In this brilliant debut collection, Ian Rogers explores the border-places between our world and the dark reaches of the supernatural. A mysterious double murder draws the attention of an insurance company with a special interest in the paranormal. A honeymoon cabin with an unspeakable appetite finally meets its match. A suburban home is transformed into the hunting ground for a new breed of spider. A nightmarish jazz club at the crossroads of reality plays host to those who can break a deal with the devil...for a price. With remarkable deftness, Rogers draws together the deadly and the disturbing in twenty-two showcase stories that will guide you through terrain at once familiar and startlingly fresh.
Every house is haunted, but not literally in this debut collection of strange and unexpected tales.
These are not the ghost stories or typical horror you might expect from the title. These hauntings do not necessarily involve spirits, although some do, There are many ways to be haunted, by the past, by missed chances, and regrets. It is not always a house or even a place that is haunted, sometimes under the right circumstances, it can be a person who is haunted no matter where they go.
I enjoyed most of the stories but there were a couple that were too sci-fi for my taste, though you may like those better than I do. Sci-fi is just rarely my thing. Some had ambiguous endings. I know there are readers who enjoy being able to decide for themselves how a story ends but I prefer a more definitive beginning middle and end.
A few of my favorites were Aces- about a young girl who seems to be not of this world.
The Currents- about a family who finds a man that seems to have drowned,
and The House On Ashley Avenue- which was more along the lines of what I was expecting from the title, a haunted house story.
All in all a decent collection even though it was not what I expected. If you like fantasy/sci-fi/dark fiction, give this one a read.
My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the review copy.
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