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Sheep
Contractor James Tullian moves his family temporarily to Ty-Gwyneth, an estate outside a rural sheep-farming town, to give them a fresh start following the drowning death of their young daughter. Shortly after James unearths a pile of charred bones near their home, his wife, Adele, begins incorporating gruesome images into her increasingly morbid still-life paintings. Meanwhile, their seven-year-old son, Sam, falls victim to peculiar fits and visions.
Townsfolk suspect that the Tullians are succumbing to the legacy of madness and murder that overwhelmed the house's previous tenants, but James fears that his loved ones may be manifesting psychopathologies that predate their move and that now have found the perfect place to vent themselves. Maginn sifts the novel's truth from its mystery like an expert archeologist, meticulously exposing deeper and darker strata that underlie even the most innocent events.
Oscillating between the bleak thoughts of his emotionally tortured characters and the stark, moody Welsh landscape, he creates a thick atmosphere of dread that forces the weight of the past inexorably down on the present, yet never impedes the brisk momentum of the tale. This is the rare example of a novel of subtle horror that should appeal to lovers of the fast-paced modern horror thriller.
Townsfolk suspect that the Tullians are succumbing to the legacy of madness and murder that overwhelmed the house's previous tenants, but James fears that his loved ones may be manifesting psychopathologies that predate their move and that now have found the perfect place to vent themselves. Maginn sifts the novel's truth from its mystery like an expert archeologist, meticulously exposing deeper and darker strata that underlie even the most innocent events.
Oscillating between the bleak thoughts of his emotionally tortured characters and the stark, moody Welsh landscape, he creates a thick atmosphere of dread that forces the weight of the past inexorably down on the present, yet never impedes the brisk momentum of the tale. This is the rare example of a novel of subtle horror that should appeal to lovers of the fast-paced modern horror thriller.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 3, 1994
19 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Simon Maginn
7 books26 followersI am a novelist living and working in Brighton, UK, in a haunted palace by the sea. I write horror/psychological thrillers as Simon Maginn: Sheep (filmed as The Dark), is available as an ebook now. Other titles include Virgins and Martyrs, A Sickness of the Soul, Methods of Confinement, and Rattus (novella).
By night, I become Simon Nolan, who writes satirical, drug-fuelled comedies: As Good as it Gets, The Vending Machine of Justice, Whitehawk.
I play the piano incessantly, and I paint in an uncontrolled and, frankly, disgusting way. I'd love it if you visited my website, www.simonmaginn.com, but please don't feel you have to. I know you're busy.
By night, I become Simon Nolan, who writes satirical, drug-fuelled comedies: As Good as it Gets, The Vending Machine of Justice, Whitehawk.
I play the piano incessantly, and I paint in an uncontrolled and, frankly, disgusting way. I'd love it if you visited my website, www.simonmaginn.com, but please don't feel you have to. I know you're busy.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 24, 2021
Last month’s book, ‘Suckers’ was the first book I’d reviewed for Carry on Screaming by a woman. This month’s is the second by a gay man (the first being ‘The Books of Blood volume 1’ by Clive Barker), although I don’t think either were publicly out when the books in question were first published. Whilst there are some notable female horror authors (Mary Shelley, anyone?), it still feels like an overwhelmingly male genre in a way that genres like crime and sci fi aren’t. I don’t know what that is, but I’d welcome thoughts in the comments below.
Back to the point. ‘Sheep’ is the 1994 debut from Simon Maginn, who lives (it turns out) a a few miles away from me. Maginn published four more horror novels under his own name and a number of comic novels as Simon Nolan. ‘Sheep’ made a bit of a splash when it was published, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s creepy, effective and very British. It was filmed as ‘The Dark’ in 2005, with the screenplay by Maginn), John Fawcett (‘Ginger Snaps’) directing and Sean Bean (almost every film ever) playing the lead. The film was, I think, less well received than the book.
I don’t know if Maginn’s other horror novels are as good as this one, but if they are I need to track down copies. ‘Sheep’ is unsettling right from the start and maintains its tension and subtle menace until the very last word. It tells the story of James and Adèle, a couple with a young son, who are trying to come to terms with the death of their daughter. They move to a dilapidated farmhouse rural Wales to escape their memories, but (this is a horror novel after all) end up facing something just as bad.
‘Sheep’ uses a lot of horror (and rural horror) tropes, but does so very effectively. The house has a dark secret. The locals are secretive and the sheep that graze the land around the farmhouse are freaky. Plus there’s a shit tonne of small bones buried near the house. What lifts the book out of cliché and is the quality of the writing. The grief and guilt that James and Adèle feel over the death of their daughter is palpable and infects the whole book. Their son, 7 year old Sam, is as convincing a child as I’ve read in a horror novel. Likewise, their new neighbour, Lewyn, who owns the sheep is a believable and very well rounded character.
