Here is a riddle: What do Jack the Ripper, God, Satan, Jesus Christ, the death of the dinosaurs, the theory of evolution and, of course, Hippies, all have in common? Answer: Woman In Black tells you who all of these figures are, what impact they had on time, and what really became of them. In that way, Woman In Black, which is the signature story of this book, can be viewed as controversial, though most people will just find it to be an action filled, wild ride through space and time.
Here is a riddle: What do Jack the Ripper, God, Satan, Jesus Christ, the death of the dinosaurs, the theory of evolution and, of course, Hippies, all have in common? Answer: Woman In Black tells you who all of these figures are, what impact they had on time, and what really became of them. In that way, Woman In Black, which is the signature story of this book, can be viewed as controversial, though most people will just find it to be an action filled, wild ride through space and time.
Woman In Black is an highly eclectic collection of seventeen short stories and novellas written around three themes: Love, Heroism, and Adventure. The stories are written in a variety of genres even though several stories share the same theme.
The signature story, Woman in Black, is a complex, and controversial science fiction novella which follows the adventures of Debra, a beautiful and deadly young woman, who represents the “better half” of the Men In Black; those fabled men in dark suits whose appearances have been chronicled since the 1950’s when America’s fascination with UFO’s turned into a cultural phenomenon. Debra travels back in time to deal with a particularly pesky alien we all know historically by the name of Jack the Ripper. Who Jack really is and how she has to deal with him is the crux of the story.
Also in the anthology is the heroic and uplifting tale, Jennifer Rising, in which a dog saves a family from perishing in a disaster, as well as a one-act play about God. Given the variety of stories offered in this book, there is something for everyone, from every walk of life.
Far from being a dead art form, as some have contended, Darling believes that the short story is the ideal form of fiction considering the busy times we live in, since most stories in this format can be read and enjoyed in one sitting.
