Books I Read in May 2024

Horror, historical fiction, and crime this month. 

Red by Jack Ketchum (Leisure Books, 2002)

I wasn’t planning on reading anything by Jack Ketchum as his most well-known books sound too brutal for me, but when I came across a copy of Red, I looked it up and it sounded more like something I would like. 

Widower Avery Ludlow seeks justice after a devastating encounter with a spoiled rich kid and his friends. Avery soon learns that going through proper channels can be frustrating and he winds up in a battle of wills with the kid and his family. Strong characterization, excellent building of suspense, and beautiful prose all make for a fast paced and involving story about loss, grief, revenge, and violence. More of a drama with some horrific elements than Ketchum’s usual brand of horror. 

My copy of the book also includes the novella “The Passenger,” a harrowing story of a lawyer who meets some very bad people after her car breaks down. Well done but unsettling. Not in the same league as Red.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (from The Turn of the Screw and Other Ghost Stories, Penguin Books, 2018, originally written in 1898)

A fascinating psychological gothic ghost story. I liked the atmosphere and the ambiguity but not the writing style. It was incredibly wordy at times which I felt kept getting in the way of the story. Great ending though. 

After reading The Turn of the Screw I watched the 1961 film adaptation, The Innocents. The film is well paced and beautifully shot and thanks to Truman Capote who worked on the script, has lots of fascinating symbolism and a claustrophobic feel. An outstanding adaptation that captures the feel of the original story without being bogged down by the wordiness. 

Undead Folk by Katherine Silva (Strange Wilds Press, 2024)

A woman traveling with an undead fox seeks revenge in a post-apocalyptic world. A novella about grief and revenge with a dash of backwoods magic. I really enjoyed the prose, how the backstory was gradually revealed, and where the story led. 

Kiss and Kill by Richard Deming (Wildside Press, 2017, originally published in 1960 by Zenith)

A con artist and his protege pose as brother and sister as they target widows. Eventually their scams escalate and include murder. Well written and even though it became pretty obvious where it was leading to towards the end, the ending was hard core noir.

History and Historical Fiction

Boudica: Queen of the Iceni by History Nerds (History Nerds, 2023)

This free e-book is a short history of Queen Boudica of the British Inceni tribe and the events that led up to the failed rebellion she led against Roman invaders. Very simple writing style with a bit of repetition. The quotes from historians Tacitus and Cassius Dio were nice. I read this in preparation for Song for a Dark Queen by Rosemary Sutcliff which I reviewed in this post: 

We Learn by Writing: Song for a Dark Queen by Rosemary Sutcliff

Short Stories

I read some Adam Nevill horror short stories which I wrote about in a previous post: 

We Learn by Writing: Some Short Stories by Adam Nevill

Dracula’s Guest by Bram Stoker (from Dracula: Collector's Special Edition (Sterling Publishing, 2021)

This short story is believed to have been intended as the first chapter of Dracula. It's included as an extra in the edition I have. After ignoring warnings about “Walpurgis Nacht,” an Englishmen wanders into an abandoned village that is considered unholy by the locals and he has some eerie encounters. Loved the descriptions and the atmosphere.

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell (Open Road Media, 2020, originally published in 1924)

A big-game hunter winds up becoming the hunted on a mysterious island in this famous short story. It felt a little dated at times but for something written in 1924 it holds up really well. I liked the pulpy style and General Zaroff was a great villain.

June Reading Plans Last year I read some westerns for the June on the Range reading event featured on YouTube. I have lots of westerns on my to-be-read list, so I’ll be reading some more, and hopefully a few other things as well.

Song for a Dark Queen by Rosemary Sutcliff

 “It was in two books of T.C. Lethbridge’s, Witches and Gog-Magog, that I first came upon the theory that the Iceni were a matriarchy: the royal line, and with it the lifeline of the tribe, descending from mother to daughter. So that Boudicca was their Queen in her own right, and Prasutagus their King only because he was her husband. 

That was often the way, among the older Iron-Age peoples. And if it was so in this case, then, to the tribe’s way of thinking, it would turn the Romans’ treatment of the Queen and princesses from brutal tyranny into something much worse, into sacrilege against the Life itself. And it would turn what followed from tribal revolt into Holy War; which of all wars is the most savage and merciless kind. 

Also, in some odd way, it seemed to me to turn Boudicca into much more of a real person. And real people, lost behind legends, have always fascinated me.”

— Rosemary Sutcliff, Song for a Dark Queen Author’s Note 

In Song for a Dark Queen Rosemary Sutcliff gives Queen Boudicca a fictional harper who narrates the story of her life, from age six to her failed rebellion against Roman oppression. (Sutcliff spells the name with two c’s, whereas I’ve seen it spelled elsewhere with one.) The author mixes the fictional life story well with what little is actually known about the historical Boudicca, telling an exciting and moving story. The writing is beautiful. It’s lyrical and poetic, whether describing nature, quiet moments, or scenes of violence. 