Whilst the book isn’t overly gory, Maginn does a great job of making it disturbing. It’s quietly horrifying, like classic British rural horror movies ‘Blood on Satan’s Claw’ and ‘The Wicker Man’. There’s a sense throughout that there’s something deeply messed up going on and that the final reveal with be shattering. If it doesn’t quite manage to be, it’s not too big a disappointment because the journey is so strong.
It strikes me that, as we’ve moved into the 90s, the books I’ve covered (with the exception of ‘Renegades’) have been far from the Paperback from Hell style of book that I expected to be covering when I conceived this column. They have, however, all been authentically horrifying and distinctly British. The transition from the gory excesses of Herbert and Hutson, to the more psychological horror of Maginn and McGrath and the witty satire of Newman and Billson is interesting observe and probably deserves analysis from someone better at reading pop culture trends than I am.
Back to the point. ‘Sheep’ is the 1994 debut from Simon Maginn, who lives (it turns out) a a few miles away from me. Maginn published four more horror novels under his own name and a number of comic novels as Simon Nolan. ‘Sheep’ made a bit of a splash when it was published, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s creepy, effective and very British. It was filmed as ‘The Dark’ in 2005, with the screenplay by Maginn), John Fawcett (‘Ginger Snaps’) directing and Sean Bean (almost every film ever) playing the lead. The film was, I think, less well received than the book.
I don’t know if Maginn’s other horror novels are as good as this one, but if they are I need to track down copies. ‘Sheep’ is unsettling right from the start and maintains its tension and subtle menace until the very last word. It tells the story of James and Adèle, a couple with a young son, who are trying to come to terms with the death of their daughter. They move to a dilapidated farmhouse rural Wales to escape their memories, but (this is a horror novel after all) end up facing something just as bad.
‘Sheep’ uses a lot of horror (and rural horror) tropes, but does so very effectively. The house has a dark secret. The locals are secretive and the sheep that graze the land around the farmhouse are freaky. Plus there’s a shit tonne of small bones buried near the house. What lifts the book out of cliché and is the quality of the writing. The grief and guilt that James and Adèle feel over the death of their daughter is palpable and infects the whole book. Their son, 7 year old Sam, is as convincing a child as I’ve read in a horror novel. Likewise, their new neighbour, Lewyn, who owns the sheep is a believable and very well rounded character.
Whilst the book isn’t overly gory, Maginn does a great job of making it disturbing. It’s quietly horrifying, like classic British rural horror movies ‘Blood on Satan’s Claw’ and ‘The Wicker Man’. There’s a sense throughout that there’s something deeply messed up going on and that the final reveal with be shattering. If it doesn’t quite manage to be, it’s not too big a disappointment because the journey is so strong.
It strikes me that, as we’ve moved into the 90s, the books I’ve covered (with the exception of ‘Renegades’) have been far from the Paperback from Hell style of book that I expected to be covering when I conceived this column. They have, however, all been authentically horrifying and distinctly British. The transition from the gory excesses of Herbert and Hutson, to the more psychological horror of Maginn and McGrath and the witty satire of Newman and Billson is interesting observe and probably deserves analysis from someone better at reading pop culture trends than I am.
May 22, 2015
I don't usually even look at horror novels so why even chose this particular obscure little book, you may ask, to dip into the genre?
Well, way back in the early 2000's I used to go to the cinema from time to time with a friend who really, really likes Sean Bean. Around 2006 Sean Bean happened to star in a couple of horror films which we then naturally had to watch, one of which I was actually interested in (which was Silent Hill, an okay movie, with really nice monster designs), and one I was not, the latter of which was called The Dark, which was considerably more boring and confused the hell out of me (turned out our cinema was showing an alternate ending to what was shown in the original US release, huh), but is the one relevant to this story.
Because that movie was inspired by a book. Sheep is that book.
Why read that book if you didn't even like the movie that much? you might further ask.
Well, I liked the atmosphere, and the two people in the world who appeared to had read the book at the time claimed the story of the book was vastly different, actually made sense, but had the same bleak, Welsh setting and some similar themes.
Now in the days of Kindles and Nook and Tolino the novel has been re-released as an ebook, and it was really cheap on amazon a couple of weeks back, and I needed a "one word title" book for reading bingo, so I thought, why the hell not?
