It has been a real pleasure to read this novella by a new and most
certainly upcoming author in the horor/dark fiction genre. The story is
essentially a haunted house tale, a young couple Stacey and Liam move
into No. 24 Claremont Street a building with an evil and sad past.
Stacey is particularly disturbed in this new environment and is
experiencing frequent and violent dreams. So what makes a good horror
story? We have a fast and well paced narrative that grabs the readers
attention from the start and refuses to relinquish and in doing so we
make the acquaintance of an eclectic mix of characters including Jake
Clarke heartless realtor agent, Nora Aiken concerned neighbour with a
story to tell, and Doctor McCabe a medical practitioner with a
mysterious past....they all add to and make a very colourful spectacle
as the story unfolds. The author smoothly blends 24 Claremont Street's
bloody past with events happening in the present and it becomes clear
that Stacey's life is in imminent danger. An intelligent reader also
demands a memorable, poignant and thoughtful conclusion and it is here
that CS Kane has excelled. As events draw to a close in just one
paragraph the unexpected happens and the threads of the story are
expertly drawn together. The "novella" presents different and at times
difficult constraints for a writer who must create and conclude a story
within a limited time frame. CS Kane has shown in "Shattered" that she
is one capable and exciting new author and I look forward to her future
publications.
"People wondered why he saw everything in such a negative way, why he
couldn't pull himself together. They didn't understand that he was
powerless in the face of it. He could no longer control it. His brain
function was altered; synapses inside his head seemed to be blocked. He
found it hard to concentrate from day to day" This is such a depressing
and yet a very important book to read as it deals with depression and
the effect it has on the everyday life of the sufferer and his family. I
have read this book and yet I still fail to understand why someone with
so much to live for, someone who in material terms had a very
successful career, could so easily take his own life. The author
successfully argues and demonstrates through the sad life of Robert Enke
that depression is an illness so misunderstood by the callous money
grabbing society we as humans have chosen to create, it can strike at
anybody and when it does the results are devastating. I cannot say I
enjoyed this book, and I cannot say I fully understand how anyone could
end it all by walking in front of a speeding train....but I am glad I
read the sad words and images contained within it's pages and hope that
in future I may have more understanding of a devastating state of mind.
Allan leverone has managed to blend what is essentially a simple story
into an incredibly exciting read. Cait was seperated from her twin Milo
at birth and all her life has been plaged by images or "Flickers" as
she prefers to call them. Milo is similarly affected but his images have
much more senister undertones "He hated the visions, wished for the
millionth time in his miserable life he could be a normal guy with a
normal brain, unencumbered by the enending onslaught of mental pictures
and snippets of the thoughts and conversations of strangers. Then maybe
this compulsion to hunt and torture and kill would disappear. Maybe he
could finally achieve some peace. Maybe." Cait, in an attempt to
understand her strange affliction, resolves to find her estranged mother
Virginia Ayers and closely assisted and accompanied by her
understanding boyfriend Kevin embarks on a journey of discovery north
from her home in Tampa..a journey that will alter her life forever. In
the meantime Milo "Mr Midnight" is engaging in some rather unsavoury
activities and soon their paths will cross in a violent and bloody
conclusion. This story just rattles along, demands to be read in one or
two sittings and concludes in a very satisfactory and surprising manner.
It's good to read a horror story that starts well, continues at a great
pace and finishes in an unexpected manner.
Allan leverone has managed to blend what is essentially a simple story
into an incredibly exciting read. Cait was seperated from her twin Milo
at birth and all her life has been plaged by images or "Flickers" as
she prefers to call them. Milo is similarly affected but his images have
much more senister undertones "He hated the visions, wished for the
millionth time in his miserable life he could be a normal guy with a
normal brain, unencumbered by the enending onslaught of mental pictures
and snippets of the thoughts and conversations of strangers. Then maybe
this compulsion to hunt and torture and kill would disappear. Maybe he
could finally achieve some peace. Maybe." Cait, in an attempt to
understand her strange affliction, resolves to find her estranged mother
Virginia Ayers and closely assisted and accompanied by her
understanding boyfriend Kevin embarks on a journey of discovery north
from her home in Tampa..a journey that will alter her life forever. In
the meantime Milo "Mr Midnight" is engaging in some rather unsavoury
activities and soon their paths will cross in a violent and bloody
conclusion. This story just rattles along, demands to be read in one or
two sittings and concludes in a very satisfactory and surprising manner.
It's good to read a horror story that starts well, continues at a great
pace and finishes in an unexpected manner.