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Silverweed Road
A collection of chilling and weird stories all set on one (seemingly) everyday suburban street in the UK.
Behind each door lies something strange and terrifying. Here, the normal is made nightmarish, from howls of were-foxes to predatory swimming pools. Creepy, terrifying and witty by turn, Silverweed Road deals in love, loss, isolation, loneliness, obsession, greed and revenge. As the screw turns with each story, Crook creates a world of pure imagination, constantly surprising, in a setting that is instantly recognisable but otherworldly at the same time.
This is fun British suburban horror at its best, with nods to M.R. James, Angela Carter, Roald Dahl and echoes of Inside No. 9, Stranger Things and Black Mirror.
Behind each door lies something strange and terrifying. Here, the normal is made nightmarish, from howls of were-foxes to predatory swimming pools. Creepy, terrifying and witty by turn, Silverweed Road deals in love, loss, isolation, loneliness, obsession, greed and revenge. As the screw turns with each story, Crook creates a world of pure imagination, constantly surprising, in a setting that is instantly recognisable but otherworldly at the same time.
This is fun British suburban horror at its best, with nods to M.R. James, Angela Carter, Roald Dahl and echoes of Inside No. 9, Stranger Things and Black Mirror.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2022
13 people are currently reading
594 people want to read
About the author
Simon Crook
1 book12 followersSimon Crook was born in Kent. He's been a film journalist for 20+ years, interviewing talent and visiting film sets for Empire Magazine. His interviews include one-on-ones with Michael Caine, Jeff Bridges, David Cronenberg and Kermit The Frog.
He specialises in horror cinema.
Silverweed Road, an anthology set on a cursed street where a new horror lies behind each door, is released on 29 September 2022 and published by HarperVoyager.
He specialises in horror cinema.
Silverweed Road, an anthology set on a cursed street where a new horror lies behind each door, is released on 29 September 2022 and published by HarperVoyager.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
October 12, 2022
In a Nutshell: The perfect anthology to read during Halloween. A collection of creepy horror stories that span a variety of scary themes. Loved it!
Horror as a genre can span so many elements. You have splatterpunk, atmospheric, paranormal, gothic, psychological, zombie, vampire,… even comedy! How much you enjoy a horror story depends entirely on which horror theme works best with you. For me, gory splatterpunk NEVER works. The rest still have a fair chance at clicking, depending on how the story is written. But what almost always works for me is atmospheric and gothic horror. This collection has a majority of stories from the categories I enjoy. No wonder then that it clicked so well!
This anthology contains ten stories, all of which are set on the fictional ‘Silverweed Road’ that suddenly became a hub of unsolved crimes in 2019. Former Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath handled those investigations, and five years hence, is still brooding over what might have happened. The anthology thus uses Heath’s thoughts as a unifying mechanism across the tales.
Silverweed Road is supposedly a quiet J-shaped cul-de-sac of 41 mock-Tudor semis, built in the 1950s, and bordering the woods. Thus it provides the perfect location to every tale. It did seem farfetched to me that so many paranormal events happened within the same year and on the same road, but the last story explains the reason for this. (As a creature of logic, I like valid reasons, even if the reason is paranormal! 😄)
The prologue contains Heath’s introduction to the weird occurrences on Silverweed road in 2019, then we have a horror story, a blog entry containing Heath’s thoughts on that particular incident, another story, and so on… I enjoyed this innovative presentation. It ensured a thread of commonality across the disparate events, and showed the official confusion over those inexplicable happenings. Moreover, Heath, being the ignorant outsider, doesn’t know what actually happened and can only take a stab at a reasonable justification, unlike we the readers who are privy to the story before reading his blog and thus understand his befuddlement well.
I have read a few horror anthologies by now and in almost all of them, a common factor is repetition. After a point, you start getting a feeling of déjà vu because the pattern and dominant style remain the same, even if it is a multi-author anthology. To my great surprise, every single story in this book is distinct from each other in that each uses a different horror element. This is even more remarkable as it is a single-author anthology. Author Simon Crook has me astounded at his wild and weird imagination! (I mean that as the most sincere compliment!)
The stories are independent, though elements and characters from a few make their appearance in other tales, the jackdaw being the most common participant in the proceedings. Reading a Kindle copy was helpful because the events aren’t linear. So it was easier to look up house numbers and events using the search option.
As always, I rated the stories individually, and of the ten stories, a whopping seven stories reached or crossed the 4 star mark for me. The remaining three were also good, impartially speaking, but two of those were too gory to be my cup of tea and one was just too wacko.
Here are my top three favourites, all with 5 star ratings:
👻 The Pool – A classic atmospheric horror, where all elements come together in perfect unison, build up the fear factor gradually, and deliver a stunning climax.
👻 Cuttlefish Cuttlefish – Oh. My. God!! I am never going to look at cuttlefish the same way again! I adored the concept and the implementation.
👻 Dust - Who doesn't love a vengeful ghost! Loved every minute of this story, even when it became tough for me to breathe because of all the dust! 😛
The blurb describes this collection as “fun British suburban horror at its best”. I confess, I didn’t see any fun in the proceedings, probably because my sense of humour is wired differently. But it does justice to the claim of having the best suburban horror. Definitely recommended – this is one of the best anthologies I’ve read this year.
3.8 stars, based on the average of my rating for each story. (If I discount my rating for the 2 gory stories I didn’t enjoy, the average is a cool 4.4 stars!)
Trigger Warnings: Well, in horror books, trigger warnings are meaningless because if you want a book without severe triggers, horror isn’t the genre for you. But there’s one thing I want to specifically mention here. Animal torture is quite common in horror stories, probably because many authors take it as a lazy way out of adding to the ‘ick’ factor. In this collection, not a single story has any extreme animal torture (though one pet owner deserved a whack for his treatment of his cat – he did get his comeuppance, so all’s well that ends well.). It goes to show how good horror can be written without mutilating poor animals. Other horror writers, please take note!
My thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperVoyager, and NetGalley for the DRC of “Silverweed Road”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
Horror as a genre can span so many elements. You have splatterpunk, atmospheric, paranormal, gothic, psychological, zombie, vampire,… even comedy! How much you enjoy a horror story depends entirely on which horror theme works best with you. For me, gory splatterpunk NEVER works. The rest still have a fair chance at clicking, depending on how the story is written. But what almost always works for me is atmospheric and gothic horror. This collection has a majority of stories from the categories I enjoy. No wonder then that it clicked so well!
This anthology contains ten stories, all of which are set on the fictional ‘Silverweed Road’ that suddenly became a hub of unsolved crimes in 2019. Former Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath handled those investigations, and five years hence, is still brooding over what might have happened. The anthology thus uses Heath’s thoughts as a unifying mechanism across the tales.
Silverweed Road is supposedly a quiet J-shaped cul-de-sac of 41 mock-Tudor semis, built in the 1950s, and bordering the woods. Thus it provides the perfect location to every tale. It did seem farfetched to me that so many paranormal events happened within the same year and on the same road, but the last story explains the reason for this. (As a creature of logic, I like valid reasons, even if the reason is paranormal! 😄)
The prologue contains Heath’s introduction to the weird occurrences on Silverweed road in 2019, then we have a horror story, a blog entry containing Heath’s thoughts on that particular incident, another story, and so on… I enjoyed this innovative presentation. It ensured a thread of commonality across the disparate events, and showed the official confusion over those inexplicable happenings. Moreover, Heath, being the ignorant outsider, doesn’t know what actually happened and can only take a stab at a reasonable justification, unlike we the readers who are privy to the story before reading his blog and thus understand his befuddlement well.
I have read a few horror anthologies by now and in almost all of them, a common factor is repetition. After a point, you start getting a feeling of déjà vu because the pattern and dominant style remain the same, even if it is a multi-author anthology. To my great surprise, every single story in this book is distinct from each other in that each uses a different horror element. This is even more remarkable as it is a single-author anthology. Author Simon Crook has me astounded at his wild and weird imagination! (I mean that as the most sincere compliment!)
The stories are independent, though elements and characters from a few make their appearance in other tales, the jackdaw being the most common participant in the proceedings. Reading a Kindle copy was helpful because the events aren’t linear. So it was easier to look up house numbers and events using the search option.