Yes, why the hell not? Having read it now, I have to say it didn't wow me. It's decent, but also certainly not something you regret reading. Like the film it's not a gory slasher. Death is sparse, as is violence and all the gross proceedings are restricted to dead animals (there's a tapeworm being extracted from a sheep's head, a fly inserting its eggs into someone's dinner meat, and sheep's carcasses missing a leg or two). It's not the gore, it's the stark realism of the ideas and descriptions that gets to you.
Obligatory pre-emptive spoiler for pet owners and readers who prefer not to read books with violence directed at dogs:
However there is a supernatural element to the horror. It's strongly hinted there is some form of telepathy and communication with the dead going on (which for a moment makes you wonder whether the actions of the person behind the horrific goings on might actually bear fruit in this setting, and whether there is some supernatural evil lurking in the barn). Also, characters, one of which is a builder paid to do restauration work on the house (!), at first ignoring that a room that cannot be opened from the inside is in the house they're having to stay in and are supposed to restore, and then never thinking of installing a door handle or at least removing the dead bolts from the other side of the door HAVE to be influenced in their behaviour by something supernatural. No one could be that stupid!
So yeah, I guess my biggest problem were the characters. They aren't flat, but there is some stereotyping to them and each individually managed to do or think or say something that kept me from really feeling for them. Especially Adèle with her quirks and her constant daydreaming about cheating on her partner with the sexy naive farmer from next door tended to get on my nerves quite a bit (). But, yeah, all in all the characters were fairly well developed and moderately interesting (Lewyn more so than the others).
But when I say the characters aren't flat, there's the one exception of the young, pretty female character introduced in the last fifth (!) of the book, who is rather flat, and who of course only exists to die. The moment she entered the narration you knew she was a goner, which only served to annoy me, rather than create tension and fear or even an investment in her survival, or rather death. Because her death was so predictable I don't feel like mention it should be considered a spoiler. Again, I don't read horror novels, yet it was still bloody obvious what her role was from the beginning. She was an attractive young female baby sitter in a horror novel, for crying out loud!
Luckily the rest of the book is rather more subtle and less ham-fisted. The only other parts of the book that feel rather too on the nose are the bits in which the narration jumps into the head of a character who has died long before the plot of the novel even sets in. That alone wouldn't be so bad, but these parts confirm rather explicitly (and rather early in the novel) what the reader could have guessed anyway . There was simply no need for them since the characters themselves find out about all of this later and until they do the reader's imagination, already correctly suspecting what had transpired, would have created a sense of horror much more effectively than being told what had happened explicitly through these flashbacks (because, really, it's not that unambiguous form the start that the reader would have needed more help to figure it out. As long as the reader remembers he's reading a horror novel. Small bones that the characters have to tell themselves repeatedly to be bones of sheep just to stay sane are NEVER actually bones of sheep).
Also, at first I was a bit annoyed by the nature of the ending. But thinking about it again, we do get closure for the principal characters. It's a bit vague, because the writing style slips back into it's most metaphsyical and lyrical form for the last couple of scenes, but the ending truly is an ending, and it's not hard to deduce what is going to happen to the survivors of the tale.
Finally, the writing itself is decent as well. It's a bit of a style mix there is some purply prose but also some really good, straightforward phrases that exhibit a startling clarity that I found I enjoyed immensely. There are cusswords, a lot of colloquialisms, but at the same time the book is richtly saturated with metaphors. And what kind of metaphors! They're visceral, clinical, cold, and serve to excellently create an uncomfortable, foreboding atmosphere even long, long before the actual plot starts escalating. A lot of descriptions and small scenes in the beginning of the novel center around images of corrption, working subtly to support the uncomfortable atmosphere and guiding the reader's thoughts to better pick up the nature of the horror encountered later in the book.
Sheep is an entertaining, mostly enjoyable read. It works it's particular kind of horror rather well. It's just not an outstandig read.
Well, way back in the early 2000's I used to go to the cinema from time to time with a friend who really, really likes Sean Bean. Around 2006 Sean Bean happened to star in a couple of horror films which we then naturally had to watch, one of which I was actually interested in (which was Silent Hill, an okay movie, with really nice monster designs), and one I was not, the latter of which was called The Dark, which was considerably more boring and confused the hell out of me (turned out our cinema was showing an alternate ending to what was shown in the original US release, huh), but is the one relevant to this story.
Because that movie was inspired by a book. Sheep is that book.
Why read that book if you didn't even like the movie that much? you might further ask.
Well, I liked the atmosphere, and the two people in the world who appeared to had read the book at the time claimed the story of the book was vastly different, actually made sense, but had the same bleak, Welsh setting and some similar themes.
