Book Review: The Imagined Homecoming of Icarus Isakov
The Imagined Homecoming of Icarus Isakov. Steve Wiley. Lavender Line Press LLC, March 27, 2020, Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and E-book, 228 pages.
Reviewed by T. L. Needham.
Before I undertook the mission to read and review The Imagined Homecoming of Icarus Isakov, I did my usual due diligence by checking out the author and publisher. I learned that the author, Steve Wiley, resides in Chicagoland. And, “Steve has an undergraduate degree in something he has forgotten from Illinois University and a graduate degree in something equally forgotten from DePaul University.” This told me enough to check out his publisher: “Lavender Line Press is a privately owned, fictional operation of fiction, whose mission it is to publish books that don't suck.”
Now that I have read The Imagined Homecoming of Icarus Isakov, I am pleased to report that my first impression, that he does not take himself too seriously, is well-founded. And, after reviewing the Lavender Line Press mission, I am pleased to report this book does not suck if you do not take it too seriously.
From the first pages, I found my imagination triggered time and time again, to a threshold beyond my usual limits. The author tells an engaging tale that will amaze the reader with each new development. A homecoming tale unlike any other, The Imagined Homecoming of Icarus Isakov recounts the fantastical return home of a goblin anti-hero as a determined narrator, Icarus Isakov, who receives an unexpected letter from Ruby, a long-lost love of his youth. Icarus takes the reader on a surreal quest in a magical land of nostalgia and longings for a past that exists now only in a memory.
In this remarkable fantasy, the story is launched into a series of adventures, driven mainly by "memories" as drinks only served in the Forgetful Faun Inn. Each memory drives a challenge to find Ruby, the elusive lost love. In his memory-quest, Icarus encounters "The Lighthouse of the Lost," a mermaid in the sea of wishes, and the mine of secrets aided by a dreamcatcher in the treehouse of his youth, and he shares with Ruby the dream where dreams come true. All this, and there is so much more. For example, in Forgetful Faun Inn, there is a wonderful old jukebox that only plays songs from the date on the coin inserted to play a song—again, only memories served herein.
As I traveled along with Icarus Isakov, I compared the experience to other classic tales, such as The Wizard of Oz, Alice In Wonderland, and the recent Harry Potter series. Each story is a timeless classic. And, in the end, I found myself totally impressed with this story too—an excellent addition to this genre.
The Imagined Homecoming of Icarus Isakov is a great tale for anyone who ever found or lost love, and is haunted by the loving memory of a first or final kiss. Readers will relate to this engaging and delightful romp into fantasyland. It certainly does not suck, and the author and publisher can be proud to say: mission accomplished.