Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror, Chris Priestley



It seems quite fitting that I’m here writing this with thunder stalking the night and dead leaves whispering their secrets in the backyard. Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror is a deliciously dark and wonderfully macabre collection of stories that deserve to be read by candlelight ..when you’re alone.

Sitting by the fire in the study of his old and very dark house, the enigmatic uncle Montague regales young Edgar with fantastic stories of wonder and terror, bringing the oddities lining the walls to life, while the wind tugs at the shutters and strange thumps resound from the deserted rooms above.

More than a collection of classically gothic horror, a darker undercurrent runs through uncle Montague’s stories, inexorably dragging something dreadful to the surface, something that will make his uncle’s warning ring very true..

“You would not like it here after dark…”

Chris Priestley has done a great job – I absolutely loved this book, devouring it in two sessions. His stories are fresh and served with generous lashings of atmosphere; any one of them could be expanded into an enthralling novel on it’s own. For me, Winter Pruning takes the prize –top notch! It brings elements of Grimm and Poe and classic, black-and-white horror together beautifully.

More! More!



You can visit the website here.

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