Book Review: Stone Martyrs by Erik Hofstatter

Stone Martyrs is the name of Erik Hofstatter’s brand new work due for release in February 2025 as part of the Aqueduct Press Conversation Pieces Series.

The Aqueduct Press Conversation Pieces Series focuses on feminist science fiction charting through time with an ever shifting mosaic of literature from short fiction, essays, poetry, speeches, interviews and more. This grand conversation on the “oppositional literature” can be traced back at least as far as Mary Shelley and while there has been ground made in recent decades in freeing feminist science fiction stories, it still wouldn’t necessarily be seen as mainstream, especially when looking backwards.

The Conversation Pieces Series presents these texts, sometime reprinted, sometimes brand new fiction to keep the conversation going through stories that aren’t always written by females, aren’t always science fiction, but all add to the wider conversation. Stone Martyrs, by Erik Hofstatter, will be the 95th chapter of the series.

Erik Hofstatter is a dark fiction writer, born in the Czech Republic but now living in Kent, England. He studied creative writing at the London School of Journalism and his work has appeared in various magazines and podcasts around the world such as Morpheus Tales, The Literary Hatchet, Wicked Library, Manor House Show, and The Black Room Manuscripts Volume IV. Other works include Katerina, The Crabian Heart, The Hurricane Caged Inside Her and the Tristan Grieves fragments, Antidote Illusions and Soaking in Strange Hours, to name just a few.

Have you ever written to ether? When pain was the only ink available to you? When envelopes were made of flesh?

Stone Martyrs focuses on an old English Legend surrounding the very real Rollright Stones in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. The Stones are an ancient complex of megalithic monuments that span nearly 2000 years of Neolithic and Bronze age development. The legend part comes from Mother Shipton (aka Ursula Southeil). According to folklore, Mother Shipton was a soothsayer and prophetess. She has been described as a witch, and through writings in 1610 by William Camden, is said to have transformed a King and his men to stone after failing her test. The stones today are multiple sites named Whispering Knights, The King’s Men and The King Stone.

Erik Hofstatter applies creative license to this legend through poetry and lyricism that circulates thoughts between Mother Shipton, her mother, their lover as well as looking at the dynamics of a love triangle between two “whispering knights” and their maid.

These are their unheard confessions. Thoughts addressed, but never answered. When only trees listened, when stones had feelings. A collection of words their hearts never had the courage to say. Until now.

This isn’t an easy review to write. I imagine reviewing something like Stone Martyrs is on an equivalent level as someone back in the early 1600’s trying to write reviews of Shakespeare’s works as they adapted themselves to new words and poetic ways of writing. I have found that with each Erik Hofstatter novel that I read. His writing style is heavily poetic, very noir and almost cryptic. It demands attention – there is no skimming here or you will quickly find yourself lost. I often find myself reading and rereading to make sure I fully understand and absorb the message being delivered. I think you need to have a love of language to fully appreciate Erik Hofstatter, in any book, including Stone Martyrs.

Even with rereading, Stone Martyrs isn’t a long read with each page containing a verse/paragraph but it is highly effective. As you reach the end, you may not fully understand what you have written but there is a helpful explanation of what the Rollright Stones are, and what the author is looking to achieve here. That helps, but with it coming at the end, for me, it actually encouraged me to go back and reread it, armed with a better understanding of the aims so that I could make sure I had fully attended to each verse and it’s deeper meaning.

The stories and visuals that are conjured up as you read each passage are intense, disturbing and actually quite moving.It reads like a play, almost and there is great use of language to really please any lover of wordplay.

Erik Hofstatter is a clever write. A master of words, and he uses his wide breadth of talent to create something quite special here. A fully fleshed out story that grows bones using the most minimal amount of words teaching us all that it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it that counts. Stone Martyrs is not an easy read and in no way a traditional novel but if you want to be challenged, if you find happiness in words and language all while feeling yourself suffocated under a dark and desperate shroud of what is really a very sad and horrific story, look no further.

Erik Hofstatter Links