Number 72 - Octoberland- Thana Niveau

 

I didn't realise quite how well the backdrop matched the top of the book when I took that picture.

This is a collection of short stories by the rather wonderful Thana Niveau- aka Kate Probert. I've met her a couple of times in real life and she's one of the loveliest people you could meet.

However, she writes some nasty horror stories. In a good way. This collection showcases just how versatile a writer she is.

The horrors in here range from Bradburyesque weirdness by suggestion, to extreme Lovecraftian weirdness, to full on gore. And they all work!

There's not a weak story in this collection, and it's a big one- 25 stories and over 300 pages. That makes doing a write up slightly awkward.  I'll just have to pick a handful almost at random rather than try to go through all of them.

One of these stories, I've read before in the 9th Black Book of horror Stories. The Things That Aren't There. it's a brilliant story that reminds me of peak era Bradbury. It's a point of personal pride that I also have a story in that collection. To have an editor judge my writing to be comparable to something this good is one hell of a compliment.

Guinea Pig Girl is right at the opposite end of the horror spectrum with some extreme gore.  However the true horror in the story comes from the psychological breakdown of the protagonist, a young man obsessed with Cat 3 Japanese horror films, and one particular victim who seems to appear in the most extreme, 

Tentacular Spectacular well and truly lives up to its name. A mysterious shop in a steampunk version of London starts selling the most amazing corsets. From this starting point the story spirals into pure Lovecraftian horrors from the deep invading in great style.

And May All Your Christmas... takes one of the best possibilities around Christmas and turns it into an inescapable nightmare. This story contains some of the deepest chills in the collection (pun intended- when you read it you'll understand).

There are two zombie stories on offer- Sweeter Than to Wake and Vile Earth, To Earth Resign and I guarantee you've not read a zombie story quite like either of them.

The Queen takes something as innocuous as a beehive and creates a startlingly unpleasant and frightening tale. It would be good for a horror sequel to Bee Movie 

Death Walks on Pointe was a true surprise.  I would have thought it was by Thana's husband John Probert- who writes similarly gleeful sadistic giallos- but it turns out that Thana is equally proficient with the twisted world of the psychopath.  

I could go on.  As I said, there isn't a weak story in here. There's stories written half from the POV of a dolphin, there's satanic rituals and devil children, anxiety inducing landscapes and cityscapes, and lots more.

And all of it is fantastic. this is one of the strongest single author collections I've read since I started this blog. Thana is a multitalented and versatile writer. I'm not sure i can think of anyone who can straddle as many subgenres as in this set of stories with this level of success.

If this is still available on PS Publishing's site, buy it.  You will not be disappointed.