Dark Reflections by Paul Kane
I would like to thank Black Beacon Books for an advance copy of this collection in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher - Black Beacon Books
Published - Out Now
Price - £10.99 paperback £2.99 kindle ebook
STORIES INFLUENCED BY THE MASTERS OF DARK LITERATURE
What was the real story behind Jekyll and Hyde? How do you cheat the most notorious curse of all time? Why are people getting sick with a strange malady that makes them bleed to death, and how are they being brought back to life in a futuristic nightmare? What happens when the world’s most famous vampire falls in love, or the world’s greatest detective takes on his most dangerous foe? How will a deadly serial killer be caught, and how will a certain paranormal investigator deal with his most unusual case to date? These and many more questions will be answered in Dark Reflections, a collection of spine-tingling tales by award-winning and #1 bestselling author Paul Kane (the British Fantasy Award-Nominated Monsters, Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell, Before, The Storm), which pay homage to the masters of dark fiction, including M.R. James, Charles Dickens, William Hope Hodgson, H.P. Lovecraft, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe. With an introduction by the legendary Kim Newman (Anno Dracula, An English Ghost Story) and cover by Greg Chapman, you’ll find a lot to reflect on in here…
All stories are in conversation with each other. It’s a delight to see how influences, themes and authors cross paths with each other sometime separated by many years. It’s usually my unofficial rule to avoid comparing a book with another book. Or author. I like to make you see a book as it is and not carry any expectations of other reads but I’ll make an exception in this case as Paul Kane in their new collection Dark Reflections has assembled a great collection of tales honouring their favourite pieces of fiction. Inventive and respectful it creates a highly enjoyable reading experience: -
In this collection we get
In Hyding - a refreshing different take on the case of Doctor Jekyll. In this we get Hyde’s view of events and it has the interesting angle of suggesting Hyde is a lot more than a simple experiment gone wrong. A menacing coaxing voice that uses the original tale in different ways.
Signals - A tragic ghost story as a young woman haunted by past incicents watches TV traffic cameras in her job. This story is a modern take on a classic ghost story and for me actually gives the lead character a past and presence beyond simply the unlucky person in the story. Beautifully delivered.
Life Sentence - A world where death is impossible yet some still crave it. This story has an SF feel and uses another classic tale to cresate the world we visit but the intersting angle Kane has is why would someone still want to die. The final scenes are haunting in a very different way to most horror tales.
Humbuggered - Eric one of the kindest men alive who would likely give you his own coat is haunted by his inspirational mentor and told he will have three visits this Christmas Night. Yes its a spin on a Christmas Carol but here about not doing good! There is a rationale to all of this and it is both cheeky and yet still linking to the earlier days in unexpected ways, Tempting fun!
The Greatest Mystery - A Supernatural Holmesian tale that captures the feel of a classic case but here were random murders without motive are everywhere. I like tales that remind us Holmes is not simply an arrogant robot and the reveal as to the cause of events is surprising.
Dracula in Love - A comedic tale of Dracula meeting a therapist to discuss the potential first ever time he is in love. This story throws in lots of vampire jokes and references and is playful. Who gets a happy endimng I will let you decide!
Heartless - One of my favourites with nods to a classic ghost story as a tough but passionate police woman tries to solve the brutal murders of two young children. It captures the grim feel of a procedural but slowly supernatural elements take over. Its delivered really well and yet very faithful to its source tale.
Masques - a brilliant doctor comes up against a truly horrible infection that kills within seconds. He is haunted by a party. Here Kane updates a classic Poe tale and offers an unusual link to the original story. Its vivid, downbeat and unnerving horror.
Paw People - a lovely piece of character narration as our tortured soul explains their obsessional hunt for one object that has caused so much pain. Kane explores the wicked side of getting your wishes granted and this one is very much for you to work out the object causing the trouble.
The Grey Room - a fascinating ghost story within a tale of a supernatural investigator and his friends where he regales this latest weird case. lots of references but this story is quite unnerving and yet satisfyingly solved and explained.
I’ve had loads of fun reading this collection and as well as the joy of working out the inspirations Kane is delivering good and highly enjoyable stories that stand on their own two feet even if the source material was taken away. A fine spooky collection for these dark nights!