As always, I rated the stories individually, and of the ten stories, a whopping seven stories reached or crossed the 4 star mark for me. The remaining three were also good, impartially speaking, but two of those were too gory to be my cup of tea and one was just too wacko.
Here are my top three favourites, all with 5 star ratings:
👻 The Pool – A classic atmospheric horror, where all elements come together in perfect unison, build up the fear factor gradually, and deliver a stunning climax.
👻 Cuttlefish Cuttlefish – Oh. My. God!! I am never going to look at cuttlefish the same way again! I adored the concept and the implementation.
👻 Dust - Who doesn't love a vengeful ghost! Loved every minute of this story, even when it became tough for me to breathe because of all the dust! 😛
The blurb describes this collection as “fun British suburban horror at its best”. I confess, I didn’t see any fun in the proceedings, probably because my sense of humour is wired differently. But it does justice to the claim of having the best suburban horror. Definitely recommended – this is one of the best anthologies I’ve read this year.
3.8 stars, based on the average of my rating for each story. (If I discount my rating for the 2 gory stories I didn’t enjoy, the average is a cool 4.4 stars!)
Trigger Warnings: Well, in horror books, trigger warnings are meaningless because if you want a book without severe triggers, horror isn’t the genre for you. But there’s one thing I want to specifically mention here. Animal torture is quite common in horror stories, probably because many authors take it as a lazy way out of adding to the ‘ick’ factor. In this collection, not a single story has any extreme animal torture (though one pet owner deserved a whack for his treatment of his cat – he did get his comeuppance, so all’s well that ends well.). It goes to show how good horror can be written without mutilating poor animals. Other horror writers, please take note!
My thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperVoyager, and NetGalley for the DRC of “Silverweed Road”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
August 15, 2023
Silverweed Road, the collection of short horror stories, is dark, unique, chilling, and very British. Silverweed Road, the road, is made up of around 40 mock-Tudor houses, is J-shaped, has a dead-end that leads to ominous woods, is full of peculiar characters, and lots of strange events seem to take place there.
Short story horror anthologies aren't typically my go-to reading fare yet something about Silverweed Road seemed to tick the boxes so it pole-vaulted to the top of my to-be-read list. It features 12 horror stories, each of which follows the occupants of one of the houses on the titular road. One of the stories will take about thirty minutes to read and they are self-contained whilst neatly relating back to elements of previous stories such as the crash site, foxes, the woods, jackdaws going "ack-ack" etc... By the time I was reading the last two stories, the importance of the slight crossing over, the strange happenings being significant to numerous neighbours, and the general creepy and supernatural nature of all the stories led to an exciting, surprisingly deep and fulfilling climax. Crook impressively merged these singular tales into a collection of cohesive stories, as unsettling and bizarre as Silverweed Road itself.
The stories are varied, some feature various horror tropes as homage, they are kooky, sometimes gritty, and they showcase slick humour with their overall weirdness and also with the character interactions. Off the top of my head, I could summarise some of the tales as 1) A Gardener vs. Some Birds, 2) A Darts Player Sells His Soul to a Devil, 3) The Abandoned House and What Leaves it Every Morning, 4) A Valuable Ring and a Haunting Hand, 5) Ashes of a Lost Love, 6) A Tree That Wants to Drink Wine, and 7) The Artist and the Swimming Pool. This would give potential readers an idea of what to expect, without really giving that much away.
Lots of bad things happen to the characters that we follow. So much so that, between stories, we are witness to short intermissions by Former Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath of Kent Police. The ex-officer tries to make sense of the many disappearances, uncharacteristic murders, and unexplainable catastrophes. These were welcome breaks and they bring us back to how all the strange occurrences on Silverweed Road appeared to the general public. His blog entries were an extra layer to the narrative and it was interesting to see him feature in some of the stories, before his dismissal. Again, this was a neat crossing over.
I had a mostly positive time with Silverweed Road. After about the fifth story, which was about the time I started to understand that the stories were connected and the piecing together mattered, I found myself more engaged. They aren't reported in chronological order. So, when characters we're familiar with pop up to argue with a neighbour, even though in their story they either died or were placed in a psychiatric ward, it doesn't appear jarring, in fact, it seems to fit with the weirdness and the humour of the novel and the road. At about the 9th story, I was feeling a bit fatigued with the read and that's probably down to the fact that I raced through this novel in a week, and should perhaps have taken my time and savoured each entry. That being said, getting over that minor hump, the last two chapters were two of the best in the collection, wrapping events up nicely. The very strong finish brought my rating up to a 7/10 and I'm interested to see what Crook releases next.
I received a review copy of Silverweed Road in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Simon Crook and Harper Voyager.
Short story horror anthologies aren't typically my go-to reading fare yet something about Silverweed Road seemed to tick the boxes so it pole-vaulted to the top of my to-be-read list. It features 12 horror stories, each of which follows the occupants of one of the houses on the titular road. One of the stories will take about thirty minutes to read and they are self-contained whilst neatly relating back to elements of previous stories such as the crash site, foxes, the woods, jackdaws going "ack-ack" etc... By the time I was reading the last two stories, the importance of the slight crossing over, the strange happenings being significant to numerous neighbours, and the general creepy and supernatural nature of all the stories led to an exciting, surprisingly deep and fulfilling climax. Crook impressively merged these singular tales into a collection of cohesive stories, as unsettling and bizarre as Silverweed Road itself.
The stories are varied, some feature various horror tropes as homage, they are kooky, sometimes gritty, and they showcase slick humour with their overall weirdness and also with the character interactions. Off the top of my head, I could summarise some of the tales as 1) A Gardener vs. Some Birds, 2) A Darts Player Sells His Soul to a Devil, 3) The Abandoned House and What Leaves it Every Morning, 4) A Valuable Ring and a Haunting Hand, 5) Ashes of a Lost Love, 6) A Tree That Wants to Drink Wine, and 7) The Artist and the Swimming Pool. This would give potential readers an idea of what to expect, without really giving that much away.
Lots of bad things happen to the characters that we follow. So much so that, between stories, we are witness to short intermissions by Former Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath of Kent Police. The ex-officer tries to make sense of the many disappearances, uncharacteristic murders, and unexplainable catastrophes. These were welcome breaks and they bring us back to how all the strange occurrences on Silverweed Road appeared to the general public. His blog entries were an extra layer to the narrative and it was interesting to see him feature in some of the stories, before his dismissal. Again, this was a neat crossing over.
I had a mostly positive time with Silverweed Road. After about the fifth story, which was about the time I started to understand that the stories were connected and the piecing together mattered, I found myself more engaged. They aren't reported in chronological order. So, when characters we're familiar with pop up to argue with a neighbour, even though in their story they either died or were placed in a psychiatric ward, it doesn't appear jarring, in fact, it seems to fit with the weirdness and the humour of the novel and the road. At about the 9th story, I was feeling a bit fatigued with the read and that's probably down to the fact that I raced through this novel in a week, and should perhaps have taken my time and savoured each entry. That being said, getting over that minor hump, the last two chapters were two of the best in the collection, wrapping events up nicely. The very strong finish brought my rating up to a 7/10 and I'm interested to see what Crook releases next.
I received a review copy of Silverweed Road in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Simon Crook and Harper Voyager.
November 17, 2022
An interesting anthology linked by a common thread, all the stories involve the inhabitants of Silverweed Road, a British suburban cul de sac. There were a few stories that stood out to me, one involving a predatory swimming pool and another where a scientist isolates himself to study the behaviour of cuttlefish. Many of the tales have a Lovecraftian vibe, and others reminded me a little of Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected. I do have a major niggle however, for me the stories were overwritten. Peculiar descriptions and purple prose such as characters taking "gasps of coffee" and gems such as "Lois stared into the white well of her boiled egg, lost in the eye of a marigold yolk" 😶 had me rolling my eyes and thinking easy tiger, sometimes less is more. There were many more examples like this and they pulled me out of the story every single time. Overall though, I liked the connecting thread and the stories were interesting, if the flowery prose was toned down I'd have liked the book more, but I enjoyed it enough to want to see what the author does next. Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for the arc.