Now in the days of Kindles and Nook and Tolino the novel has been re-released as an ebook, and it was really cheap on amazon a couple of weeks back, and I needed a "one word title" book for reading bingo, so I thought, why the hell not?
Yes, why the hell not? Having read it now, I have to say it didn't wow me. It's decent, but also certainly not something you regret reading. Like the film it's not a gory slasher. Death is sparse, as is violence and all the gross proceedings are restricted to dead animals (there's a tapeworm being extracted from a sheep's head, a fly inserting its eggs into someone's dinner meat, and sheep's carcasses missing a leg or two). It's not the gore, it's the stark realism of the ideas and descriptions that gets to you.
Obligatory pre-emptive spoiler for pet owners and readers who prefer not to read books with violence directed at dogs:
However there is a supernatural element to the horror. It's strongly hinted there is some form of telepathy and communication with the dead going on (which for a moment makes you wonder whether the actions of the person behind the horrific goings on might actually bear fruit in this setting, and whether there is some supernatural evil lurking in the barn). Also, characters, one of which is a builder paid to do restauration work on the house (!), at first ignoring that a room that cannot be opened from the inside is in the house they're having to stay in and are supposed to restore, and then never thinking of installing a door handle or at least removing the dead bolts from the other side of the door HAVE to be influenced in their behaviour by something supernatural. No one could be that stupid!
So yeah, I guess my biggest problem were the characters. They aren't flat, but there is some stereotyping to them and each individually managed to do or think or say something that kept me from really feeling for them. Especially Adèle with her quirks and her constant daydreaming about cheating on her partner with the sexy naive farmer from next door tended to get on my nerves quite a bit (). But, yeah, all in all the characters were fairly well developed and moderately interesting (Lewyn more so than the others).
But when I say the characters aren't flat, there's the one exception of the young, pretty female character introduced in the last fifth (!) of the book, who is rather flat, and who of course only exists to die. The moment she entered the narration you knew she was a goner, which only served to annoy me, rather than create tension and fear or even an investment in her survival, or rather death. Because her death was so predictable I don't feel like mention it should be considered a spoiler. Again, I don't read horror novels, yet it was still bloody obvious what her role was from the beginning. She was an attractive young female baby sitter in a horror novel, for crying out loud!
Luckily the rest of the book is rather more subtle and less ham-fisted. The only other parts of the book that feel rather too on the nose are the bits in which the narration jumps into the head of a character who has died long before the plot of the novel even sets in. That alone wouldn't be so bad, but these parts confirm rather explicitly (and rather early in the novel) what the reader could have guessed anyway . There was simply no need for them since the characters themselves find out about all of this later and until they do the reader's imagination, already correctly suspecting what had transpired, would have created a sense of horror much more effectively than being told what had happened explicitly through these flashbacks (because, really, it's not that unambiguous form the start that the reader would have needed more help to figure it out. As long as the reader remembers he's reading a horror novel. Small bones that the characters have to tell themselves repeatedly to be bones of sheep just to stay sane are NEVER actually bones of sheep).
Also, at first I was a bit annoyed by the nature of the ending. But thinking about it again, we do get closure for the principal characters. It's a bit vague, because the writing style slips back into it's most metaphsyical and lyrical form for the last couple of scenes, but the ending truly is an ending, and it's not hard to deduce what is going to happen to the survivors of the tale.
Finally, the writing itself is decent as well. It's a bit of a style mix there is some purply prose but also some really good, straightforward phrases that exhibit a startling clarity that I found I enjoyed immensely. There are cusswords, a lot of colloquialisms, but at the same time the book is richtly saturated with metaphors. And what kind of metaphors! They're visceral, clinical, cold, and serve to excellently create an uncomfortable, foreboding atmosphere even long, long before the actual plot starts escalating. A lot of descriptions and small scenes in the beginning of the novel center around images of corrption, working subtly to support the uncomfortable atmosphere and guiding the reader's thoughts to better pick up the nature of the horror encountered later in the book.
Sheep is an entertaining, mostly enjoyable read. It works it's particular kind of horror rather well. It's just not an outstandig read.
October 18, 2023
3.5 stars
This was a strange, meandering story that seemed a lot longer than its 320 pages. While things started out quite straightforward and familiar - a family dealing with a devastating loss flee to the countryside to restore an old farmhouse - the story splintered into fragmented sections at a certain point, and I felt much of the time I was waiting for the moment when everything would resolve itself into a cohesive whole. I thought for a while towards the the end that maybe that clarity was delivered, but I'm left not entirely sure. The writing was beautiful and there were some very chilling parts, but the muddle of the middle sections of the book were a slog to get through. There were some animal death and cruelty scenes, some off-page, that I had to skim.
