HORROR
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HISTORICAL FICTION
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SUSPENSE
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DARK FANTASY
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Farmer walking in dust storm . 1936 photograph by Arthur
Rothstein, Farm Security Adminstration
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Tenantless farm in the texas panhandle, 1938
Dorthea Lange for the Farm Security Administration
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BOOK
ILLUMINATIONS
From Merrimon Book Reviews
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Mr. Shivers
by Robert Jackson Bennett
After
the death of his daughter, Marcus Connelly takes to the railroad,
searching out the killer, a scarred hobo known in some circles as Mr.
Shivers. He joins forces with another group of men, all
determined to capture the killer. As they traverse the landscape
of the country, a landscape now devastated by poverty and dust storms,
the group's dynamics change. As Connelly grows closer and closer
to the trail, his thirst for revenge takes over. Can he ever go
back home again? Not even he expects the shocking truth at the
end of his journey.
With its mix of horror, historical fiction and fantasy, MR. SHIVERS is
a refreshing change of pace for readers craving something new that does
not adhere to the paradigms of any one genre. If you are looking
for a work of historical fiction that details the history of this time
period, look elsewhere. If on the other hand, you enjoy horror
and fantasy but also crave something new, the historical context of MR.
SHIVERS adds an eerie atmosphere. Robert Jackson Bennett's prose
is at its best as he describes the wasteland of the landscape, an
external landscape that resonates with the internal landscape within
Connelly. The author's look into the soul of the country and the
man haunts with its poetic beauty of the wasteland imagery. MR.
SHIVERS is not a novel for the faint-hearted although the level of gore
is not as extreme as one sees in many new horror releases. The
scene of the pig slaughter makes a reader recoil, and yet at the same
time, the juxtaposition of this scene next to others, gives the reader
a chilling look into killing and death, a major theme within the
novel. Each chapter is marked with a symbol. At first
several look like astrological signs but as one reads, the mysteries of
the signs increase as they do not belong to any set of known languages
or symbol sets. Robert Jackson Bennett reveals the answers at
just the right chilling moment. The ending is one the reader
expects, at least to some degree, and yet even so, the author has a
little twist in store as one contemplates its chilling relevance to the
future.
Although classified as horror, MR. SHIVERS reaches beyond the horror
audience with his poetic yet disturbing look into a haunted
landscape. MR. SHIVERS is a novel that might appeal to historical
fiction and sci-fi/fantasy readers like myself who do not particularly
consider themselves horror fans, a least not for much of current
horror, and still yet have a taste for darker tales with imaginative
twists. Robert Jackson Bennett's blend of genres is simply
refreshing. The ending feels a it rushed as action takes
precedence over description. I would have enjoyed this novel even
more if the author had incorporated his gift for haunting description
more in the final actions scenes. Robert Jackson Bennett is most
definitely a debut author who has captured the imagination of this
reader. I anxiously await his next release.
Publisher: Orbit (January 15, 2010)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
Review Courtesy of Amazon Vine
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