September 12, 2022
Publication Date: 15th Sep 2022
4 Stars
One Liner: Atmospheric and entertaining
Silverweed Road is a spooky, strange, and chilling area with creepy activities and weird people. Everyone on the road is a stranger to the other and has secrets to hide. From spine-chilling sounds to unexplainable disappearances, Silverweed Road is where no outsider wants to go.
But what happened to the people living along the road? Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath goes through his notes to talk about the cases he encountered.
The book is a collection of horror stories with a common setting and multiple themes like greed, human failings, mad brilliance, etc.
The Jackdaw- 4.5 Stars
Victor Hagman is obsessed with his garden. His wife Patricia realizes that Victor is no longer who he was, and the garden is the only thing that matters. So when the Jackdaw pair thaws Victor’s attempts to protect his late-season raspberries, it unleashes a series of incidents that changes their lives forever.
This is totally my kinda story! It is atmospheric, creepy, and dark. I knew what would happen but was still curious to see if that’s how the story would progress. The ending is poetic (not the verses one) and concludes the story with perfection.
The Plot- 3.8 Stars
Cleo Marsh is a young artist, a reclusive painter who shot to fame with her bold paintings. The demand to interact with the buyers pushes her into a void. Meeting Margaret Prowler seems like a good thing. What happens when Cleo goes to Margaret’s retreat on Silverweed Road?
The story takes time to get to the point, but the buildup is necessary to understand Cleo and her actions. This, too, is an atmospheric setting where we know something will happen. The concept is great, but I didn’t feel the ending hit me as it should.
Caught Red-Handed- 4.2 Stars
Augustus Fry needs a deal to stay afloat. After all, shady antique business doesn’t run without artifacts and gullible sellers. When some Mr. Butterworth from a tiny place calls about a ring, Augustus knows what he has to do. The deal goes better than he expected. But what’s with those strange occurrences in his house?
This one ups the horror quotient as the story progresses. While the house in Silverweed Road isn’t the focus, that’s where the action takes place. I expected the final twist, but there’s a teeny one that made me smile (sinister types). I do love paranormal entities with ethics. Very important, I say!
Cuttlefish, Cuttlefish- 4.5 Stars
Dr. Eric Akoto is all set for the experiment of his lifetime on cuttlefish. It seems to progress well until things take a turn for worse. Can Dr. Eric uncover the secret? What happens to him?
This is the best story in the book until now. It’s sci-fi horror written in the diary format where Dr. Eric records his thoughts and observations each day. The story is fascinating and eww (depending on how active your imagination is). I enjoyed this one a lot.
Crash Flowers- 3.7 Stars
Shanta Kapoor wakes up to an accident outside her home. The crash site is filled with flowers from people in the street. The pink orchids grab Shanta’s attention and start yet another cycle. Where will this lead her?
The story went really well till the end. It was atmospheric and oppressive as it should be. But I didn’t like the reveal, though it does have some merit. I’d have preferred something more connected with the story itself.
Darts with the Devil- 3.7 Stars
Terry Slater has dartritis (a psychological disorder that locks his elbow and prevents him from throwing darts). Nothing he does helps him overcome his humiliating loss in the past and his current inability to throw the darts. What happens when he shakes hands with the Devil?
You can guess the plot from the title and the blurb. Yep, it goes exactly the way you think it would. The writing was gripping and kept me invested till the end despite the predictability. It is good, but not the best.
The Vanslow Fox- 4 Stars
Vanslow Lee’s life is no longer his. He turns into a fox every Sunday night. He meets the ruler of the Woods during one such period. Will this give him a chance to live again, or will it push him into an abyss?
The story is pretty much in constant action from start to finish. As with the ones, a few elements from the earlier stories are woven into the narrative. The ending was interesting (including the Chief Inspector’s notes).
The Mogon- 3.7 Stars
Geppetto Savini comes out of retirement to create his masterpiece, The Mongon, for a movie. His metal costumes have been famous before, but the latest is his best work ever. However, a sudden change of plans ruins things for him. Or will he take control of the situation?
This is a character-based story where Geppetto is the hero, villain, and victim. While I enjoyed the decline into madness and the subsequent actions, I felt the story was a little rushed and focused more on graphical description (gore) than horror.
Dust- 4.5 Stars
Leo Harbinger and his wife Pippa are on their special trip to Scotland for their tenth wedding anniversary? However, one of them has ulterior motives, and it could unleash something they cannot control.
Yet another story where we know what is likely to happen but want to read it to ensure that’s how the plot goes. Though it is graphic (like other stories), it keeps you hooked, especially in the second half. I love the ending of this one.
Behind the Curtain- 4 Stars
Roy and his daughter Lois live in No. 22 and track the goings of the street from behind the curtains. The forever empty house on No. 27 catches their attention. One thing leads to another and could very well end everything.
The last story in the book works as a standalone and a way to tie up the loose ends. It progresses steadily and has a few moments but doesn’t give that final punch. However, what comes after and the history of the place makes up for it.
***
To summarize, Silverweed Road is an atmospheric and creepy collection of stories with an interconnected theme. I didn’t find any Brit humor in the stories (maybe it was too subtle for m to notice). But I did find loads of horror and enjoyed reading the collection.
Thank you, NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and HarperVoyager, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #Silverweed Road
*****
There are quite a few trigger warnings, so pick it up if you’re comfortable with dark themes and graphic descriptions.
4 Stars
One Liner: Atmospheric and entertaining
Silverweed Road is a spooky, strange, and chilling area with creepy activities and weird people. Everyone on the road is a stranger to the other and has secrets to hide. From spine-chilling sounds to unexplainable disappearances, Silverweed Road is where no outsider wants to go.
But what happened to the people living along the road? Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath goes through his notes to talk about the cases he encountered.
The book is a collection of horror stories with a common setting and multiple themes like greed, human failings, mad brilliance, etc.
The Jackdaw- 4.5 Stars
Victor Hagman is obsessed with his garden. His wife Patricia realizes that Victor is no longer who he was, and the garden is the only thing that matters. So when the Jackdaw pair thaws Victor’s attempts to protect his late-season raspberries, it unleashes a series of incidents that changes their lives forever.
This is totally my kinda story! It is atmospheric, creepy, and dark. I knew what would happen but was still curious to see if that’s how the story would progress. The ending is poetic (not the verses one) and concludes the story with perfection.
The Plot- 3.8 Stars
Cleo Marsh is a young artist, a reclusive painter who shot to fame with her bold paintings. The demand to interact with the buyers pushes her into a void. Meeting Margaret Prowler seems like a good thing. What happens when Cleo goes to Margaret’s retreat on Silverweed Road?
The story takes time to get to the point, but the buildup is necessary to understand Cleo and her actions. This, too, is an atmospheric setting where we know something will happen. The concept is great, but I didn’t feel the ending hit me as it should.
Caught Red-Handed- 4.2 Stars
Augustus Fry needs a deal to stay afloat. After all, shady antique business doesn’t run without artifacts and gullible sellers. When some Mr. Butterworth from a tiny place calls about a ring, Augustus knows what he has to do. The deal goes better than he expected. But what’s with those strange occurrences in his house?
This one ups the horror quotient as the story progresses. While the house in Silverweed Road isn’t the focus, that’s where the action takes place. I expected the final twist, but there’s a teeny one that made me smile (sinister types). I do love paranormal entities with ethics. Very important, I say!
Cuttlefish, Cuttlefish- 4.5 Stars
Dr. Eric Akoto is all set for the experiment of his lifetime on cuttlefish. It seems to progress well until things take a turn for worse. Can Dr. Eric uncover the secret? What happens to him?
This is the best story in the book until now. It’s sci-fi horror written in the diary format where Dr. Eric records his thoughts and observations each day. The story is fascinating and eww (depending on how active your imagination is). I enjoyed this one a lot.
Crash Flowers- 3.7 Stars
Shanta Kapoor wakes up to an accident outside her home. The crash site is filled with flowers from people in the street. The pink orchids grab Shanta’s attention and start yet another cycle. Where will this lead her?
The story went really well till the end. It was atmospheric and oppressive as it should be. But I didn’t like the reveal, though it does have some merit. I’d have preferred something more connected with the story itself.
