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Snowbooks Horror Novellas
Scourge
“The other night, on the late shift,” he said, having taken another lengthy slurp of beer, “I saw something that…that made me question my mind.” a race of mythical creatures rumoured to live in Yorkshire's dark countryside. The yellow eyes, the double-jointed limbs, the heads that turned backwards whenever that was necessary. These creatures, which otherwise resembled humans, appeared to occupy a small village in North Yorkshire called Nathen, about sixty miles from Bradford, up through the valleys at the foot of which the city rested. And Lee Parker is determined to track them down. Scourge is a traditional, plot-driven horror novel of suspense and excitement.
94 pages, Paperback
First published September 23, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 14, 2017
SCOURGE, by Gary Fry, begins with Lee Parker--now a "Doctor of Psychology"--returning to his hometown for the first time since his younger brother's death had left him empty of all but the pursuit of knowledge. A chance encounter with an old friend brings up an outrageous claim of a "being", half seen . . .
The academic side of him momentarily takes a step back, remembering a symbol he had known many years ago: ". . . immediately reminded me of . . . some half-buried memory at the core of my mind . . . some urban legend I'd heard as a lad . . . " Parker--as many of Fry's main characters are--is an educated man who speaks in very technical terms, even regarding the most mysterious of situations. For example, he immediately needs to elaborate on the creation of legends, in general.
". . . Each district in the country, possibly even across the planet, had similar stories, a collectively convergent attempt to make sense of the world's complex events, the way the human brain struggled to assimilate everything experience could throw at it."
However, Parker can't help but fall back into the mystery, and studies all he can on the myth of the felachnids. He describes these as humanisque creatures with ". . . yellow eyes, the double-jointed limbs . . . and heads that bent or twisted the wrong way . . . "
Despite the academic knowledge that our main character tries to fight off the belief of his own senses with, I found this to be a very fast-paced novella. Parker came off as a man driven to higher knowledge from survivor's guilt over the loss of his brother. Even as he attempts to dismiss the phenomenon, his past wins out over what he--deep down--knows to be true. My only complaint here was that the final conclusion seemed almost anti-climatic, and too clinical, following the huge build up.
Still, a good novella with quite a bit in the way of "unusual imagery".
". . . that was always the tragedy. Knowledge comes long after you need it . . . "
Recommended.
The academic side of him momentarily takes a step back, remembering a symbol he had known many years ago: ". . . immediately reminded me of . . . some half-buried memory at the core of my mind . . . some urban legend I'd heard as a lad . . . " Parker--as many of Fry's main characters are--is an educated man who speaks in very technical terms, even regarding the most mysterious of situations. For example, he immediately needs to elaborate on the creation of legends, in general.
". . . Each district in the country, possibly even across the planet, had similar stories, a collectively convergent attempt to make sense of the world's complex events, the way the human brain struggled to assimilate everything experience could throw at it."
However, Parker can't help but fall back into the mystery, and studies all he can on the myth of the felachnids. He describes these as humanisque creatures with ". . . yellow eyes, the double-jointed limbs . . . and heads that bent or twisted the wrong way . . . "
Despite the academic knowledge that our main character tries to fight off the belief of his own senses with, I found this to be a very fast-paced novella. Parker came off as a man driven to higher knowledge from survivor's guilt over the loss of his brother. Even as he attempts to dismiss the phenomenon, his past wins out over what he--deep down--knows to be true. My only complaint here was that the final conclusion seemed almost anti-climatic, and too clinical, following the huge build up.
Still, a good novella with quite a bit in the way of "unusual imagery".
". . . that was always the tragedy. Knowledge comes long after you need it . . . "
Recommended.
May 8, 2022
Silly in a pulpy kind of a way, but fun too.
October 27, 2016
"Scourge" is a quick-paced contemporary horror story blending psychological/social themes with the 'legend' of the felachnids (humanoid malevolent beings from another world whose double-jointed movements and yellow eyes are pretty freaky). Lee Parker makes a discovery which indicates these creatures are more than legend and have been gradually infiltrating society in a way not dissimilar to conspiracy theorists' reptilian overlords. This isn't blood and guts stuff, but a more realistic horror (although as usual in horror stories the quick assimilation of the knowledge of this reality always feels a little convenient). Fry is an established wordsmith and can certainly tell a page-turning story although I do find his rather formal prose style unengaging at times. Nevertheless, this short novella is full of ideas and is an enjoyable read, with the added bonus that those psychological themes resonate long after the last page has been turned.
May 4, 2022
a quick read
I’m had hope this novella would be a little more fun to read but if I’m honest, this is a 2.5 star read for me. It’s not really my kind of creature horror, I wanted a little
More blood and gore but I stead it feels like I got a psychology lesson. It wasn’t bad, just not my cup of tea.
I’m had hope this novella would be a little more fun to read but if I’m honest, this is a 2.5 star read for me. It’s not really my kind of creature horror, I wanted a little
More blood and gore but I stead it feels like I got a psychology lesson. It wasn’t bad, just not my cup of tea.
July 21, 2020
A palette cleanser. One of those books you read to get your numbers up. There's nothing special here. The writing doesn't excite, the idea is unrealised and rushed.
& Felachnids... I couldn't read that word without thinking of fellatio. If only.
I'd maybe give it an extra half star if I could.
& Felachnids... I couldn't read that word without thinking of fellatio. If only.
I'd maybe give it an extra half star if I could.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews