GARY FRY

The Hidden People by Alison Littlewood Review by Gary Fry   There seems to have been a small revival of fictions dealing with “hidden people” lately. I’m thinking of Ramsey Campbell’s exquisitely weird novel The Kind Folk and the recent (modestly effective) film The Hallows . Perhaps there’s something about the true nature of fairies which appeals to us all during these dark days of global strife overlaid by media-enforced bogusly sentimental discourse. Anyway, here is Alison Littlewood’s latest novel, also focusing on the hidden people of yore. It’s narrated by a young Victorian rationalist (Albie), in the thrall of social and industrial revolution in 19 th Century Britain. He’s committed to scientific enlightenment, and yet when he meets his young cousin, the pure Lizzie, he experiences some ineffably magical connection with her which haunts him for years to come. Then, some time later, she dies. Having gone their separate ways, Albie to the city, Lizzie to the wilds of Yorksh...

The Fisherman by John Langan Review by Gary Fry   I came to this book after hearing from peers how great it was, and that’s always a dangerous thing for an author. Can s/he ever live up to whatever hype a new title has garnered? I’d loved Langan’s earlier work – his inventive short stories and novellas – and so I was highly hopeful that this new novel would cut considerably more than the mustard. The plot focuses on a guy who’s lost his wife who meets another guy who’s lost his wife and family and who together go fishing. That’s it. That’s the plot. Hollywood is not salivating. But that’s no bad thing. Because as we literature lovers know, it’s what authors do with such material that truly matters. And here Langan gets off to a strong start. His pen-portrait of a man experiencing grief – the disjointed narrative, the ruptured habits, and transformed perceptual experience – has a pungent air of authenticity, the whole elucidated in a lyrical, laidback, breezy style that put me firml...

Black Star, Black Sun by Rich Hawkins Review by Gary Fry   I think I like Lovecraftian horror fiction better than any other kind, but here’s the sting: when it’s done badly, it’s probably my least favourite. Too many “Mythos-inspired” writers, I find, don’t know HPL’s work very well at all, tending to over-reveal their cosmic entities and essentially miss the point of the best of that particular author: that his invasive forces represent the sheer alienating power of the universe at large, its cold indifferent vastness, any part of which would murder us if we happened to leave the comfort of our earthly cradle. And so here’s another scribe trying to raise his star in a firmament currently packed with them: Rich Hawkins, a relative newcomer who’s published a handful of books and is developing quite a desirable reputation. I’m sorry to say that until now I hadn’t read him, but on the strength of this novella, I reckon I’ll be returning for more. Black Star, Black Sun is essentially ...

Becoming David by Phil Sloman Review by Gary Fry   This was the first thing I’d read from Sloman, though I’m confident it won’t be the last. I really had no idea what to expect from the novella, and, I find, that kind of tabula rasa approach can often be the best experience of all. The book starts with a bad guy, Richard, someone we’re clearly expected to dislike. I mean, the stuff he does in his cellar, the way he treats his cleaner, and just his general attitude to life… Ugh. Fear not, however, because once our introduction to this vile fella is out of the way, we’ll surely meet his nemesis, the good guy, the novella’s emotional centre of gravity. But here’s the rub: there is no good guy. Just the bad. And so the novella goes, as Sloman depicts Richard’s loathsome life, his empty and impulse-governed existence. It’s a brave move, focusing such a lengthy piece of fiction on someone obviously unsympathetic. Nevertheless, as the piece develops, we the readers are invited to at leas...

Laudanum Nights by Stephen Bacon Review by Gary Fry   Bacon’s latest work might be best described as a love letter to fictions which gave him pleasure as a youngster, when he first explored the new territories of genre fiction. Set in a fictionalised steampunk-ish city in the past, it involves the disappearance of a child and one man’s quest to discover what has become of her. I haven’t read much in this particular field, and so have few benchmarks against which to compare the novella. However, I will say that I very much enjoyed the central character’s investigative journey. Bacon is great at scene-setting – maybe his most noteworthy skill – and the territory through which his hero passes drips with atmosphere, is populated by colourful folk, and possesses an attention to detail which enhances verisimilitude. I liked also the author’s reticent dealings with a private issue which preoccupies the central character. Bacon tackles this particular aspect with suitably tangential hints,...

The Factory by Mark West   Review by Gary Fry     The last thing of substance I read from West was his chapbook ‘What Gets Left Behind’. I liked that work a great deal, but said in my review that Mark’s prose might benefit from a few tweaks, particular his reliance on stock phrasing, which, I believe, good writers need to constantly reinvent.   So I was intrigued to discover along what lines he’d developed these last few years. It didn’t take me long to discover. I hope West will take this in the complimentary way it’s intended when I say that The Factory is like reading the work of a very different writer.   Here the narrative is confident, cool, and inventive, and the prose as sharp as you’d wish. The story centres around a bunch of characters who, during their yoofs, were members of an exploring club focusing on urban sites with decidedly shady histories. Their unelected leader, Tom, opens the book with a solo venture inside a particular property with a dubi...

UNCERTAINTIES VOLUME 2 Edited by Brian Showers Review by Gary Fry   I have both volumes of this anthology, but in typically perverse fashion I read the second volume first and now plan to share my thoughts about it. (I’ll get to the first volume soonest.) In his introduction, the editor sets out his mission statement: to publish fiction which tends towards the uncanny side of dark material, the eerie, enigmatic and suggestively spooky. It’s an ambitious goal, involving reference to such authors as Aickman, Blackwood and Machen. This is perhaps the most elusive of models, the things which make it work almost impossible to assimilate. And so how have this headline-grabbing range of authors fared here? Well, let’s have a look. The book opens with Peter Bell’s ‘The Swing’, a short and punchy tale of centuries-old horror effectively combined with a very modern social landscape. It’s a strong tale, with memorable imagery, and one which hints at time changing but the times remaining ver...

The Family Man by Tim J Lebbon Review by Gary Fry   Lebbon’s latest thriller kicks off with a pleasingly domestic sequence of events, documenting a friendship between two geezers – a day out cycling, drinks in a garden, watching the world go by. But what they see that day plants an idea in their heads, and this gradually leads to a modestly ambitious heist involving a local Post Office and cash being delivered there. It’s an unusual premise, and one which relies a lot on convincing psychological motivation for it to work. Does Lebbon pull this off? I’d say very nearly. The author is great at depicting a relatively stable marriage – involving Dom, the titular Family Man – and familiar struggles to get by through paid work. Dom is a sensible chap, even a little bit “boring”, and this self-identity proves his Achilles heel. Tempted into carrying out a bad act with his friend Andy, things just go from bad to worse. Owing to a slightly surreal plot twist – revealed in a great set-piece ...