Richard Dansky

Glory be to the literary Gods! The novel is still alive and well in America!

This is a first novel by Richard Dansky, a professional video game engineer and teacher, who lives in North Carolina.

It is also the first book released by a new imprint titled: "Wizards of the Coast -- Discoveries." both of the above have a 100 percent track record.

Dansky's prose follows the literary paths of Flannery O'Connor and James Dickey, while providing a fresh look at the real difference between "home" and "a show more place you pay rent or a mortage on."

Dansky's characterzations are marvelous. Using Papa's adage that "less in more," he paints a pointillistic picture of the preacher, the drug store owner, the black female cop, and Adrianne and Jenna, both of whom I liked.

That's the whole point, I think. There wasn't anyone in the book I didn't like, not even Carl. I think it's an efficient and sharp usage of such characterization to make all those in such a love story as we have here likeable, if not loveable.

It is a love story, you know. Much more than it's a ghost story. If one hails from either the rural South or the mountainous Northeast of these United States, you know what Dansky's doing here. But if you are city born and bred, youi'll probably say "this isn't real," "it screws up at the end," or" he lost me back in the library basement," (or wherever).

Chestertown, New York, about 30 miles into the Adirondack Mouintains, has 500 population. Growing up there and then moving to southern towns, I knew the completeness of the life cycle with our belief in ghosts as departed souls who hadn't finished their tasks in life, and who must wander amongst us until they or one of the living completed that task.

For the city person, this may seem "unreal," and "Promises" for city people seem to be just words, while in the country Promises are kept.

Dansky's language is delicious! Try this opening from the first page of the book:

"I remember a night when I was six years old the way most folks remember their first kiss. Six years old and full of fire, wandering around the house with an empty glass jar in my hand." Instantly, I am six years old again, wandering in my back fields with a glass jar, holes punched in the top, trying to catch worms, a frog or two, maybe even a snake. I have rarely been transported into an author's world with such ease.

I usually read three or four books at once, but from the first line of "Firefly Rain" the only thing that got between me and the end of the book was a night's sleep. I think the last time I did that was with John Irving's "Garp" novel.

I do hope this new bright (young?) voice celebrating our language and our heritage will continue to write and be published. I have been trying to write such a novel for five decades now, and possibly this summer's effort will be such. But I am 65 with four books under my belt, and this young whipper-snapper has written a beautiful story, a classic piece, his first time around!

I do hate him so, but I love his book! show less

This is a good book to curl up with under the covers on a dark and stormy evening. A haunted house, a small-town setting that is both charming and creepy at turns, and a prodigal son returning from the big city years after his parents' death, who gets sucked into it all. Jacob Logan, the main character, has a dry, sardonic wit as he narrates that had me laughing out loud, and was good comic relief in between the spooky bits. He's a believable character particularly in his response to the odd show more events that unfold around him.

My one complaint with the novel is the ending-- it felt a bit too rushed, and something of a letdown. But the novel as a whole was excellent-- slow, delicious buildup to a series of disturbing events, fun characters, witty dialogue, spooky setting and page-turning suspense that will keep you up late turning the pages-- and hiding under the covers. show less

Firefly Rain was the creepiest book I've read in a while, and I mean that in a good way!A quote on the back cover refers to this book as horror, but this isn't what I think of when I see that label.The novel has a very gothic feel, with mysterious happenings, a spooky house, a young protagonist at a crossroads in his life (although I tend to think of gothic novels as featuring women), and even a little romance (key to the plot, although not to the storytelling).The book examines what it mean show more to be from someplace and what it means to belong somewhere. The small town seems like a character at times, and you wonder if the residents are driving the towns atmosphere, or if the town is influencing the actions of the people.I found Jacob to be flawed but sympathetic, and even more importantly, I found him interesting. He's worked hard on his business all of his adult life, and has retreated to his childhood home to decide what comes next.The secondary characters were flat, but deliberately so, I think. They were catalysts in a story that really was about Jacob, his parent's house and the town he was raised it.I'm looking forward to reading more by Richard Dansky. show less

I had high hopes for this novel, particularly as it started out well and demonstrated that Richard Dansky has some writing talent. In the end, my less than enthusiastic review comes down to two main factors, one of which is entirely my fault: namely that the "paranoia" theme - particularly in a small town where everyone seems to be in on "the secret" and is vaguely hostile to the newcomer - is one of my least favorite plot types.

Leaving my own preferences aside however, I can see that show more Richard Dansky has some orginal ideas and has a real talent for writing descriptive passages. After reading the book I could not only imagine what his parents' home looked like, but almost smell it as well. The only real fault I had with his writing was a "cardboard-y" feel to his characters that never let them move beyond one dimensional place holders. Even the narrator is described unevenly and his decisions and actions lack a coherent motivation.

That being said, I would definitely pick up another book by Mr. Dansky as he has all the potential to be a very fine writer after he gains a little more experience. show less