Cantwell, Adam - A Forest With Its Mouth Open Wide

This gathers numerous stories that previously appeared in a chancy Eastern European press, along with two from Egaeus and two from Raphus. All, I believe, are OP.
“Orphans On Granite Tides” essays the collector, the procurer, and the madman. A legendary journal, pages doled out in scraps, charts the departure from a far West paradise into – what? – bitter knowledge? There’s the puzzle. The original scribe could be gaining and sharing tortured wisdom, or could be rationalizing delusions. The collector has his own points, the procurer less.
In any event, this is one of the longest and most accessible tales.
Several stories come across as fragments. Perhaps they connected with adjacent works in the themed tomes from Romania. No idea.
“The European Monster Part 2” seems a cautionary parable of the powerful corruption of the omnipotent despot. And those who curry favor, or furtively retain their position. This was possibly a fantasy when originally published. Now the horizon looms darkly.
The closer, “The Chamber In The Universe”, studies the traveler, the banker, the investor, stranded at the pagan monument. In the middle of the broiling wastes. Will he be missed in time? Will someone even bother with a rescue attempt? Or will he, like the monument, become part of dust and discarded memories?
This hailed from the legendary And The Whore Is This Temple and, while it fittingly closes this collection, it may have been even stronger in that book.
Good to see these titles collected, and as of 2023 02, still available.