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Bloodlines: Four Tales of Familial Fear
Christopher O'Halloran, Alex Wolfgang, Carson Winter, Antony Frost
Review featured at Ginger Nuts of Horror
Family is a complex organism. No one else has the ability to make us feel emotions as deeply as family does. It can bring us solace, shoring us up against the world when it's done well. However, when it's not, only those who know us best can make us can feel ashamed, betrayed and so disconnected. All too often our interactions with family can be hurtful, filled with miscommunications and bitterness. Those who should be our closest allies, our greatest sources of support and love, often end up feeling like strangers or even worse our foes. These four stories carry us along through family dynamics of strife, pain, trauma, and yes, compassion and affection.
In Christopher O'Halloran's "Our Migraine", a painful illness and the subsequent passing of their mother leads three sisters to carry the burden of pain in this novelette. A wish made out of love quickly twists their interactions which are at first caring, quickly degenerating to indifference, and finally to outright cruelty with the unequal division of hardship and hurt. Familiar obligation and the shared burden after a parent's passing rests heavily on the sisters as they quite literally take their mother's pain in the form of an eternal migraine. In true monkey's paw form, their wish to relive their mother of her deathbed suffering descends with a horrific consequence. What makes this story unique is that the sisters can carry the pain of the migraine individually—each of them taking a turn. It doesn't take long for this arrangement to wear unevenly, leading to resentment and eventually to almost an inhuman mercilessness. The tension accumulates, closing the curtain on an ending scene that is both shocking and heart-wrenching.
"Nos Da, Tad" by Anthony Frost brings into play familial inheritance in another manner. Another parental death, although this time it's met with indifference. Our protagonist, Owen can't manage to drum up concern when told of his father's death after a lifetime devoid of his presence. When he discovers that his father bequeaths his house and its strange contents, he and his lover, Martin set off on a path of discovery. He gets flashes of atrocious happenings that aren't memories of his own but that of his birth father. The story unravels from there into a fast-paced plot of secret societies, occultism, and some terrific body and cosmic horror imagery.
The first-person view of "Nos Da, Tad" made Owen's emotional plight very relatable. Also, the relationship between Owen and his lover, Martin was vulnerable and devoted and was a great demarcation from that of his wayward father. At the center of this is the concept of self-identity and that while we are made from our parents, we still get to forge our own paths. Their darkness does not have to be our darkness but we can choose to let their light shine through us.
In Carson Winter's "I am Not to be Replaced", we have an entirely new type of narrator--a ghostly one. This tale is more of a mystery than the other two in the collection but that's what makes it so intriguing. It's difficult to know exactly where it's going or even honestly where it is, to begin with, but the author draws us in giving us little fragments at a time. All we know is that there is a family settling into a vacation cabin and there are two of the narrator: the one walking around and the apparition that used to be her. As the story progresses, the mystery asserts itself or should I say herself. It's a lesson surely, on attaining perfection and how not living up to the expectations of your family can be both lonely and liberating. I loved this one. It's clever and darkly humorous at times. I highly enjoyed the revenge of the black sheep in this horned eldritch tale.
"The Heads of the Leviathan" by Alex Wolfgang brings us full circle again to the death of a parent and the responsibility of those left behind as five siblings are left with more questions than answers after their mother's death. It begins with a hospice procession to the sea where their mother simply fades away in the seawater and the children then attempt to process their complex emotions. As someone who lost her mother too early, this one reverberated in me a bit with the line "There was no one right way to feel." Everyone experiences loss in their own way and while the loss is shared, the experience can feel isolating. Grief and horror intermingle as the family left behind struggle to stay unified in the wake of death. This story was unconventional and otherworldly but it stayed with me long after the conclusion.
While staying on the theme of family, each of the four novelettes brought a different perspective with it. These stories are raw, showing both the grotesque and the extraordinary. Each of the authors did an outstanding job at conveying both sides of the coin while remaining insightful and complex. Family is an intricate thing with experiences and emotions that can sometimes be either dreadful or wonderful, and occasionally both simultaneously. This collection embodies that with wit and wonder.
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Family is a complex organism. No one else has the ability to make us feel emotions as deeply as family does. It can bring us solace, shoring us up against the world when it's done well. However, when it's not, only those who know us best can make us can feel ashamed, betrayed and so disconnected. All too often our interactions with family can be hurtful, filled with miscommunications and bitterness. Those who should be our closest allies, our greatest sources of support and love, often end up feeling like strangers or even worse our foes. These four stories carry us along through family dynamics of strife, pain, trauma, and yes, compassion and affection.