Darts with the Devil- 3.7 Stars
Terry Slater has dartritis (a psychological disorder that locks his elbow and prevents him from throwing darts). Nothing he does helps him overcome his humiliating loss in the past and his current inability to throw the darts. What happens when he shakes hands with the Devil?
You can guess the plot from the title and the blurb. Yep, it goes exactly the way you think it would. The writing was gripping and kept me invested till the end despite the predictability. It is good, but not the best.
The Vanslow Fox- 4 Stars
Vanslow Lee’s life is no longer his. He turns into a fox every Sunday night. He meets the ruler of the Woods during one such period. Will this give him a chance to live again, or will it push him into an abyss?
The story is pretty much in constant action from start to finish. As with the ones, a few elements from the earlier stories are woven into the narrative. The ending was interesting (including the Chief Inspector’s notes).
The Mogon- 3.7 Stars
Geppetto Savini comes out of retirement to create his masterpiece, The Mongon, for a movie. His metal costumes have been famous before, but the latest is his best work ever. However, a sudden change of plans ruins things for him. Or will he take control of the situation?
This is a character-based story where Geppetto is the hero, villain, and victim. While I enjoyed the decline into madness and the subsequent actions, I felt the story was a little rushed and focused more on graphical description (gore) than horror.
Dust- 4.5 Stars
Leo Harbinger and his wife Pippa are on their special trip to Scotland for their tenth wedding anniversary? However, one of them has ulterior motives, and it could unleash something they cannot control.
Yet another story where we know what is likely to happen but want to read it to ensure that’s how the plot goes. Though it is graphic (like other stories), it keeps you hooked, especially in the second half. I love the ending of this one.
Behind the Curtain- 4 Stars
Roy and his daughter Lois live in No. 22 and track the goings of the street from behind the curtains. The forever empty house on No. 27 catches their attention. One thing leads to another and could very well end everything.
The last story in the book works as a standalone and a way to tie up the loose ends. It progresses steadily and has a few moments but doesn’t give that final punch. However, what comes after and the history of the place makes up for it.
***
To summarize, Silverweed Road is an atmospheric and creepy collection of stories with an interconnected theme. I didn’t find any Brit humor in the stories (maybe it was too subtle for m to notice). But I did find loads of horror and enjoyed reading the collection.
Thank you, NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and HarperVoyager, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #Silverweed Road
*****
There are quite a few trigger warnings, so pick it up if you’re comfortable with dark themes and graphic descriptions.
October 2, 2022
This is a great collection of short stories that hits the sweet spot of being atmospheric (especially at this time of the year) and being an entertainingly disturbing read full of wonder and intrigue. Some of the stories were pretty gory, and I would suggest looking up the trigger warnings for this book as it may be a little uncomfortable for people that don’t like gore (or being scared sh*tless). This is probably the best horror book I’ve read this year.
Thank you to Harper Voyager for sending me a copy of this book.
Thank you to Harper Voyager for sending me a copy of this book.
October 18, 2022
“When the truth escapes them, people turn to fiction. Murderers find comfort in lies. The paranoid seek truth in conspiracies. I am not a superstitious man. Superstition is a corruption of the facts. And yet…”
Silverweed Road is the debut horror anthology by Simon Crook. Entertaining, quirky and more than a little hair-raising, this is a collection of stories which revels in atmospheric old-school horror.
Short stories are not my usual kind of read, I tend to be one of those readers who will dip in and out of an anthology over quite a lengthy period of time, or just choose to read the stories by my favourite authors. However, I loved the idea of this anthology being set on one street, that each story was connected in various ways.
At first glance Silverweed Road is just like any other suburban street in England. It’s a quiet, sleepy area situated in a cul-de-sac on Corvid Estate, with a row of mock-Tudor houses leading up to the edge of the Woods. Look a little deeper, take a peek behind each door and you’ll see something is not quite right. Within each house a new nightmare unfolds, strange and unexplained events occur and soon the death toll surmounts. As we meander our way through each story Detective Inspector Jim Heath, who was the leading Kent Police investigator at the time of these deaths, looks back on his official case files. Jim cannot fathom why even years later each case remains unsolved, why a culprit was never found.
The anthology starts off strong with, The Jackdaw, which tells the story of a rather agitated senior man inside house No. 31. Victor Hagman is sixty, and after surviving a stroke, on strict doctors orders, he’s forced to recuperate at home. To pass the time Victor takes on a new hobby—gardening. He obsessively prunes and cares for his plants, checking for rot or weather damage and such. Much to his wife Patricia’s annoyance, Victor becomes a recluse, a man who snaps at any given moment, the kind of man who holds a grudge when he witnesses two jackdaws attacking his precious raspberries. As Victor enacts his revenge, a nightmare begins which escalates to a rather gruesome finale. Crook brilliantly built up Victor’s eccentric, paranoid and almost comical personality whilst also simultaneously building upon the atmosphere, tension and eventual horror. This story forms a solid foundation for the rest of the anthology, as the motif of jackdaws runs throughout, and paranoia, obsession and greed plague almost every character.
“Silver eyes scanned the clouds, awaiting a response. Something stirred within the Woods, answering their cry. Distant dots coiled and weaved, rising high above the trees.
They gathered in numbers, flocking together, a black mist forming in the storm. Once more they called. Ack-ack.”
Crook skilfully plays with various supernatural horrors and tropes throughout, he takes the tales of old and twists them into refreshing contemporary settings. It was extremely insightful and enhanced my reading experience to know where the inspiration for many of the stories emerged from, the icons who initially sparked the author’s love of horror. I had the opportunity to discuss this with Crook in an interview which you can read here to know more. (https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2022/09/in...) I was surprised to learn that some inspiration came from an art piece and that Silverweed Road is an actual place. Whilst I won’t discuss every story, I will just briefly mention my two favourites. The first was Caught Red-handed, where we meet Augustus Fry, an antiques dealer who cons his way into owning a possessed ring. This story was perhaps the most gory! When we enter house No. 4 with the story titled Cuttlefish, Cuttlefish we encounter Dr Eric Akoto, a man seeking great scientific renown. As Eric experiments bonding with four cuttlefish and tries to decipher their language, he becomes entangled in their species far greater than he ever intended. I loved how this was written as a series of log entries, each entry becoming more intriguing yet also more disturbing. The latter summing up my new view of cuttlefish. Thanks for that Simon!
From knowing early on that the majority of the characters were going to die, in all honesty made some of the endings feel repetitive, although given that a lot of the characters weren’t exactly morally upstanding citizens, it was fun to see the various ways in which their deaths occurred. As we reach the final story, aptly titled Behind the Curtain, Crook fantastically brings together the entire anthology and shows his readers the bigger picture by delving into the history of the estate and the surrounding Woods. I loved how this finale ended on such an eerie ominous tone.
Silverweed Road is an anthology which takes the ordinary and turns it into something to be feared, something otherworldly. Crook’s style is equal measures atmospheric, mysterious and disturbing and will leave readers with a sense of bewilderment.
ARC provided by Emily at Harper Voyager UK in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy!
Silverweed Road is out now!
Silverweed Road is the debut horror anthology by Simon Crook. Entertaining, quirky and more than a little hair-raising, this is a collection of stories which revels in atmospheric old-school horror.
Short stories are not my usual kind of read, I tend to be one of those readers who will dip in and out of an anthology over quite a lengthy period of time, or just choose to read the stories by my favourite authors. However, I loved the idea of this anthology being set on one street, that each story was connected in various ways.
At first glance Silverweed Road is just like any other suburban street in England. It’s a quiet, sleepy area situated in a cul-de-sac on Corvid Estate, with a row of mock-Tudor houses leading up to the edge of the Woods. Look a little deeper, take a peek behind each door and you’ll see something is not quite right. Within each house a new nightmare unfolds, strange and unexplained events occur and soon the death toll surmounts. As we meander our way through each story Detective Inspector Jim Heath, who was the leading Kent Police investigator at the time of these deaths, looks back on his official case files. Jim cannot fathom why even years later each case remains unsolved, why a culprit was never found.
