By Adrian Tchaikovsky
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
This novella that is part of the Terrible Worlds: Transformations collection. I have not read the other stories in this series, in fact I am relatively new to Tchaikovsky’s writing so I have been picking up his writing when I come across it, with a commitment to read his Children of Time or Tyrant Philosophers series at some point. (Considering the number of times I hear “what do you MEAN you haven’t read it yet??!? I’d better do that sooner than later, but so many books, so little time). A few weeks ago I read Green City Wars which was fresh and original and then this novella popped up and I grabbed it, hoping for something creative and unusual.
There is no connection between the two works – a different world and tone. This is not a complicated story, in fact tts a horror story that has been told many times. An old manor in old worlds, an old family with untold riches and opportunity and an outsider that stumbles across family secrets best left hidden. Our female protoganist, an young American medical student is accompanying her English boyfriend to his family estate. They arrive late at night and the old growth forest is overgrown and menacing, the stone edifices over the door are supposedly angels, but feel demonic and the welcome is not exactly warm and friendly. Guests from outside the family were not supposed to be there. And, of course, people disappear, strange events happen in the middle of the night, there are strange noises and once there, there is no escape. The story leads up to the horrible secret and … well, you will just have to read and find out what happens then.
This is an old fashioned horror story that would be included in a cheap paperback horror anthology that we used to devour as teenagers. It doesn’t feel dated though, just updated for a new generation. I haven’t read modern horror, so I’m not sure what has changed over the years. There isn’t a lot of gore; the horror is more of a psychological thrill than gross terror. There isn’t much to the story beyond the mysterious secret of the family and it takes an interesting turn that is unexpected but not out of place.
it’s difficult to measure how good this story is as I don’t have the horror genre or other writing in the series to compare with it. However as a readable short story by a good author I think it is perfect reading for a rainy afternoon.
