thomaswjoyce's review
4.0
A fine entry in the Short Sharp Shock series
A small English village is the perfect setting for a folk horror tale. And this is a good one! With a very small cast of characters and a miraculous mystery to solve, it is also the perfect length. The family dynamic and hints of earlier tragedy really make for emphatic characters, while the village locale where everyone knows everyone else's business is great for building dread and introducing a level of paranoia later. The rural setting and modern complication of the High Speed Rail line brings up history and conservation, and all these elements are blended perfectly by the author to deliver a stirring and haunting tale of folk horror.
A small English village is the perfect setting for a folk horror tale. And this is a good one! With a very small cast of characters and a miraculous mystery to solve, it is also the perfect length. The family dynamic and hints of earlier tragedy really make for emphatic characters, while the village locale where everyone knows everyone else's business is great for building dread and introducing a level of paranoia later. The rural setting and modern complication of the High Speed Rail line brings up history and conservation, and all these elements are blended perfectly by the author to deliver a stirring and haunting tale of folk horror.
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