Title: A Man of Principle
Author: Victor J Banis
Publisher: Amber Allure
Buy Link: Buy Link A Man Of Principle
Genre: Mystery
Length: Short Story (5k words)
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
A Guest Review by Cole
Review Summary: A master storyteller spins a masterful story about a man who needs to unburden himself from his sins, and then at it’s end, gives the reader the threads to weave an eerie new light through which to see and understand the man in a new way.
BLURB
It begins with a chance meeting in a bar…
Temporarily homeless, Neal MacIntyre is invited by a charitable stranger to spend the night at his apartment. “I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anyone else,” Neal says to his new acquaintance. “I always thought of myself as an honest man. I would have said a man of principle…”
And with those words, Neal introduces an eerie tale of betrayal that leads to murder…
REVIEW
From the very beginning of the story, the mood is set, as our narrator stops at a local bar for a nightcap after visiting the opera Faust. This alone tells us a bit about the story to come. Goethe’s Faust (the version of the German tale the opera is based on) at its basic elements is a story about a man whose lust, be it for knowledge or earthly pleasure, convinces him to give up all dignity, and in his ignorance and greed, ends up ruining the lives of countless others. In this tragic story by Victor Banis, our narrator is the nameless man who witnesses a man’s confession about his dealings with the devil, or Faust in disguise, and in his witnessing of the forthcoming tale, hears a story of greed, betrayal, and murder.
After bringing the man home from the bar, who tells him that he isn’t gay, our narrator sets him up to sleep on his couch. As the man undresses, our narrator remarks to him “You look like a man who has something on his mind.” To which the man later replies, “I’ve really wanted to tell someone…I killed someone.” The best thing about this story is how the dialogue compliments the mood set early on, before they ever leave the bar. The mood is reminiscent of Hitchcock, which is often alluded to just to sing praise, but in this case, actually accomplishes the same things that made Hitchcock so famous — the setting of a scene as if to make every viewer/reader is a participant, make them feel that this unnatural thing happening can happen to them at any time, for no reason other than happenstance. A man walks into a bar, another man joins him in conversation about the opera, then proceeds to hint that the man invite him home. Once they’re home, as if scripted, the man begins to spin his story. The motivations of the man our narrator brings home aren’t ever quite understood, just as they are supposed to be. He is an enigma, he is representative of the cloaked man who brings doom into our lives. Maybe some readers will not see this at all. To them, the man’s story might not even be real, and therefore the man becomes a master weaver, who for whatever reason is playing a game. That is the best part about this story is that it means so many different things, and Neal, the man telling the story — we know nothing about him except what he wants to show us, which admittedly, isn’t much.
I’ve enjoyed Victor Banis’ stories for a long time now, and I’m happy to say that this is a worthy addition to his growing collection of wonderful stories. I loved this story, I read it three times in succession in about thirty minutes. For a story to have such an impact in such a short amount of time, shows what an amazing author Victor is. I recommend this it wholeheartedly and I have a feeling that I will pull it out from time to time when I want to revisit a character that truly chilled me in a way one has ever before.
Cole, thank you for a lovely review, and also one in which you were able to read between the lines and get the things I left unsaid (about the opera, e.g., which I thought was probably too subtle to come across)
Neal is a chilling character, isn’t he – and yet he really does see himself as a man of principle.
What is so amazing about Neal, Victor, is that he is so convincing when he tells his story. Then, you wrote the master stroke, right at the end, and I was pulled out of his story so forcefully at his offer to the narrator that it really chilled me.
Bravo, Victor! Another great one 🙂
Wow. WOW. Okay, I gotta get me this. I am a big fan of Victor’s writing, and your review sold me on a story I was already eying. Thanks Cole.
Lynn,
This story is wonderful and really top-notch writing. Of course, that is to be expected with Victor, but I know you’ll love this one 🙂
Cole, this sounds brilliant. I haven’t read Victor Banis before but this sounds like an amazing read. Plus I love Faust so I’m definitely getting it! Thanks for such a great review 😀
Leslie, I’m happy to see that you’re going to read something of Victor’s. He really has a way with words. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this story 🙂
Cole
I read this one sometime ago and loved all the little nuances. Victor is such a terrific story teller and he is an expert at setting the stage.
Great job on the review Cole.
Wave,
You’re right about how great he is setting the stage. I can almost see these likes scenes in a play, especially stories that are basically a dialogue like this one is. Considering that, this story does everything it would in a theatre — mood, lighting, tenor of voices — it is all there. I love reading his stories because they’re smart and are a sensual reading experience.
I’ve enjoyed reading Victor’s stories and definitely look forward to this one. Sounds great. Thanks for the insightful review. Great job, Cole! 🙂
Thanks Lily,
This is Victor at his best. You’ll love it 🙂
Hmmm Victor Banis’ books are usually not my thing, but I might just make an exception for this one. Faustus was my favorite lit. story after Hamlet. Morbid tastes I have 😛
Great review Cole!!
Hey Larissa!
I would think that you’d be way into Victor Banis’ books because you like horror, right? Or am I totally wrong? Maybe it is the type of horror. I must admit that Victor has quite a bit of books and I’ve read very few of them, but I’ve enjoyed all the ones I have read. 🙂
Thanks to all for your comments. Curious, Larissa, which of my stories or books have you read? My writing is pretty eclectic, so it may just be that you haven’t found the one that matches your tastes, but that really doesn’t mean it’s not out there. I know, for instance, that a lot of people don’t like horror and so they wouldn’t enjoy Dead of Night, but I think anyone who has read much of my output would agree that isn’t typical either.
Just curious – and I do know, of course, that some just won’t like my writing, period. Everyone’s tastes are different.
Victor, I just wanted to tell you that you’re a real class act. So many authors have heavy presences on the web these days. They need to promote themselves, their work, etc. I understand that. But they often get too involved, if you know what I mean, and it leaves a bad taste in some reader’s and reviewer’s mouths. You’re always very gracious and helpful and I appreciate that. I’m sure a lot of other readers do as well.
Then again, you’ve been around longer, and didn’t start out purely in e-publishing, right? That, and your writing crosses different genre’s of gay fiction, not simply romance. So, maybe that is why. Anyway, thank you for being a great author, but also a great guy.
Cole, thanks for the compliments. Yes, Lordy, I have been around a long time, starting way back in print, and in every imaginable genre, including hetero. But I have a great respect and fondness for my fellow writers in the glbt genre and for our readers. It seemed not so very long ago that the genre was dead, and now here it is flourishing. And I saw, Hooray. And part of the credit goes to reviewers like you and sites like this one, which let me promote my work in (I hope) a tasteful way.
But you know, when all is said and done, I’m just another word junkie.