Finished seven books in March. Of these, five were by authors new to me. Unfortunately, only one of the five books actually worked for me.
1. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a slow burn gothic tale that earns its reputation as one of the classic stories in the supernatural genre. This is the second time I’ve read Hill House, and enjoyed it as much as the first time. 4 / 5
2. Red Inside by Bridgett Nelson was the first of the new authors I read in March. It’s about an infestation of large, exotic spiders in a hospital, which, in and of itself is a cool premise for a horror story. However, Nelson’s schizophrenic narrative took away from this simple story line. Some unbelievable characterization (the lead nurses all tended to act like John McClain from Die Hard) didn’t help the storyline. 2 / 5
3. Alabaster by Caitlin Kieran was her first collection of stories about Dancy Flammarion, an albino girl who travels throughout the southeastern US slaying monsters at the bequest of an angel (maybe). I’m a big fan of Kieran’s short fiction, and Alabaster was no exception. I enjoyed all six of the stories in Alabaster, though the standout for me was ‘Les Fleurs Impoisonnees’ (In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers). 4.2 / 5
4. All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes was also a new author for me, and in general a mixed bag. The first third read like a YA story, were the lead character stows away on research ship bound for Antarctica. Things pick up in the second third when the crew is marooned and had to make their way across Antarctica to a settlement. In the last third, the story got repetitive and there was a plot line that pretty much killed any remaining credibility to the narrative. The story would have been better had it been edited down by a quarter or so. 2.5 / 5
5. Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan was another new author for me. A woman and her son go on a Christmas getaway after the death of her husband. Or do they? At least it was short. 1 / 5
6. Dead Silence by SA Barnes was basically a retelling of Event Horizon, with scenes and storylines right out of the Alien movies franchise. And all of that would have been fine had the storyline not have moved along at a snails pace. Stock characterizations out of any B-grade SyFy movie didn’t help. An original idea would have helped too. 2 / 5
7. Wild Spaces was a coming of age Lovecraftian story by SL Coney. A fifteen year old boy discovers dark secrets about himself and his family after his maternal grandfather makes an unannounced & unwanted visit. There’s definitely more narrative to this storyline, and I’m hoping Coney continues with it. 4 / 5
B
1. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a slow burn gothic tale that earns its reputation as one of the classic stories in the supernatural genre. This is the second time I’ve read Hill House, and enjoyed it as much as the first time. 4 / 5
2. Red Inside by Bridgett Nelson was the first of the new authors I read in March. It’s about an infestation of large, exotic spiders in a hospital, which, in and of itself is a cool premise for a horror story. However, Nelson’s schizophrenic narrative took away from this simple story line. Some unbelievable characterization (the lead nurses all tended to act like John McClain from Die Hard) didn’t help the storyline. 2 / 5
3. Alabaster by Caitlin Kieran was her first collection of stories about Dancy Flammarion, an albino girl who travels throughout the southeastern US slaying monsters at the bequest of an angel (maybe). I’m a big fan of Kieran’s short fiction, and Alabaster was no exception. I enjoyed all six of the stories in Alabaster, though the standout for me was ‘Les Fleurs Impoisonnees’ (In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers). 4.2 / 5
4. All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes was also a new author for me, and in general a mixed bag. The first third read like a YA story, were the lead character stows away on research ship bound for Antarctica. Things pick up in the second third when the crew is marooned and had to make their way across Antarctica to a settlement. In the last third, the story got repetitive and there was a plot line that pretty much killed any remaining credibility to the narrative. The story would have been better had it been edited down by a quarter or so. 2.5 / 5
5. Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan was another new author for me. A woman and her son go on a Christmas getaway after the death of her husband. Or do they? At least it was short. 1 / 5
6. Dead Silence by SA Barnes was basically a retelling of Event Horizon, with scenes and storylines right out of the Alien movies franchise. And all of that would have been fine had the storyline not have moved along at a snails pace. Stock characterizations out of any B-grade SyFy movie didn’t help. An original idea would have helped too. 2 / 5
7. Wild Spaces was a coming of age Lovecraftian story by SL Coney. A fifteen year old boy discovers dark secrets about himself and his family after his maternal grandfather makes an unannounced & unwanted visit. There’s definitely more narrative to this storyline, and I’m hoping Coney continues with it. 4 / 5
B