"Imagine if you will, a you that eternity could never possibly comprehend, trapped deep within walls of flesh-n-bone, but a mere shadow, the reflection of an infinite, abysmal
darkness--forsaken, devoid, wretched, and wanton. That is the life of a Shadowleiche, my life, such as it is, lonely and desolate. Nevertheless, I have grown accustomed to the darkness; its thin veil of calm conceals the merciless wrath that I have set loose indiscriminately on the world for centuries."
Cheryl Anne Gardner introduces the character of Caliné in her second
novella, Logos, with familiar eloquence. Caliné is somewhat of a damned otherworldly being, an agent of Chaos not really identifiable as anything typical of paranormal lore, but an immortal nonetheless: a Leiche. She traverses time, beginning her existence as a Roman slave, developing the powers she has been gifted, maturing into a young woman and creating a temporal
reality within each era.
Caliné uses
death as a means of salvation for people she encounters along the way, both noble and evil. Death becomes an alluring alternative to the struggles of life, whether her charges are cognizant of their expedited fate or not. No one is immune to her ministrations. The power of Chaos requires her denial of love lest she become a slave to it, which is a dangerous possibility in the presence of Lucius.
Logos is very similar to Gardner''s first novella, The Kissing Room , in its depth and esoteric prose. The seductive style with which she writes is stimulating in an intellectual
sense, but softened by emotion. Immersion into Gardner''s macabre settings is inevitable for the reader. Another consistency among her works is the sense of desperation the reader will feel when they
realize they are reading the last page and there are no more of Gardner''s words to remain absorbed in. Reality takes hold and you realize you''ve become addicted to a new niche of
literature, and the next fix can''t come soon enough.
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