House of the Dead - Elizabeth Wilson - Bog

"You know what souls are, don't you, my dear? In their purest form? They're stories." Would your life be a story that death would like to tell? Hopelessly curious, eleven-year-old Blake Callaghan is unable to resist the allure of the abandoned monolith of a house at the end of her street. Climbing the mossy stone wall, she finds herself in an impossible garden, where she is greeted by a kind and knowing old man who teaches her about the realm of fairies: a misunderstood world that offers new insights into death, life, and the power of story. These quiet evenings spent with Mr. Donn and his tales about the Otherworld inspire a new perspective on life that will follow Blake - and the reader - for the rest of her days. House of the Dead is a collection of stories that delves deeply into the rich and haunting domain of Irish mythology, where the mist never settles, things that should be right-side up are upside down, and life is a rare commodity. You, the reader, are invited to join Blake on a journey into a folklore that spans centuries and steps on eternity itself. In this book you will encounter the Dullahan, the headless horseman who heralds death; the cat sidhe, whose fascination with mortal life can have disastrous consequences; and a changeling who dares to defy legend. Filled with childlike wonder in the face of the unknown, these tales encompass a world of fantastic creatures and wild places brimming with magic and mystery, and readers will find themselves dancing with the dead alongside Blake in this heartfelt examination of death and myth.