God Damned Avalon is a collection of super-charged flash fiction from word artist Paul Edward Costa. Commencing with Distorted Reflections of a Pilgrim, a surreal odyssey through a series of enigmatic vignettes, each imbued with its own sense of disquiet and enigma. Isolation, displacement, symbolism, and surreal imagery converge in an existential quest for meaning, inviting readers to ponder the nature of reality and the enigmas of the human condition.
In Sailboat On The Radio Waves, we are transported through a vivid recollection of an imaginative young boy battling sleepless nights and finding solace in his imagination.
Among my favourites is The Silent Minority which delves into the fixation of an individual on a boy eating a sandwich. Through this peculiar projection, the deliberate and unconscious act of eating becomes a metaphor for the author’s own journey on a bus bound for nowhere in particular.
The Spirit Fermenting In The Hour Glass and Lucid Dream Of The Analogue Clock both anthropomorphize an hourglass and a clock, respectively, as they resist their assumed roles in timekeeping. These narratives challenge the notion that time should be tracked, highlighting it as a distraction from the present moment. Time is, after all, a man-made invention, one that doesn’t have to rule our lives.
In Room Limit (I-IV) time is portrayed through a clock depicted as an eye rather than a traditional timekeeping device. This personification lends an omnipresent awareness to time’s progression and its impact on the individual. The clock’s chimes punctuate the narrative, marking shifts in perception and understanding while underscoring the manipulation of time within the story.
The Modern Theseus delves into the labyrinthine passage of time, challenging conventional understanding. Here, time within the labyrinth extends beyond physical dimensions, distorting perception of both time and space. The true peril lies not in a tangible monster lurking within, but in the psychological and existential trap it represents. Stepping inside signifies a point of no return, a profound shift in one’s perception of reality and existence.
The final work, The Chronicle Of Everything marks the end of the world as we know it. And it all goes down in a very unceremonious fashion, which may not be far from the way it actually goes down.
Costa’s wonderfully detailed illustrations peppered throughout are as whimsical as they are evocative, providing visual summaries of the story ahead. God Damned Avalon is an opportunity to reflect on ourselves and our role(s) within society, and is filled with Costa’s vivid imagination and unflinching use of words that take aim at the power structures that be.
God Damned Avalon is available through Mosaic Press.
Review by Raymond Helkio for
The Reading Salon.