This was a strange, meandering story that seemed a lot longer than its 320 pages. While things started out quite straightforward and familiar - a family dealing with a devastating loss flee to the countryside to restore an old farmhouse - the story splintered into fragmented sections at a certain point, and I felt much of the time I was waiting for the moment when everything would resolve itself into a cohesive whole. I thought for a while towards the the end that maybe that clarity was delivered, but I'm left not entirely sure. The writing was beautiful and there were some very chilling parts, but the muddle of the middle sections of the book were a slog to get through. There were some animal death and cruelty scenes, some off-page, that I had to skim.
February 18, 2025
This was a re-read for me. ‘Sheep’ was recommended to me by a friend years ago after also showing me the 2005 film adaptation ‘The Dark’. I was and still am not a huge fan of the film though my interest was piqued enough to investigate the source material.
Initial reactions upon my first read were along the lines of “wow, creepy af but…….huh!?”. There are a lot of ambiguous aspects to this novel but there are also various subtle hints throughout that allude to how certain events of the story transpired. Evidently, I was too young/impatient/inattentive to notice these during my 1st read but after finishing the story a 2nd time last night, I’ve decided the balance of ambiguity/outright explanation is perfect. Simon Maginn’s writing is exquisite. He describes grief and atmospheric dread like no other.
This is a dark, scary and depressing story with a bleak, tense atmosphere present from its opening words to its final. A father, his wife and their son move into a remote farmhouse in the Welsh countryside, following the death of their daughter. Strange and inexplicable events occur which become increasingly violent and disturbing. The last 3rd of this novel contains some of the most intense horror I've ever read! There’s also a gay subplot involving two of the characters which was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.
For fans of ‘The Wickerman’ and ‘Pet Semetary’, that similar style of slow-burn terror this is an absolute gem. Criminally underrated in my opinion!
P.s. I suppose the one thing that’s still bugging me slightly is
Initial reactions upon my first read were along the lines of “wow, creepy af but…….huh!?”. There are a lot of ambiguous aspects to this novel but there are also various subtle hints throughout that allude to how certain events of the story transpired. Evidently, I was too young/impatient/inattentive to notice these during my 1st read but after finishing the story a 2nd time last night, I’ve decided the balance of ambiguity/outright explanation is perfect. Simon Maginn’s writing is exquisite. He describes grief and atmospheric dread like no other.
This is a dark, scary and depressing story with a bleak, tense atmosphere present from its opening words to its final. A father, his wife and their son move into a remote farmhouse in the Welsh countryside, following the death of their daughter. Strange and inexplicable events occur which become increasingly violent and disturbing. The last 3rd of this novel contains some of the most intense horror I've ever read! There’s also a gay subplot involving two of the characters which was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.
For fans of ‘The Wickerman’ and ‘Pet Semetary’, that similar style of slow-burn terror this is an absolute gem. Criminally underrated in my opinion!
P.s. I suppose the one thing that’s still bugging me slightly is
May 30, 2021
I'd have liked a gayer ending but still really good.
January 17, 2018
It was easy reading and not too gory or scary, but I found the 'twist' to be quite obvious - and as I am from Pembrokeshire, I couldn't quite get past the not-great characterisation of the accent, and the fact that Strumble Head was referred to as 'Stumble' Head throughout - even down to the word 'Stumble' being incorporated in the plot. That really irritated me!!
December 9, 2016
Closer to 4.5 stars.
So like many others, I too have seen the movie The Dark (2005) when I was little and had fond memories of it. I know it's considered a bad film, and to be honest I haven't seen it since I was just a kid, but I liked it at the time. Anyway, I discovered it's based on this book, and so I bought the kindle version of it. (I understand that it's out of print and hard to get, but it's available on kindle for just 3.99$, guys. Very simple.)
First of all, if the movie was based on this book, it is very loosely based on this book. The setting in the same, the characters are the same, the sheep are the same, but boy oh boy is the story different. I would advise if you do read the book, which I recommend you do, just let go of the movie's plot, because this is a whole different ride.
Though I love horror movies and getting scared, I've never tried a horror novel. It wasn't necessarily scary, but it was disturbing and atmospheric, enough for me to not read it right before bed as it would make it hard to fall asleep.
All in all, I enjoyed this book very much. Loved the honest, slightly cynic way it was written, loved how the author leads you like he leads his characters through the mystery. I recommend it to anyone who wants something a little eerie and different, something that might make you a little uncomfortable, and a book that is just well written.
I wish more people would read it so I had someone to talk to about some things! :(
P.S. Didn't know sheep could make my skin crawl.
