Sorrow's Heart is a dark fantasy novel written by G.S. Scott. Life was harsh in the priest's house. She, her brother, Rosh, and the other children lived in cages in the basement along with the animals Master Ruddick used in his experiments. During the day, they would be released from their cages to clean the house and perform domestic chores. They didn't have any clothing to wear, as they were never allowed out, and clothing cost money. The master performed experiments on his human charges, and it felt to her as though someone was slicing through her brain with knives when she was the subject. She and Rosh had been there for so long, for most of their lives, though the other kids never lasted very long. Their time for the master's in-depth experiments on his terrifying, bloody table always came too soon, and the caged ones knew it was only a matter of time until the screaming stopped, and they would see the latest child's lifeless body lying on the heap of animal corpses. The basement was a terrifying place at best, but when the screams of the tortured rang out through the room, it was a horror. When Rosh's eyes changed, and Master Ruddick's experiments led to his death, she decided she would keep strictly to herself and let no one in, not even the frightened girl who tried to be her friend and who kept on asking her name. She had no name, and her family hadn't wanted her.

G.S. Scott's adult fairy tale, Sorrow's Heart, is a stunningly dark and beautiful coming of age tale. Scott's heroine's stark and miserable existence at the hands of Master Ruddick, a priest of Chaos, seems doomed to end in that charnel dungeon of a basement, but only after a lifetime of excruciating torment and servitude. And then, something special happens. A most unlikely friend appears, one who changes her life in the most unexpected ways. This lush and decadent tale pitting innocence against the corrupt and worldly priests of Chaos has strong roots in the Germanic fairy tales children delight in, while some adults invariably suppress a shudder when realizing quite how dark those old Grimm and Andersen tales really were. Sorrow's Heart is a captivating fairy tale with elements of a psychological thriller woven throughout. Scott's plot is the stuff of high dark fantasy, and his characters transcend the archetypes one normally encounters in such works. His writing is spare, elegant, and perfectly suited for this most unusual and compelling coming of age story. Sorrow's Heart is a dream of a tale, and G.S. Scott is now on my list of authors to watch out for. This dark, yet illuminating fantasy is most highly recommended.