The anthology starts off strong with, The Jackdaw, which tells the story of a rather agitated senior man inside house No. 31. Victor Hagman is sixty, and after surviving a stroke, on strict doctors orders, he’s forced to recuperate at home. To pass the time Victor takes on a new hobby—gardening. He obsessively prunes and cares for his plants, checking for rot or weather damage and such. Much to his wife Patricia’s annoyance, Victor becomes a recluse, a man who snaps at any given moment, the kind of man who holds a grudge when he witnesses two jackdaws attacking his precious raspberries. As Victor enacts his revenge, a nightmare begins which escalates to a rather gruesome finale. Crook brilliantly built up Victor’s eccentric, paranoid and almost comical personality whilst also simultaneously building upon the atmosphere, tension and eventual horror. This story forms a solid foundation for the rest of the anthology, as the motif of jackdaws runs throughout, and paranoia, obsession and greed plague almost every character.
“Silver eyes scanned the clouds, awaiting a response. Something stirred within the Woods, answering their cry. Distant dots coiled and weaved, rising high above the trees.
They gathered in numbers, flocking together, a black mist forming in the storm. Once more they called. Ack-ack.”
Crook skilfully plays with various supernatural horrors and tropes throughout, he takes the tales of old and twists them into refreshing contemporary settings. It was extremely insightful and enhanced my reading experience to know where the inspiration for many of the stories emerged from, the icons who initially sparked the author’s love of horror. I had the opportunity to discuss this with Crook in an interview which you can read here to know more. (https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2022/09/in...) I was surprised to learn that some inspiration came from an art piece and that Silverweed Road is an actual place. Whilst I won’t discuss every story, I will just briefly mention my two favourites. The first was Caught Red-handed, where we meet Augustus Fry, an antiques dealer who cons his way into owning a possessed ring. This story was perhaps the most gory! When we enter house No. 4 with the story titled Cuttlefish, Cuttlefish we encounter Dr Eric Akoto, a man seeking great scientific renown. As Eric experiments bonding with four cuttlefish and tries to decipher their language, he becomes entangled in their species far greater than he ever intended. I loved how this was written as a series of log entries, each entry becoming more intriguing yet also more disturbing. The latter summing up my new view of cuttlefish. Thanks for that Simon!
From knowing early on that the majority of the characters were going to die, in all honesty made some of the endings feel repetitive, although given that a lot of the characters weren’t exactly morally upstanding citizens, it was fun to see the various ways in which their deaths occurred. As we reach the final story, aptly titled Behind the Curtain, Crook fantastically brings together the entire anthology and shows his readers the bigger picture by delving into the history of the estate and the surrounding Woods. I loved how this finale ended on such an eerie ominous tone.
Silverweed Road is an anthology which takes the ordinary and turns it into something to be feared, something otherworldly. Crook’s style is equal measures atmospheric, mysterious and disturbing and will leave readers with a sense of bewilderment.
ARC provided by Emily at Harper Voyager UK in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy!
Silverweed Road is out now!
October 28, 2024
This is moreso a 3.5 but rounded down. I only liked a handful of stories and some were pointless, completely didn’t need included.
October 1, 2022
What a fantastic piece of horrorcraft! 💀
Firstly, I absolutely love the structure of the book. It starts with an extract from The Silverweed Files - records of an ex-Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath, who’s made notes about the numerous Silverweed Road incidents that have baffled the police. 🕵️♀️
Then, the stories follow; 10 narratives in 3rd person, each describing the events connected with one of the houses on Silverweed Rd. Each story is followed by another extract from DCI Heath’s records, providing a commentary on its events from the police point of view, and also Heath’s personal conclusions, doubts, claims and questions. 🤷
More importantly, as you keep reading, you realise that some elements from the initial stories feature in those that follow, as the main characters of the stories are all neighbours in the same street. 🏠 Thus, whilst every story has a plot of its own, those little elements add to the feeling of 3-dimensionality of the world created in the book, the dark microcosm that is Silverweed Road. Also, as you progress, you realise DCI Heath’s commentary gradually binds the stories into a cohesive frame.
I read it in 2 sittings and was enthralled. The concept is very-well thought through, the construction is immaculate and the writing! 📇 🖤 It was such a pleasure to read. It starts deceptively simple, but after a while you notice certain phrases that recur, and you realise they recur for a reason, giving an almost imperceptible rhythm to the stories. This is another bit of evidence of how well the book is thought through, as some of the stories hark back to ancient folklore and songs. 🎻
One of the phrases appears as early as the prologue: “There were forty-one houses on that dead-end road, and 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯 from every one.” The writing is gorgeous, whilst steering clear of purple prose.
I haven’t enjoyed a horror book so much in quite a while. Wholeheartedly recommend!
Firstly, I absolutely love the structure of the book. It starts with an extract from The Silverweed Files - records of an ex-Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath, who’s made notes about the numerous Silverweed Road incidents that have baffled the police. 🕵️♀️
Then, the stories follow; 10 narratives in 3rd person, each describing the events connected with one of the houses on Silverweed Rd. Each story is followed by another extract from DCI Heath’s records, providing a commentary on its events from the police point of view, and also Heath’s personal conclusions, doubts, claims and questions. 🤷
More importantly, as you keep reading, you realise that some elements from the initial stories feature in those that follow, as the main characters of the stories are all neighbours in the same street. 🏠 Thus, whilst every story has a plot of its own, those little elements add to the feeling of 3-dimensionality of the world created in the book, the dark microcosm that is Silverweed Road. Also, as you progress, you realise DCI Heath’s commentary gradually binds the stories into a cohesive frame.
I read it in 2 sittings and was enthralled. The concept is very-well thought through, the construction is immaculate and the writing! 📇 🖤 It was such a pleasure to read. It starts deceptively simple, but after a while you notice certain phrases that recur, and you realise they recur for a reason, giving an almost imperceptible rhythm to the stories. This is another bit of evidence of how well the book is thought through, as some of the stories hark back to ancient folklore and songs. 🎻
One of the phrases appears as early as the prologue: “There were forty-one houses on that dead-end road, and 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯 from every one.” The writing is gorgeous, whilst steering clear of purple prose.
I haven’t enjoyed a horror book so much in quite a while. Wholeheartedly recommend!
August 30, 2022
Weird...scary...disturbing...I loved it.
Silverweed Road tells the story and demise of its occupants. Some bizarre, some gruesome and some downright weird (that cuttlefish story haunts me, I don't think I will ever recover) but all connected. Each story follows a different tenant and ends with the blog of the most stressed-out former chief detective in Kent. As each story goes on, you see him lose his sanity a bit more. That was really interesting to read.
The horror of this book is also really well done. I was stressed reading some of these stories! But the author also has a really good grasp of comedic timing. I don't know if it was intentional or not but the last line of the book was hilarious to me.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the ARC in exchange for a free review.
"All that lives within is sacred. And it is tired of us. So very tired."
Silverweed Road tells the story and demise of its occupants. Some bizarre, some gruesome and some downright weird (that cuttlefish story haunts me, I don't think I will ever recover) but all connected. Each story follows a different tenant and ends with the blog of the most stressed-out former chief detective in Kent. As each story goes on, you see him lose his sanity a bit more. That was really interesting to read.
The horror of this book is also really well done. I was stressed reading some of these stories! But the author also has a really good grasp of comedic timing. I don't know if it was intentional or not but the last line of the book was hilarious to me.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the ARC in exchange for a free review.
October 2, 2023
More than anything else, Silverweed Road felt like a book written by someone who genuinely loves horror as a genre. The book is essentially an anthology, with each chapter being its own story and its own genre - from b-movie splatterhorror to folk tale haunting to science gone wrong to deals with the devil to hitting-you-about-the-head-with-my-capitalism-metaphor horror.
Silverweed Road was fun, that's what I enjoyed about it. Fun enough that I can overlook the egregious use of "the Dark Web" to refer to sites telling you how to summon demons. Trust me if that was what people talked about on the darkweb my job would be very different
My one complaint is how close Silverweed Road got to "ruining the drama by explaining everything away". I think some backstory was fun and also needed to bring "separate stories that happen to be set in the same place" to "cohesive book", but also I enjoy it when the weird flowers the lady kinda had sex with stay weird flowers
.
Silverweed Road was fun, that's what I enjoyed about it. Fun enough that I can overlook the egregious use of "the Dark Web" to refer to sites telling you how to summon demons. Trust me if that was what people talked about on the darkweb my job would be very different
My one complaint is how close Silverweed Road got to "ruining the drama by explaining everything away". I think some backstory was fun and also needed to bring "separate stories that happen to be set in the same place" to "cohesive book", but also I enjoy it when the weird flowers the lady kinda had sex with stay weird flowers
.
One hundred cuttlefish shine below me, like galaxies in the cold dark water. I may never see the sun again, but I have brought the stars inside. All that is loved will be lost to the seas. All that is loved will be lost.
Everything will escape this laboratory
December 20, 2022
A good collection of horror stories - I enjoyed all of them, which is almost unheard of in a short story collection! I liked how some of them referenced each other, and really liked how they were connected by the extracts from a blog run by a detective who became obsessed with the deaths on Silverweed Road after one of them cost him his career. The writing in some places was trying a bit too hard but generally it was good, and all three narrators for the audiobook did a great job.
January 24, 2023
Loved these creepy stories! A great mix of gorey haunted tales which all intertwine, delving into what is causing so much death on Silverweed Street.
3.75 ⭐️
3.75 ⭐️
May 27, 2023
Love me an interconnected short story collection about a fucked-up English street. These stories were fun, creepy and original. I definitely recommend them!
April 14, 2024
3.0 stars
My favourite story was "Cuttlefish Cuttlefish" the most bizarre one in my opinion
My favourite story was "Cuttlefish Cuttlefish" the most bizarre one in my opinion
April 14, 2024
4.5 stars
Perhaps my favourite short story collection of 2023? Time will tell, but I definitely went out to purchase a physical copy of this, so you know it’s legit.
What I loved about this interconnected collection of short stories is how Crook managed to structure the stories as a cohesive unit. The entries of Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath really captured that which terrifies within the everyday mundanity that encompasses suburban horror.
I cannot praise the structure of the many narratives enough because the writing is just that tight. Each individual tale either highlights a different writing style or really establishes the tone of the story with how wonderfully descriptive the writing can be. Crook has specialized in horror cinema as a film journalist and it has certainly served him well as an author. Because the writing is just so well done. Like it’s completely engrossing and atmospheric and I’m in awe of how much natural tension the author builds in such short snippets.
As for the stories individually? Well I’ve summarized my thoughts below.
No. 31 - The Jackdaw: 4.5/5
- Very strong start to this collection.
- A tale of revenge and a bitter rivalry between man vs bird paired with the stagnancy and stasis of a fraying marriage between a couple unable to deal with the aftermath of a stroke.
- This was perfectly paced and with a karmic justice that unfolded in such a satisfying manner.
No. 25 - The Pool: 4.25/5
- This was good. Very Elizabeth Báthory, Blood Countess meets The Devil Wears Prada sort of vibes if the Devil wore Picasso instead, ya know?
- I loved the reveal and how gorgeous the writing was even when disaster had fallen upon Cleo. There was beauty in her unwilling sacrifice to Margaret and it made it all the more devastating.
- And the ending? With the strip of sheepskin left to hang among the hawthorn branches? So incredibly satisfying when a callback hits so good.
No. 17 - Caught Red-handed: 3.75/5
- The appearance of yet another or perhaps even the same jackdaw in the third story of the collection suggests some level of significance, no? The repetition simply cannot be ignored.
- Augustus is rather deplorable, and yet it’s fine because karmic justice is doled out accordingly.
- Not my favourite of the collection, but considering Augustus makes a further appearance where his crummy attitude is actually warranted? We’ll allow it.
No. 4 - Cuttlefish, Cuttlefish: 4/5
- This one had some predictable elements to it as well as some not so predictable ones alongside yet another appearance of a jackdaw.
- Loved the science behind this one and the focus on cuttlefish which are truly some of the more interesting sea creatures.
- The slow spiral of Dr. Eric Akoto in his logged entries was perfectly supplemented by Detective Inspector Jim Keith’s account of Akoto’s colleagues who disappear without a trace once the fallout occurs. And the appeal at the end to the readers to sign a petition was a nice touch.
No. 10 - Crash Flowers: 4.25/5
- It’s taken me a hot minute but I’ve finally reached enlightenment regarding the numbers of each chapter - they’re house numbers! Which is yet another layer that has been laid to interconnect these stories and I love it for that. Getting to see the perspectives of each person from each house and their opinions of one another however briefly is such a treat.
- The jackdaw strikes again. Alongside a creepy florist serial killer that murders even in death? Fantastic.
- I freaking love the blog extracts after each story. They add this layer of comprehension and heighten the impact of each story perfectly. And every single one of them hits so good with additional info and a clear voice of a detective character that clearly cares about the strange occurrences of Silverweed Road and despite being labelled a crock believes in getting the truth out there.
No. 16 - Darts with the Devil: 4.25/5
- Part of me wonders if I knew what the I believe to be German words in this short story meant that maybe it’d get a bit of a higher rating. But I am a lazy creature, so no.
- I loved how this plot played out. It was prophetic and obvious in hindsight but was executed so well. Terry’s story in light of his introduction in Crash Flowers makes me think there was a slight typo in that story though when it comes to his house number.
- I also really liked the character work in this. I felt bad for Marie. And seeing Augustus again was a unexpected throwback that I still enjoyed. But my favourite was Heath’s cameo. I didn’t recognize it until I read his blog entry after but when I did, I got a bit giddy, not gonna lie.
No. 30 - The Vanslow Fox: 4/5
- It was a little hard to get into, and I think it was a bit shorter than I would’ve preferred, but when things finally clicked for me like a quarter/third of the way into the story, it all just builds so well to the climax.
- That last line hits so good. Especially since the story as a whole is very Brothers Grimm meets cautionary tale with a slice of HEA for Vanslow Lee who’s a bit of a tragic MC that has a kind heart amidst a sea of misfortune.
- And everyone’s favourite clueless Chief Detective Inspector Jim Heath’s account of the event is just such a beautiful side of gravy to the story because he’s so far out of loop but gosh darn it he is endearing anyways. Off his rockers in the best possible conspiracy inclined manner for an intermittent narrator that is connecting the stories of each house on Silverweed Road.
No. 15 - The Mogon: 4/5
- The cyclical plotlines are everything. It’s the little callbacks between stories and houses alongside the much larger ones like the interminable jackdaw and the house number throwbacks and foreshadowing but also how well they are interwoven in the construct that is Silverweed Road. There’s such a solid narrative constructed between this set of stories that allows them to exist as single entities that are impressive in their own right but as a collective whole flourish in a way that can’t be achieved without such a well crafted concept and a vision that pans out perfectly.
- The repetition in this one didn’t hit the same as some of the other stories but the cyclical nature of it definitely worked. The power of art is really taken to a whole new level in this story and it paired so well with Giuseppe’s need for vengeance and his tragic demise.
- And the Detective Chief Inspector’s insights are officially my favourite parts of this collection - they are fantastic, every single one of them and I cannot get enough of them. They inject such levity into the horror and remind me of prime time ghost hunting television except the supernatural lens is more tangible than ghosts; it is demons.
No. 41 - Dust: 4.5/5
- This is a great story at the halfway point. Brutal, vindictive and cruel, but brilliant in nature.
- ‘Justice has been done.’ Damn, this was fantastic. And Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath is quickly becoming one of my favourite detectives despite him being entirely horrible at his job.
- This is the penultimate story of this collection and I love how we’re clearly building to some sort of climax through the telling of these stories.
No. 22 - Behind the Curtain: 4.75/5
- This collection is so good. I can’t stress that enough. It has such a clear intent and purpose and just goes and bloody achieves it like it was always meant to exist.
- This father-daughter duo is plagued with resentment but they’re also kinda of a dream team. And that’s saying something since I thought for sure the person behind the curtain of No. 22 was a nosy old lady.
- Jim Heath’s blog is both the ramblings of a mad man and a desperate cry for help from a man who simply wants to find the truth and I think this story culminates to a truth and answer that unfortunately he’ll never know. And there’s something inherently dismal yet honest about that.