So like many others, I too have seen the movie The Dark (2005) when I was little and had fond memories of it. I know it's considered a bad film, and to be honest I haven't seen it since I was just a kid, but I liked it at the time. Anyway, I discovered it's based on this book, and so I bought the kindle version of it. (I understand that it's out of print and hard to get, but it's available on kindle for just 3.99$, guys. Very simple.)
First of all, if the movie was based on this book, it is very loosely based on this book. The setting in the same, the characters are the same, the sheep are the same, but boy oh boy is the story different. I would advise if you do read the book, which I recommend you do, just let go of the movie's plot, because this is a whole different ride.
Though I love horror movies and getting scared, I've never tried a horror novel. It wasn't necessarily scary, but it was disturbing and atmospheric, enough for me to not read it right before bed as it would make it hard to fall asleep.
All in all, I enjoyed this book very much. Loved the honest, slightly cynic way it was written, loved how the author leads you like he leads his characters through the mystery. I recommend it to anyone who wants something a little eerie and different, something that might make you a little uncomfortable, and a book that is just well written.
I wish more people would read it so I had someone to talk to about some things! :(
P.S. Didn't know sheep could make my skin crawl.
February 23, 2025
I always love to read original books by new authors. I especially like it if I gel with the author's style and uniqueness. Sheep is one of those books. The author was also born in the same town as I was - double whammy.
It has been compared to Ian Banks and The Wasp Factory and I can see why. It certainly is dark fiction - savage, disturbing, chilling with hints of the supernatural and possibly ghosts, plenty of terror and a fair share of horror.
It is set in the tranquil atmospheric landscape of rural Wales (extra bonus for me) and there aren't many people there, but they are well-rounded characters and - lots of sheep. The story builds tension from the beginning with clues about dark events from the past, some known, others to be discovered. Great dark theme and symbolism reinforced by the landscape and weather. Well written, great psychological thriller. Definitely one of my favourites.
Unfortunately, I haven't seen much from Simon Maginn since this debut novel, which is a great shame. His writing style is easy and gripping and I will look out for more of his work industriously from now on. You should too.
It has been compared to Ian Banks and The Wasp Factory and I can see why. It certainly is dark fiction - savage, disturbing, chilling with hints of the supernatural and possibly ghosts, plenty of terror and a fair share of horror.
It is set in the tranquil atmospheric landscape of rural Wales (extra bonus for me) and there aren't many people there, but they are well-rounded characters and - lots of sheep. The story builds tension from the beginning with clues about dark events from the past, some known, others to be discovered. Great dark theme and symbolism reinforced by the landscape and weather. Well written, great psychological thriller. Definitely one of my favourites.
Unfortunately, I haven't seen much from Simon Maginn since this debut novel, which is a great shame. His writing style is easy and gripping and I will look out for more of his work industriously from now on. You should too.
May 6, 2012
First off, this book is completely worth the effort it takes to hunt down a copy. I read a lot of horror novels, and when trying out a new author there's always the risk that they'll focus too much on the horror and not enough on the novel. Maginn definitely wrote a novel, with decent characters and enough depth to explain people's actions and reasons. I never yelled for someone to stop being an idiot while reading it. If they were being one you bloody well knew why. The horror is also well crafted, with different creepy pieces falling into place, not letting me know exactly what kind of book I was reading until the very end. With that in mind, I think the less you know about the book going in, the better. It's scary. It's good. You'll probably like it if you like good, scary things.
If they ever reprint Sheep, I know what I'm buying everyone for Christmas.
If they ever reprint Sheep, I know what I'm buying everyone for Christmas.
September 26, 2023
This is a very strange book. I read it because I saw the (frankly terrible) film The Dark, which is very loosely based on this book. Reviews suggested the book was much better - I wholeheartedly agree.
The story is dark, menacing and somewhat gloomy. It's not an easy read. The characters are interesting- Maginn demonstrates a lot of talent here. I thought the basic story idea was strong, but didn't quite deliver at the end. There are more questions than answers - it could have used another 50 pages bringing it all together.
That said, for a debut novel it's a striking and original idea, and it's a real shame it's not longer in print. I managed to find a (clearly well-loved) paperback for 99p on Amazon - worth tracking down!
The story is dark, menacing and somewhat gloomy. It's not an easy read. The characters are interesting- Maginn demonstrates a lot of talent here. I thought the basic story idea was strong, but didn't quite deliver at the end. There are more questions than answers - it could have used another 50 pages bringing it all together.
That said, for a debut novel it's a striking and original idea, and it's a real shame it's not longer in print. I managed to find a (clearly well-loved) paperback for 99p on Amazon - worth tracking down!
