I've not been reading as much horror as I'd like, so I needed a short sharp burst of nightmares. For that, Split Scream Volume 1 was the perfect package. The book consists of two novelettes by different authors, preceded by a (frankly welcome) editorial note explaining just what a novelette is, exactly. Then we're into it - two unique and compelling stories, each with their own dread atmosphere.
The first novelette, Carson Winter's The Guts of Myth, grabs from the off. Just look at this opening:
I always thought I looked a little like Roger Moore. I wore the same suits and I had the same chestnut hair. We were both English, even though I only got in on a technicality. The real difference between us was that he was a movie star and I was a crook. But that was fine. I doubted either of us were keeping score.
Can there be any doubt that we're in the hands of a master?
This is a punchy blend of noir and cosmic horror that calls to mind classic Laird Barron while maintaining its own evocative voice. There is dread and despair suffused deeply into this story, from the surging prose to the bleak imagery. Exceptional.
There are a couple of flaws to this gem, however. There are rare occasions where the writing falls down. It feels clumsy, for example, to have a character simply state that your setting looks like a Beksiński painting - and especially bizarre when your description has already done such a sublime job of conveying that atmosphere. The novelette format also has its weaknesses - while there are strengths to having a story more fleshed out than a short story will be, yet shorter than a novella, it also means that the piece is a bit too long for the sharp buildup-and-twist of a short story but not long enough to fully explore its concepts. Regardless, this is a brooding, powerful, compelling story.
As the credits fade on the first part of our double-feature, it's on to the second. The Mourner Across the Flames, by Scott J. Moses, is a post-apocalyptic monster story whose brevity is belied by its labyrinthine nature. We are dropped without a compass into an alien but coherent world of faith, loss, tradition and salt. That sharp brine-tang is rubbed into the wounds of protagonist and reader alike as we follow on a journey both physical and emotional, while having to get our own bearings enhances the reality of this strange setting. It's remarkable how Moses manages to fit so many elements - a powerful evocation of grief, a fanatical post-apocalyptic religion, a classic horror monster and myth - into this story without it feeling crammed in or overly busy. Perhaps none of these elements would hold up so well in a longer piece, I don't know, but they don't need to - for this format, there is just enough to keep the reader on the hook while feeling like a consistent and fleshed-out world.
Whether you're looking for a brief foray into a world of nightmares, or simply for something new, imaginative and well-crafted in the horror genre, either of these novelettes would fulfill that need. To get them both in one package? The reader is spoiled.
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