This was a fantastic collection of short stories and definitely worth picking up for the spooky season.
Perhaps my favourite short story collection of 2023? Time will tell, but I definitely went out to purchase a physical copy of this, so you know it’s legit.
What I loved about this interconnected collection of short stories is how Crook managed to structure the stories as a cohesive unit. The entries of Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath really captured that which terrifies within the everyday mundanity that encompasses suburban horror.
I cannot praise the structure of the many narratives enough because the writing is just that tight. Each individual tale either highlights a different writing style or really establishes the tone of the story with how wonderfully descriptive the writing can be. Crook has specialized in horror cinema as a film journalist and it has certainly served him well as an author. Because the writing is just so well done. Like it’s completely engrossing and atmospheric and I’m in awe of how much natural tension the author builds in such short snippets.
As for the stories individually? Well I’ve summarized my thoughts below.
No. 31 - The Jackdaw: 4.5/5
- Very strong start to this collection.
- A tale of revenge and a bitter rivalry between man vs bird paired with the stagnancy and stasis of a fraying marriage between a couple unable to deal with the aftermath of a stroke.
- This was perfectly paced and with a karmic justice that unfolded in such a satisfying manner.
No. 25 - The Pool: 4.25/5
- This was good. Very Elizabeth Báthory, Blood Countess meets The Devil Wears Prada sort of vibes if the Devil wore Picasso instead, ya know?
- I loved the reveal and how gorgeous the writing was even when disaster had fallen upon Cleo. There was beauty in her unwilling sacrifice to Margaret and it made it all the more devastating.
- And the ending? With the strip of sheepskin left to hang among the hawthorn branches? So incredibly satisfying when a callback hits so good.
No. 17 - Caught Red-handed: 3.75/5
- The appearance of yet another or perhaps even the same jackdaw in the third story of the collection suggests some level of significance, no? The repetition simply cannot be ignored.
- Augustus is rather deplorable, and yet it’s fine because karmic justice is doled out accordingly.
- Not my favourite of the collection, but considering Augustus makes a further appearance where his crummy attitude is actually warranted? We’ll allow it.
No. 4 - Cuttlefish, Cuttlefish: 4/5
- This one had some predictable elements to it as well as some not so predictable ones alongside yet another appearance of a jackdaw.
- Loved the science behind this one and the focus on cuttlefish which are truly some of the more interesting sea creatures.
- The slow spiral of Dr. Eric Akoto in his logged entries was perfectly supplemented by Detective Inspector Jim Keith’s account of Akoto’s colleagues who disappear without a trace once the fallout occurs. And the appeal at the end to the readers to sign a petition was a nice touch.
No. 10 - Crash Flowers: 4.25/5
- It’s taken me a hot minute but I’ve finally reached enlightenment regarding the numbers of each chapter - they’re house numbers! Which is yet another layer that has been laid to interconnect these stories and I love it for that. Getting to see the perspectives of each person from each house and their opinions of one another however briefly is such a treat.
- The jackdaw strikes again. Alongside a creepy florist serial killer that murders even in death? Fantastic.
- I freaking love the blog extracts after each story. They add this layer of comprehension and heighten the impact of each story perfectly. And every single one of them hits so good with additional info and a clear voice of a detective character that clearly cares about the strange occurrences of Silverweed Road and despite being labelled a crock believes in getting the truth out there.
No. 16 - Darts with the Devil: 4.25/5
- Part of me wonders if I knew what the I believe to be German words in this short story meant that maybe it’d get a bit of a higher rating. But I am a lazy creature, so no.
- I loved how this plot played out. It was prophetic and obvious in hindsight but was executed so well. Terry’s story in light of his introduction in Crash Flowers makes me think there was a slight typo in that story though when it comes to his house number.
- I also really liked the character work in this. I felt bad for Marie. And seeing Augustus again was a unexpected throwback that I still enjoyed. But my favourite was Heath’s cameo. I didn’t recognize it until I read his blog entry after but when I did, I got a bit giddy, not gonna lie.
No. 30 - The Vanslow Fox: 4/5
- It was a little hard to get into, and I think it was a bit shorter than I would’ve preferred, but when things finally clicked for me like a quarter/third of the way into the story, it all just builds so well to the climax.
- That last line hits so good. Especially since the story as a whole is very Brothers Grimm meets cautionary tale with a slice of HEA for Vanslow Lee who’s a bit of a tragic MC that has a kind heart amidst a sea of misfortune.
- And everyone’s favourite clueless Chief Detective Inspector Jim Heath’s account of the event is just such a beautiful side of gravy to the story because he’s so far out of loop but gosh darn it he is endearing anyways. Off his rockers in the best possible conspiracy inclined manner for an intermittent narrator that is connecting the stories of each house on Silverweed Road.
No. 15 - The Mogon: 4/5
- The cyclical plotlines are everything. It’s the little callbacks between stories and houses alongside the much larger ones like the interminable jackdaw and the house number throwbacks and foreshadowing but also how well they are interwoven in the construct that is Silverweed Road. There’s such a solid narrative constructed between this set of stories that allows them to exist as single entities that are impressive in their own right but as a collective whole flourish in a way that can’t be achieved without such a well crafted concept and a vision that pans out perfectly.
- The repetition in this one didn’t hit the same as some of the other stories but the cyclical nature of it definitely worked. The power of art is really taken to a whole new level in this story and it paired so well with Giuseppe’s need for vengeance and his tragic demise.
- And the Detective Chief Inspector’s insights are officially my favourite parts of this collection - they are fantastic, every single one of them and I cannot get enough of them. They inject such levity into the horror and remind me of prime time ghost hunting television except the supernatural lens is more tangible than ghosts; it is demons.
No. 41 - Dust: 4.5/5
- This is a great story at the halfway point. Brutal, vindictive and cruel, but brilliant in nature.
- ‘Justice has been done.’ Damn, this was fantastic. And Detective Chief Inspector Jim Heath is quickly becoming one of my favourite detectives despite him being entirely horrible at his job.
- This is the penultimate story of this collection and I love how we’re clearly building to some sort of climax through the telling of these stories.
No. 22 - Behind the Curtain: 4.75/5
- This collection is so good. I can’t stress that enough. It has such a clear intent and purpose and just goes and bloody achieves it like it was always meant to exist.
- This father-daughter duo is plagued with resentment but they’re also kinda of a dream team. And that’s saying something since I thought for sure the person behind the curtain of No. 22 was a nosy old lady.
- Jim Heath’s blog is both the ramblings of a mad man and a desperate cry for help from a man who simply wants to find the truth and I think this story culminates to a truth and answer that unfortunately he’ll never know. And there’s something inherently dismal yet honest about that.
This was a fantastic collection of short stories and definitely worth picking up for the spooky season.
October 18, 2022
*I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author, Harper Voyager UK and Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
This isn’t really a horror novel, but a series of linked short horror stories, each set in a different house on Silverweed Road.
While each story is individual in terms of the horror it presents, they are linked not just by location but also by characters (as the residents of the street make non-chronological cameos in each others’ stories), recurring motifs (jackdaws and blackthorn trees), themes (love lost and various sins – greed, envy, wrath) and the short statements from ex-DCI Heath between each story, in which he summarises the official view and updates on any subsequent investigation of events.
After reading the first couple of stories here, I felt pleasantly creeped out and found myself noticing the eerie elements of everyday objects and events in real life. As I continued on down Silverweed Road however, and the stories became darker and more visceral, I found myself turning on lights and jumping at shadows, and by the end I was so affected that it overtook Clive Barker and Jonathan Sims in my annals of books most likely to disturb my sleep!
Those of a nervous disposition are likely to struggle with this book, as there are some very gory and visceral death and torture scenes, along with the psychological horror, body horror, ghosts, monsters, witchcraft, demons… a bit of everything terrifying and horrific, really.
My personal favourite story here is ‘No. 4: Cuttlefish, Cuttlefish’, which features some aquatic research gone very wrong, resulting in an unnaturally intimate relationship between the scientist and his subjects. The award for the story that nearly made me physically sick and required copious amounts of brain bleach would have to go to ‘No. 15: The Mogon’ which features some of the most disturbing body horror I have ever read (and I have read Clive Barker’s Books of Blood and followed Rusty Quill’s The Magnus Archives podcast).