July 4, 2018
This was a great surprise. I didn't know what to expect and wasn't even sure what kind of a horror novel I was reading until the last few chapters. Is it a ghost story? A tale of possession? A folk horror? A crime thriller? Somehow it manages to be all of these things and the author's ability to keep you guessing makes it scary on many levels. A good, bleak, original chiller.
July 2, 2016
Not an easy read, but engrossing and one of the better horrors of the year, mainly because it is REAL. Who says that those you love and trust are the ones you're safe with? And how inherent is evil really? Many questions and too many answers - I may just think about this one for a while ...
December 22, 2023
Fun and spooky but not outstanding, am now wary of sheep
August 14, 2025
Simon Maginn is thoroughly forgotten not only in our country, but also in his homeland, the Internet says that, at 64, he teaches music and has not written anything since 2010. He did not manage to strengthen his position in the ranks of colleagues and in the eyes of readers by winning any of the literary prizes. The period of his creative activity fell on the second half of the nineties-the noughties, during which time Maginn published eight books, although it is believed that none surpassed the debut "Sheep". But this psychopathological horror is really good.
Having suffered the death of little Ruth, the family of three moves to Wells, to a farm bought by a rich relative. In six months, James has to make this abandoned place habitable, both of them, with the artist Adele, submitted their diplomas to the social control authorities to confirm. that they are qualified enough to homeschool Sam. The first half of the year promises to be
busy, and most importantly, it will help lick a mental wound.
The huge house survived a partial fire and was uninhabited for a long time, but it was generally well preserved: there are habitable rooms and communications, except for the telephone (the validity period is up to the mobile 90s), but you can call from a neighbor Lewin, who lives alone on his sheep farm. A handsome young man, a pleasant surprise of the local area - after the new neighbors assured him that they had nothing against grazing sheep in the surrounding area, he was filled with kind feelings for them. He also told the couple the dark history of this place, which gradually seeps into the new tenants, poisoning the relationship and undermining the delicate balance.
Maginn's "Sheep" combines the motifs of "The Shining" and "Pet Cemetery" with "Damien", anticipating the interest of the literature of the noughties to psychiatry, and looks modern, despite the thirty-year distance. There are restrained Welsh motifs here - not yet modern Gaelic literature, distancing itself from the metropolis, emphasizing local differences and identity, but no longer an average "Britishness". And some rough edges and unexplained questions only add to the story's charm.
If you are looking for a cool horror without the folklore chthony genre, read or listen. There is an audio version by Oleg Buldakov.
Про овечье и человечье
Саймон Магинн основательно позабыт не только у нас, но и на родине, интернеты говорят, что, в свои 64 преподает музыку и после 2010 ничего не писал. Не успел укрепить свои позиции в рядах коллег и глазах читателей завоеванием какуй-нибудь из литературных премий. Период его творческой активности пришелся на вторую половину девяностых-нулевые, за это время Магинн опубликовал восемь книг, хотя считается, что ни одна не превзошла дебютных "Овец". Но вот этот психопатологический хоррор по-настоящему хорош.
Тяжело пережив смерть маленькой Руфи, семья из трех человек перебирается в Уэлльс, на ферму, купленную богатым родственником. За полгода Джеймс должен сделать это заброшенное место пригодным для жизни, оба они, с художницей Аделью, предоставили в органы социального контроля свои дипломы, чтобы подтвердить. что достаточно квалифицированы для домашнего обучения Сэма. Полугодие обещает быть
занятым, а главное - поможет зализать душевную рану.
Огромный дом пережил частичный пожар и долго был необитаем, но в целом сохранился неплохо: есть пригодные для жилья комнаты и коммуникации, кроме телефона (время действия до-мобильные 90-е), но позвонить можно от соседа Льюина, одиноко живущего на своей овечьей ферме. Красивый молодой еще мужчина, приятный сюрприз здешних мест - после того, как новые соседи уверили его, что не имеют ничего против выпаса овец на прилегающей территории, преисполнился к ним добрых чувств. Он же поведал супругам мрачную историю этого места, которая исподволь просачивается в новых жильцов, отравляя отношения и подтачивая хрупкое равновесие.
"Овцы" Магинна соединяют мотивы "Сияния" и "Кладбища домашних животных" с "Дэмьеном", предвосхищая интерес литературы нулевых-десятых к психиатрии, и выглядят современно, вопреки тридцатилетней дистанции. Здесь сдержанные валлийские мотивы - еще не современная гэльская литература, дистанцирующаяся от метрополии, подчеркивающая местные отличие и самость, но уже не усредненная "британскость". А некоторые шероховатости и оставшиеся без объяснения вопросы лишь добавляют истории обаяния.
