Published: May 07, 2011
Words: 26240 (approximate)
Language: English

Ebook short description

In these five stories, you will meet people significant to the life of young Maldito and the fictional village of Agua Rocosa. Eufemia and José, his parents; the Storyteller himself, Juan-Carlos; and several other colorful characters who live on the edge of magic. If you've enjoyed the works of Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende, you will enjoy these Stories from the Cantina.

Extended description

In these five stories, you will meet people significant to the life of Maldito and the fictional village of Agua Rocosa. Eufemia and José, each of whom is the 13th child of a 13th child, she of a line of mothers, he of a line of fathers, are Maldito's unwilling parents. José comes from a long line of fishermen and is witty, intelligent and above all, tough. Eufemia is obsessed with the ancients and can hold her own with anyone. Her sheer power of will is indomitable. Will their union break the curse and produce the child that will fulfill the prophecy of ancient Mayans? Of course you will meet the unfortunate Maldito himself. How will he survive a loveless home, bereft of care and any but the most basic interactions? Like all of us, he is susceptible at the spirit level to the barbs and kindnesses of others. Perhaps you will care. Perhaps you can help him as he tries to make his way. In the third story in this sequence, you will see young Maldito on the streets of Agua Rocosa, sketch... (Read more) In these five stories, you will meet people significant to the life of Maldito and the fictional village of Agua Rocosa. Eufemia and José, each of whom is the 13th child of a 13th child, she of a line of mothers, he of a line of fathers, are Maldito's unwilling parents. José comes from a long line of fishermen and is witty, intelligent and above all, tough. Eufemia is obsessed with the ancients and can hold her own with anyone. Her sheer power of will is indomitable. Will their union break the curse and produce the child that will fulfill the prophecy of ancient Mayans? Of course you will meet the unfortunate Maldito himself. How will he survive a loveless home, bereft of care and any but the most basic interactions? Like all of us, he is susceptible at the spirit level to the barbs and kindnesses of others. Perhaps you will care. Perhaps you can help him as he tries to make his way. In the third story in this sequence, you will see young Maldito on the streets of Agua Rocosa, sketching the buildings and tourists there. But watch carefully! He also sketches things others are simply not able to capture on paper: the wind worrying and lost among rocks on a hillside, the sheer joy in the bright smile of the sun, the sorrow weeping from a heavily laden rain cloud. You will come to know the Storyteller himself of the Stories from the Cantina, Juan-Carlos Salazár, who witnessed the beginning of a prophecy at the age of seven and has never forgotten it. To keep his customers entertained, he relates stories of the magic that lives all around but that many forget once they don the cloak of adulthood. And finally you will be sitting at the bar when Juan-Carlos tells the story of The Man of Mud, whose unnatural birth he personally witnessed when he was only seven years old. Some forty years later, he understands what the man of mud meant when he uttered the words "one wrongly called accursed will come." Come along and witness the fulfillment of ancient prophecy. If you've enjoyed the works of Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende, you will enjoy these Stories from the Cantina.
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Tags

fantasy, paranormal, short story, magic realism, cantina, surrealism, stanbrough, stories from the cantina

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Reviews

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Review by: Hugh Starkey on June 16, 2011 :
Harvey Stanbrough, in Stories from the Cantina, has created an intriguing series of short stories that, even though each stands on its own, are tied together with a magical thread. Each story drives the reader to the next. Once starting on Jose's journey I felt compelled to follow that thread and experience each new character as each came alive. I could not help but to empathize with Maldito and I eagerly await more stories from the cantina.

This is a great read for those familiar or new to the genre.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Gloria Esquerra on June 13, 2011 :
From the wonderful imagination of Harvey Stanbrough come Stories from the Cantina and the characters who reside in the fictional village of Agua Rocosa: among them - Eufemia and Jose, a fated couple who, perhaps, never should have connected, their youngest son, poor discarded Maldito, Juan-Carlos, the storyteller who weaves tales that leaves readers wondering if the bartender is simply a spinner of nonsense or of truths. Accomplished in his use of descriptive language, Stanbrough drops readers right into the broiling, dry, dusty setting of Agua Rocosa. We disembark an old, lurching bus with tourists, and being just as hot and parched as they, we head with them into the shade and in search of cooling refreshments. We spend time in the dimly lighted Cantina, and like a fly on the wall, listen to the magical stories spun by Juan-Carlos. We leave the Cantina wondering if his stories hold truths. Is there indeed a prophesy out there in the godforsaken village of Agua Rocosa, and is poor Maldito a possible fulfillment of that prophesy?

Stories from the Cantina, magic-realism at its finest. A fantastic read for all.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Robert Hunton on June 03, 2011 :
'Stories from the Cantina' and the tragedy of Maldito's childhood brought me to the edge of a deep sense of caring and concern I've always felt for the unloved and emotionally detached children of the world--in the Hispanic setting created by Stanbrough, or among the poor of so many strife-torn nations, and yes, definitely here in the Americas too. Why would we wonder then about the actions or decisions of such children as adults? What are the true costs of neglect, and the consequences resulting from the misguided application of custom and tradition, particularly as it relates to spirituality and religious belief?

Stanbrough's real talent, and what draws me to return often to his work, is his ability to write dangerously, to take apart (dismantle) one's general sense of the order/fairness of things, and require, upon re-examination of the soul, the rebuilding or reconstruction of the same. Bluntly, he makes me wonder if anything I thought was true, really is. He has the gifted ability to keep me right on that edge I mentioned earlier, my mind so fascinated by the meaning of each of his words that I cannot stop my eyes from darting ahead to the next...and the next. An importantly worthwhile...beautiful...experience.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Diane Farone on June 01, 2011 : (no rating)
Stories from the Cantina is a collection of five related short stories. In his introduction the author promises a "magical world that exists all around the edges of our mundane, routine daily existence". He also describes that world as a place "where reality folds into imagination". The book certainly delivers on these promises. The stories gracefully weave through magic to mundane and back to magic. The author takes us readers through the curse of thirteen generations of the 13th child of a 13th child then puts us, as tourists, in a small village bar. The bartender is an amusing story teller as well as a prophet. The last story leaves one eager to read more about what happens when little Maldito grows up.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by: Dan Baldwin on May 26, 2011 : (no rating)
I didn't even know what magic realism was till I read Stories from the Cantina. Now I'm hooked on the genre. I can think of no better introduction than this book of short stories. Each one stands on its own, but read in sequence they tell a remarkable story. Harvey's skill as a writer makes you not only read, but read again and again - each time with a new appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the work. These are great stories. Buy your ticket now, step on board and get ready to enjoy a great ride.
Dan Baldwin/Author:Caldera series of Westerns
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

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