CS Kane’s novella, Shattered, is another edgy publication from the DarkFuse folks specializing in horror fiction. Stacey and her fiancé Liam have moved into a third floor flat in an old house located in an unsavory part of the city. The area is rundown with an unsafe track record and the local delinquents have a habit of trying to burn down abandoned structures. The young couple move there because the price is right and located near Liam’s new job and the university where Stacey is working on her master’s degree.
Immediately, Stacey starts to have horrific nightmares and she experiences feelings of dread while awake. Soon, she starts have glimpses of children and disembodied faces in the mirror – and then the tale takes on a pretty decent thrill ride. This is a ghost story, pure and simple. While there were no huge surprises, Ms. Kane has a knack for telling a good ghostly yarn. The spectral visits are slow in coming, and while some may grow impatient, I liked this approach. The exact causes of the haunting are kept from the reader until near the end, and the ride to find out exactly what is going on unfolded at a sinister place. I especially enjoyed the introduction of an elderly neighbor who helped Stacey understand the history of the house.
I did struggle with the characterizations. Liam barely came alive and I felt Stacey’s emotional portrayal stretched credibility at times. She was able to swing from full fledge panic attacks to screaming outbursts in an unbelievably short period of time. She also makes strange decisions related to her education and interpersonal relationships which don’t seem to logically follow – at least to me they seemed odd. I realize these things sound petty, but there are a couple of them in the story which interfered with my ability to suspend disbelief at times. Taken altogether, a cool ghost story but rather weak characters and situational descriptions. Still, I will gladly read the next offerings of Ms. Kane.
Immediately, Stacey starts to have horrific nightmares and she experiences feelings of dread while awake. Soon, she starts have glimpses of children and disembodied faces in the mirror – and then the tale takes on a pretty decent thrill ride. This is a ghost story, pure and simple. While there were no huge surprises, Ms. Kane has a knack for telling a good ghostly yarn. The spectral visits are slow in coming, and while some may grow impatient, I liked this approach. The exact causes of the haunting are kept from the reader until near the end, and the ride to find out exactly what is going on unfolded at a sinister place. I especially enjoyed the introduction of an elderly neighbor who helped Stacey understand the history of the house.
I did struggle with the characterizations. Liam barely came alive and I felt Stacey’s emotional portrayal stretched credibility at times. She was able to swing from full fledge panic attacks to screaming outbursts in an unbelievably short period of time. She also makes strange decisions related to her education and interpersonal relationships which don’t seem to logically follow – at least to me they seemed odd. I realize these things sound petty, but there are a couple of them in the story which interfered with my ability to suspend disbelief at times. Taken altogether, a cool ghost story but rather weak characters and situational descriptions. Still, I will gladly read the next offerings of Ms. Kane.
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