Ищете классный хоррор без заполонившей произведения жанра фольклорной хтони - почитайте или послушайте. Есть аудиоверсия Олега Булдакова.
December 4, 2023
I read this book after watching a glowing review on YouTube. I wish I’d never watched it. A family start a new life in wales after their daughter drowns. Usual fair. Mother’s an artist. Father a builder renovating the house and their young son is suffering with behavioural problems.
Next to their home is a sheep farm hence the title. Soon there are weird occurrences on the farm and sheep mutilation. Then murders begin too.
In the back of my mind I kept a view of who the culprit was. It cannot be that person though I thought. If it is then it’s farcical. Turned out I was correct. It’s totally farcical and unbelievable. Like tea from China, it’s far fetched.
After finishing the book I actually placed it in the recycling bin. I think that says it all
Next to their home is a sheep farm hence the title. Soon there are weird occurrences on the farm and sheep mutilation. Then murders begin too.
In the back of my mind I kept a view of who the culprit was. It cannot be that person though I thought. If it is then it’s farcical. Turned out I was correct. It’s totally farcical and unbelievable. Like tea from China, it’s far fetched.
After finishing the book I actually placed it in the recycling bin. I think that says it all
March 6, 2025
I…. Er…. Yeah. I got this book as it was recommended to me as having great atmospheric language with regards to isolation and loneliness. And it didn’t really deliver on that front.
It put me in mind of the TV series Lost. Loads of great ideas that don’t really go anywhere and the end is a bit same old same old.
Maybe 2 stars was a bit harsh of me. It’s a 2 star book in a collection of good books. Yeah, that makes more sense.
There is another review that says it seemed a lot longer than it’s 350 pages and I totally agree with that.
It put me in mind of the TV series Lost. Loads of great ideas that don’t really go anywhere and the end is a bit same old same old.
Maybe 2 stars was a bit harsh of me. It’s a 2 star book in a collection of good books. Yeah, that makes more sense.
There is another review that says it seemed a lot longer than it’s 350 pages and I totally agree with that.
April 7, 2021
Sheep started off really great and kept going, I really enjoyed the authors style of writing. I raced through this book, it had some really interesting observations and the suspense was great.
****possible spoiler alert******
The only part that threw me off was a paragraph in the final act where James is more curious about his burgeoning sexual feelings towards Lewyn than his own son being missing, that part felt really off. But overall I enjoyed this book very much.
****possible spoiler alert******
The only part that threw me off was a paragraph in the final act where James is more curious about his burgeoning sexual feelings towards Lewyn than his own son being missing, that part felt really off. But overall I enjoyed this book very much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2017
A rather grim Welsh rural psychological horror. A family moves to Wales following a family tragedy, but they have brought the mental scars with them.
June 17, 2007
I watched a really dumb horror movie with sean bean and Maria bello about this family who is Wales and there are ghosts and some welsh folklore cult and blah blah blah...though the movie was poorly executed, the concept was interesting and when I found out that it was based on this book, I tried to find it. It is, of course, out of print...everywhere. I finally found it, after a few months of searching sporadically, on Amazon uk marketplace....I eagerly awaited my copy and gobbled it up.
It wasn't bad. But all the things I was interested in, mainly the cult centered around welsh folkore and the sheep disturbances and Anwyn (anoon) weren't even in the book. The character's names were the same, and it took place in Wales on a sheep farm, and there were some things falling off cliffs, but that was about it. The book is more closely along the lines of The Shining, but Danny would be evil in this version--I suppose that is the twist that I just wrecked for any would be readers. I dunno--I was expecting more...
It wasn't bad. But all the things I was interested in, mainly the cult centered around welsh folkore and the sheep disturbances and Anwyn (anoon) weren't even in the book. The character's names were the same, and it took place in Wales on a sheep farm, and there were some things falling off cliffs, but that was about it. The book is more closely along the lines of The Shining, but Danny would be evil in this version--I suppose that is the twist that I just wrecked for any would be readers. I dunno--I was expecting more...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2012
I tracked this down after watching "the dark" (although the only thing the two really have in common is the setting) and i'm really glad i did. This book really got under my skin, and made me think about children and parents and responsibilities and nervous breakdowns in new and creepy ways. It's currently available on kindle for 3 dollars, and is well worth a read.
February 16, 2013
Brilliantly atmospheric. Certainly better than the movie!
May 14, 2016
Als je van horror houdt een goed verhaal met een wat onbevredigend einde. Mooie verhaallijn. Heden en verleden, denken en zeggen, lopen voortdurend door elkaar heen zonder voor verwarring te zorgen.
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