The prophets of old had a word for their oracles that has been all but lost to the modern ear…
“Burden”
Unlike counterparts, such as “prophecy” or “vision,” it coveys the weight of the words they were compelled to carry—words that challenged, warned, and threatened.
Drew Kizer’s new collection of short stories works like a series of parables that confront readers with important questions, such as, “What’s my deepest need?” “Why do we suffer?” and “What’s the value of sacrifice?” In this unique offering, Kizer entertains, but he also prods our hearts, touching us in that place only stories dare to go—into the recesses of imagination and soul.
Burdens
In Burdens—Drew Kizer’s first published collection of stories—readers will be fascinated, mystified, and challenged by tales of crooked priests, crestfallen kings, damaged soldiers, enchantresses wielding illicit spells, goodhearted fishermen, and, most significantly, prophets.
Burdens drops us into the middle of a primitive world of prophecies, dreams, and wonders and takes us on wild rides through mountain switchbacks where the winds whisper strange riddles and churning seas where dangerous underwater spires threaten fishing vessels. Read these stories, and you’ll meet a reluctant seer who poisons himself to stop the visions from invading his sleep. You’ll follow an old man leading his red heifer to the sacrificial grounds. You’ll see miracles and travel through time.
Kizer has put together a collection that inspires and entertains.