In Christopher O'Halloran's "Our Migraine", a painful illness and the subsequent passing of their mother leads three sisters to carry the burden of pain in this novelette. A wish made out of love quickly twists their interactions which are at first caring, quickly degenerating to indifference, and finally to outright cruelty with the unequal division of hardship and hurt. Familiar obligation and the shared burden after a parent's passing rests heavily on the sisters as they quite literally take their mother's pain in the form of an eternal migraine. In true monkey's paw form, their wish to relive their mother of her deathbed suffering descends with a horrific consequence. What makes this story unique is that the sisters can carry the pain of the migraine individually—each of them taking a turn. It doesn't take long for this arrangement to wear unevenly, leading to resentment and eventually to almost an inhuman mercilessness. The tension accumulates, closing the curtain on an ending scene that is both shocking and heart-wrenching.
"Nos Da, Tad" by Anthony Frost brings into play familial inheritance in another manner. Another parental death, although this time it's met with indifference. Our protagonist, Owen can't manage to drum up concern when told of his father's death after a lifetime devoid of his presence. When he discovers that his father bequeaths his house and its strange contents, he and his lover, Martin set off on a path of discovery. He gets flashes of atrocious happenings that aren't memories of his own but that of his birth father. The story unravels from there into a fast-paced plot of secret societies, occultism, and some terrific body and cosmic horror imagery.
The first-person view of "Nos Da, Tad" made Owen's emotional plight very relatable. Also, the relationship between Owen and his lover, Martin was vulnerable and devoted and was a great demarcation from that of his wayward father. At the center of this is the concept of self-identity and that while we are made from our parents, we still get to forge our own paths. Their darkness does not have to be our darkness but we can choose to let their light shine through us.
In Carson Winter's "I am Not to be Replaced", we have an entirely new type of narrator--a ghostly one. This tale is more of a mystery than the other two in the collection but that's what makes it so intriguing. It's difficult to know exactly where it's going or even honestly where it is, to begin with, but the author draws us in giving us little fragments at a time. All we know is that there is a family settling into a vacation cabin and there are two of the narrator: the one walking around and the apparition that used to be her. As the story progresses, the mystery asserts itself or should I say herself. It's a lesson surely, on attaining perfection and how not living up to the expectations of your family can be both lonely and liberating. I loved this one. It's clever and darkly humorous at times. I highly enjoyed the revenge of the black sheep in this horned eldritch tale.
"The Heads of the Leviathan" by Alex Wolfgang brings us full circle again to the death of a parent and the responsibility of those left behind as five siblings are left with more questions than answers after their mother's death. It begins with a hospice procession to the sea where their mother simply fades away in the seawater and the children then attempt to process their complex emotions. As someone who lost her mother too early, this one reverberated in me a bit with the line "There was no one right way to feel." Everyone experiences loss in their own way and while the loss is shared, the experience can feel isolating. Grief and horror intermingle as the family left behind struggle to stay unified in the wake of death. This story was unconventional and otherworldly but it stayed with me long after the conclusion.
While staying on the theme of family, each of the four novelettes brought a different perspective with it. These stories are raw, showing both the grotesque and the extraordinary. Each of the authors did an outstanding job at conveying both sides of the coin while remaining insightful and complex. Family is an intricate thing with experiences and emotions that can sometimes be either dreadful or wonderful, and occasionally both simultaneously. This collection embodies that with wit and wonder.
Website | Twitter | Pinterest
Set in an alternate version world where werewolves not only exist but have revealed themselves to the public, this urban fantasy by Amber Boudreau is a great addition to the genre. The world-building is solid, the characters are relatable, and there is enough mystery here to keep the pages turning. (Who was Mavis before? What happened to the Alpha?)
After waking up six months ago without a clue, Mavis Corvid still can't remember who she is. She's gone on to choose a new name and quickly rebuilt a life for herself. She is a strong character who didn't spend time feeling sorry for herself when she couldn't remember the particulars of her former life. She just picked herself up and went on with some assistance from those around her. I thought it was unique that she wasn't stressed out that she couldn't remember and that she got to living as best she could. Boudreau also refrained from the typical shifter profile and constructed Mavis as a bird shifter or "two-natured". Deciding to have the main character transform into a magpie kept the shifter trope from feeling stagnant and overused.