Sutcliff does not write down to her readers. I really enjoyed the combination of poetic writing and the descriptions of battle. I was surprised to learn that this is a children's book considering the level of writing as well as the amount of violence that’s included. The scenes of violence are based on what is known about her life, the attack on her and her and her daughters, the brutal Iceni attacks against Roman outposts, and the final battle against a Roman army. But those scenes don’t occur until we get to know the characters. The story is ultimately tragic and heartbreaking, but it’s told so well. I was holding back tears when I read the final paragraphs. A sublime masterpiece. This was my first Rosemary Sutcliff book; it won’t be my last.

After finishing Song for a Dark Queen, I decided to watch Boudica: Queen of War (2023) starring Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace, Oblivion, Extraction 2). Peter Franzén, who played King Harold Finehair in Vikings, one of my favorite shows, also shows up. Unfortunately, this film was a big step down from Sutcliff’s book. Olga Kurylenko and a few great fight scenes couldn’t save this.

In this version, the Queen doesn’t become Boudica until she’s given the name Boudica and a magic sword, events happen randomly, and characters make decisions that don't make much sense. The story was a real mess. I didn’t mind the low budget at first, but it became more and more noticeable as the movie progressed, with Boudica often wearing what looked like a blue sweatshirt when fighting, and only a few extras and one chariot showing up in the final battle. We don’t see Boudica from the poster until the last few minutes. Overall, a disappointing watch.

Here’s hoping for a big budget film adaptation of Rosemary Sutcliff’s Song for a Dark Queen someday. It would be epic. 

Some Short Stories by Adam Nevill

I first became aware of Adam Nevill after I saw the e-book version of Cunning Folk on sale for 99 cents.  When I looked him up I discovered that the folk horror movie The Ritual (2017) is based on his book of the same name. I remember really liking the movie so I went ahead and downloaded Cunning Folk. I still haven’t gotten to it but recently I noticed that the author has two free short story mini collections/samplers available on Amazon, and I downloaded and read those. I’m glad I did as I enjoyed most of the stories quite a lot.

Before You Sleep: Three Horrors by Adam Nevill (Ritual Limited, 2016)

This consists of three stories from Nevill’s collection Some Will Not Sleep. 

Where Angels Come In (4/5)

Two schoolboys enter an old, abandoned building that is surrounded by urban legends. This grabbed my interest from the start and then just kept going. So creepy. 

The Ancestors (5/5)

A young girl named Yuki, her ghost companion with really long hair, and toys that come out and play at night. This one is even creepier than the previous one. 

Florrie (3/5)

Strange things begin happening after a young man makes plans to renovate the old house he’s moved into. I liked the atmosphere, but I felt that something was missing and that the ending was abrupt.

While I enjoyed the first two stories the most, I liked the writing and the chilling atmosphere in all three stories. 

Before You Wake: Three Horrors by Adam Nevill (Ritual Limited, 2017)

This one includes three stories from his collection Hasty for the Dark. 

The Angels of London (4/5)

A man down on his luck has to deal with the strange landlord of the seedy lodging house he’s staying at. Atmospheric with some really eerie moments.

Always in Our Hearts (5/5)

A shady taxi driver takes a series of unusual fares around town. What an ending. 

Hippocampus (2/5)

A description of the aftermath of a violent event on a ship at sea. More of a sketch than a story. Well done imagery but I didn’t care for this one.  

I really enjoyed the first two stories. They were set up well, had interesting characters, and had endings that delivered. 

After reading these two mini-collections I can say that I’ve become an Adam Nevill fan. I like his writing style and think four strong stories out of six is a good ratio when it comes to short stories. So I decided it was worth signing up for his newsletter, especially since subscribers are given access to another free e-book. 

Cries from the Crypt - Selected Writings by Adam Nevill (Ritual Limited, 2016)

This free e-book is available to download immediately after subscribing to the author’s newsletter. It includes two short stories, deleted chapters from his novels, numerous interviews, essays, and advice for aspiring writers. One of the essays is his appreciation of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. Reading it at a young age is what made him focus on becoming a writer. I found this intriguing as it’s on my to-read list and I had recently read Joyce’s Dubliners and enjoyed it.

There’s a lot of content for a free book and I found it all interesting. I enjoyed the stories, the interviews and essays gave lots of insight into the author, and I found the writing advice really helpful, especially the chapter on a writing course that he taught at the Birmingham Library. 

The stories:

Little Mag’s Barrow (4/5)

A cut-throat editor in the publishing industry stays in an old cottage in the remote countryside. Things get spooky. After listening to some interviews with Nevill it appears that he made good use of his time in the publishing industry when he wrote this one. 

Estrus (3/5)

A man with an unusual roommate deals with a rat infestation. I think the main character took a little too long to figure things out but, in the end this was another well-done story. 

More Interviews

I’ve also been listening to interviews with Adam Nevill on episodes of the This Is Horror Podcast. I’m finding his discussions on how he comes up with his stories fascinating and I find his story about how he became an author pretty interesting. After starting out being traditionally published he decided to self-publish his work through his imprint Ritual, Limited. I’m looking forward to reading more of his work and I’ve moved Cunning Folk higher up on my to-read list.