very much. It felt like a warm blanket to wrap myself in. The subject matter is difficult to swallow. Well done to the author for writing it so bravely. By the way, the cover needs sorting.' Female reader, aged 67
Catchy Quote
'Dark, powerful with surprising moments of humour.' The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Judge, 24th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards
Judge's Commentary*:
I wasn't sure what to make of Stephen R. Wagner's TO DANCE WITH DEATH BENEATH THE FALLING STARS initially. What struck me first was the occasional elegance of the prose and the book's interesting structure. Wagner's bout with cancer is the focus of the book, and it doesn't shy away from the grim realities of cancer treatment; seeing my mother go through this before her death allows me to vouch for the authenticity of his descriptions. And yet he somehow manages to depict the treatment without wallowing in self-pity, which is quite an achievement in itself. The book's subtitle is "A very short novel," and I do find myself wondering just how much of it actually is fiction--it reads rather like a memoir with some fantastic elements thrown in. But I also firmly believe that if a writer says a work is fiction, then it's fiction--the author is the one who should be making that call. I can imagine that this is a difficult book to market, as its subject matter is rather grim for the average reader, but I think that the recent success of very intense memoirs like H IS FOR HAWK by Helen Macdonald indicates that many readers are perhaps ready for grown-up books on heavy topics. Wagner is to be applauded for taking his own personal trauma and experience and making something beautiful out of it.
From The Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2016Title: To Dance with Death Beneath the Falling Stars: A very short novel
Author: Stephen Wagner
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 28
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 3/10
Of the 28 readers:
25 would read another book by this author.
2 thought the cover was good or excellent.
26 felt it was easy to follow.
26 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
16 felt the author's strongest skill was 'plotting a story'.
Readers' Comments
'A very interesting, indeed clever, take on the battle with cancer. The writing is pretty good although the short chapters are ridiculously short. Dark with elements of humour.' Male reader, aged 34
'Philosophical, albeit rather sad. A moving story that is well-written. I congratulate the author on sharing it with his readers. Sadly, the cover is terrible. This book is deserving of much better.' Female reader, aged 43
'This author is very, very good. He works well with character and speech. I'm not so keen on the short chapters. The dark detective story is a wonderfully smart way of looking at the battle with cancer. I think anybody suffering from this terrible sickness will find this novel rewarding.' Male reader, aged 56
'Not an easy read but still rewarding. The title, I felt, didn't work for this novel. It felt a bit flimsy.' Female reader, aged 50
'There's a good flow to this book. The writing style has a jaunty sort of feel to it; flowing, a little bit velvety perhaps. I enjoyed the language very much. It felt like a warm blanket to wrap myself in. The subject matter is difficult to swallow. Well done to the author for writing it so bravely. By the way, the cover needs sorting.' Female reader, aged 67
Catchy Quote
'Dark, powerful with surprising moments of humour.' The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherCreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
- Publication date2016
- ISBN 10 1502472708
- ISBN 13 9781502472700
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages220
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To Dance with Death Beneath the Falling Stars: A very short novel
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ISBN 13: 9781502472700
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Stock Image
To Dance with Death Beneath the Falling Stars: A very short novel
Published by
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
(2016)
ISBN 10: 1502472708
ISBN 13: 9781502472700
New
Paperback / softback
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. This item is printed on demand. New copy - Usually dispatched within 5-9 working days. Seller Inventory # C9781502472700
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