The relationship between Aitch the garage owner and Mavis' boss, was rather humorous. He's a cantankerous thing but Mavis is unfazed and is as cheery as he is cranky. This isn't a completely romance-free urban fantasy but it doesn't overwhelm the plot. It's more of a will they/won't they type of romance that may be developed in future books but it nonetheless made for entertaining banter and heightened tension.
The ending certainly leaves the door open for a second novel or even the possibility of a series in this new world that I wouldn't be opposed to at all. I enjoyed Mavis coming into her own, learning about herself, and there was enough character growth to move on to a second novel. If you like your urban fantasy to be completely wrapped up at the end, this one may frustrate you a bit. There's a lot left unsaid and unanswered arranging it perfectly for a continuance. I'll definitely be keeping Boudreau on my radar for future releases.
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After waking up six months ago without a clue, Mavis Corvid still can't remember who she is. She's gone on to choose a new name and quickly rebuilt a life for herself. She is a strong character who didn't spend time feeling sorry for herself when she couldn't remember the particulars of her former life. She just picked herself up and went on with some assistance from those around her. I thought it was unique that she wasn't stressed out that she couldn't remember and that she got to living as best she could. Boudreau also refrained from the typical shifter profile and constructed Mavis as a bird shifter or "two-natured". Deciding to have the main character transform into a magpie kept the shifter trope from feeling stagnant and overused.
The relationship between Aitch the garage owner and Mavis' boss, was rather humorous. He's a cantankerous thing but Mavis is unfazed and is as cheery as he is cranky. This isn't a completely romance-free urban fantasy but it doesn't overwhelm the plot. It's more of a will they/won't they type of romance that may be developed in future books but it nonetheless made for entertaining banter and heightened tension.
The ending certainly leaves the door open for a second novel or even the possibility of a series in this new world that I wouldn't be opposed to at all. I enjoyed Mavis coming into her own, learning about herself, and there was enough character growth to move on to a second novel. If you like your urban fantasy to be completely wrapped up at the end, this one may frustrate you a bit. There's a lot left unsaid and unanswered arranging it perfectly for a continuance. I'll definitely be keeping Boudreau on my radar for future releases.
Website | Twitter | Pinterest
Eco-horror has quickly become one of my favorite subgenres of horror. There's something about the earth fighting back against what humanity has wrought that cheers my horror-loving heart. This anthology contains 37 short stories and 13 poems of all kinds of plant life, floral and fauna, insects, sea creatures and more. Some standouts from the collection:
In Sonora Taylor's "Farm-to-Table", a couple on a terrible first date experience a botanical takeover. There's some great body horror imagery to make you squirm.
"Chrysanthemum" by Victoria Audley tells us of the secret darkness the language of flowers can reveal.
"Imitation of Life" by J.R. Handfield teaches us the lesson the narrator had yet to comprehend—the invasiveness of the water hyacinth.
Sanaya Deas gives us an unyielding voraciousness in the form of seemingly innocuous red berries in "The Hunger".
In spite of an unfulfilled expectation of the protagonist to be a Snow White or a Briar Rose, "The Heartwood" by Sally Hughes ends up sounding like the darkest of fairytales. This one was a favorite with its Perrault-like feel.
Chlorophobia is more than a pretty cover. It's a scary good collection of stories ranging from surreal to dreadful. While there were some stories that didn't work so well for me, most were a lot of fun.
Website | Twitter | Pinterest
In Sonora Taylor's "Farm-to-Table", a couple on a terrible first date experience a botanical takeover. There's some great body horror imagery to make you squirm.
"Chrysanthemum" by Victoria Audley tells us of the secret darkness the language of flowers can reveal.
"Imitation of Life" by J.R. Handfield teaches us the lesson the narrator had yet to comprehend—the invasiveness of the water hyacinth.
Sanaya Deas gives us an unyielding voraciousness in the form of seemingly innocuous red berries in "The Hunger".
In spite of an unfulfilled expectation of the protagonist to be a Snow White or a Briar Rose, "The Heartwood" by Sally Hughes ends up sounding like the darkest of fairytales. This one was a favorite with its Perrault-like feel.
Chlorophobia is more than a pretty cover. It's a scary good collection of stories ranging from surreal to dreadful. While there were some stories that didn't work so well for me, most were a lot of fun.
Website | Twitter | Pinterest
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