Each of the ten stories is unique in style and content, and every story is very well-written, so it’s easy to lose yourself in Silverweed Road and there is bound to be at least one story in the ten that tickles your own specific horror-bone.
I would absolutely read more from Simon Crook after reading this collection and would recommend it to fellow fans of intelligent and varied dark disturbation.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
This isn’t really a horror novel, but a series of linked short horror stories, each set in a different house on Silverweed Road.
While each story is individual in terms of the horror it presents, they are linked not just by location but also by characters (as the residents of the street make non-chronological cameos in each others’ stories), recurring motifs (jackdaws and blackthorn trees), themes (love lost and various sins – greed, envy, wrath) and the short statements from ex-DCI Heath between each story, in which he summarises the official view and updates on any subsequent investigation of events.
After reading the first couple of stories here, I felt pleasantly creeped out and found myself noticing the eerie elements of everyday objects and events in real life. As I continued on down Silverweed Road however, and the stories became darker and more visceral, I found myself turning on lights and jumping at shadows, and by the end I was so affected that it overtook Clive Barker and Jonathan Sims in my annals of books most likely to disturb my sleep!
Those of a nervous disposition are likely to struggle with this book, as there are some very gory and visceral death and torture scenes, along with the psychological horror, body horror, ghosts, monsters, witchcraft, demons… a bit of everything terrifying and horrific, really.
My personal favourite story here is ‘No. 4: Cuttlefish, Cuttlefish’, which features some aquatic research gone very wrong, resulting in an unnaturally intimate relationship between the scientist and his subjects. The award for the story that nearly made me physically sick and required copious amounts of brain bleach would have to go to ‘No. 15: The Mogon’ which features some of the most disturbing body horror I have ever read (and I have read Clive Barker’s Books of Blood and followed Rusty Quill’s The Magnus Archives podcast).
Each of the ten stories is unique in style and content, and every story is very well-written, so it’s easy to lose yourself in Silverweed Road and there is bound to be at least one story in the ten that tickles your own specific horror-bone.
I would absolutely read more from Simon Crook after reading this collection and would recommend it to fellow fans of intelligent and varied dark disturbation.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
October 23, 2022
"All that is loved will be lost."
The addresses along Silverweed Road on the fictional Corvid Estate in Kent hide many secrets, many horrors. It's a place you probably wouldn't want to visit, still less move to. I'd imagine living there would be like experiencing, in real life, the entire run of Inside No 9,
Loosely framed as blog entries written by ex DCI Jim Heath, an embittered man who lost his job because he was unable to explain or prevent the horrors described here, each story gives us much more detail and explanation than Heath was ever able to find. His conclusions and complaints, contrasted with the reality of the horrors described here, therefore have a slightly (if darkly) humorous effect.
It's a nice contrast, slightly relieving the awful things that happen to so many of the resident of Silverweed Road. Most of the stories (each named after a house number) are self-contained, though we see protagonists cross paths (and sometimes swords) before and after their own story so that through the book a clearer and clearer picture emerges of what is going on. However the exact reasons for it all, while hinted at in recurring motifs - such as the jackdaw - are teasingly vague until the last story, where there is an explanation of sorts.
The stories are varied in atmosphere and style, raging from the folk-horrific to outright gore-fests to creepy encounters with the supernatural force that inspires all that goes on here. The extent to which that supernatural visibly intrudes varies a lot, with a clear sense in some stories that the victim brings their fate on themselves (for example, Victor Hagman at no 31) while in others the innocent are ensnared (Shanta at no 10). Not all of the activity takes place on Silverweed Road - one protagonist here is the victim of a supernatural horror from far off, another meets a grisly fate far from Kent but it seems that the street then takes part in their revenge. Horror mixes with domestic strife and business or personal rivalries, the grim events in Silverweed Road sometimes reflecting wider themes of abuse and at others, taking a very particular local form.
There is humour, aside from Heath's increasingly exasperated (and mistaken) commentary, for example in one story where a darts enthusiast makes an unwise bargain to win a big tournament leading ultimately to tragedy (and one of Heath's most perplexing cases) but creating some hilarious moments on the way. Crook reaches into many different worlds for his stories, including a dodgy antiques dealer, a furious film craftsman upset that CGI has replaced his replica monsters and - perhaps most creepy of all - a scientist who chooses the Road as the ideal site for his sinister research into cuttlefish.
If you do visit Silver weed Road, be aware that there are traps here, ancient and malign forces preying on the unwary. There are ancient secrets in the woods about, and the night is not friendly. You won't come here and leave without being altered, compromised, changed.
Still interested in that affordably priced semi...?
Overall, an excellent collection of interlinked stories, which is really much more than the sum of its parts.
The addresses along Silverweed Road on the fictional Corvid Estate in Kent hide many secrets, many horrors. It's a place you probably wouldn't want to visit, still less move to. I'd imagine living there would be like experiencing, in real life, the entire run of Inside No 9,
Loosely framed as blog entries written by ex DCI Jim Heath, an embittered man who lost his job because he was unable to explain or prevent the horrors described here, each story gives us much more detail and explanation than Heath was ever able to find. His conclusions and complaints, contrasted with the reality of the horrors described here, therefore have a slightly (if darkly) humorous effect.
It's a nice contrast, slightly relieving the awful things that happen to so many of the resident of Silverweed Road. Most of the stories (each named after a house number) are self-contained, though we see protagonists cross paths (and sometimes swords) before and after their own story so that through the book a clearer and clearer picture emerges of what is going on. However the exact reasons for it all, while hinted at in recurring motifs - such as the jackdaw - are teasingly vague until the last story, where there is an explanation of sorts.
The stories are varied in atmosphere and style, raging from the folk-horrific to outright gore-fests to creepy encounters with the supernatural force that inspires all that goes on here. The extent to which that supernatural visibly intrudes varies a lot, with a clear sense in some stories that the victim brings their fate on themselves (for example, Victor Hagman at no 31) while in others the innocent are ensnared (Shanta at no 10). Not all of the activity takes place on Silverweed Road - one protagonist here is the victim of a supernatural horror from far off, another meets a grisly fate far from Kent but it seems that the street then takes part in their revenge. Horror mixes with domestic strife and business or personal rivalries, the grim events in Silverweed Road sometimes reflecting wider themes of abuse and at others, taking a very particular local form.
There is humour, aside from Heath's increasingly exasperated (and mistaken) commentary, for example in one story where a darts enthusiast makes an unwise bargain to win a big tournament leading ultimately to tragedy (and one of Heath's most perplexing cases) but creating some hilarious moments on the way. Crook reaches into many different worlds for his stories, including a dodgy antiques dealer, a furious film craftsman upset that CGI has replaced his replica monsters and - perhaps most creepy of all - a scientist who chooses the Road as the ideal site for his sinister research into cuttlefish.
If you do visit Silver weed Road, be aware that there are traps here, ancient and malign forces preying on the unwary. There are ancient secrets in the woods about, and the night is not friendly. You won't come here and leave without being altered, compromised, changed.
Still interested in that affordably priced semi...?
Overall, an excellent collection of interlinked stories, which is really much more than the sum of its parts.
September 29, 2022
"Silverweed Road" by Simon Crook is a clever way to bring together a collection of short horror stories. In this case, the residents in Silverweed Road, all meet their end based on bizarre incidents which happen. Some stories are better than others but the ending really ties it up nicely.
September 26, 2022
Silverweed Road
A collection of chilling and weird short stories all set in one everyday urban street ... or is it !
I really enjoyed this selection of stories and loved the way they interlinked there was a couple of them I wasn't so keen on but definitely a creepy and enjoyable read. Great for Spooky season.
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Simon Crook for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review
A collection of chilling and weird short stories all set in one everyday urban street ... or is it !
I really enjoyed this selection of stories and loved the way they interlinked there was a couple of them I wasn't so keen on but definitely a creepy and enjoyable read. Great for Spooky season.
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Simon Crook for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review
September 15, 2022
I loved this book! It was so clever and unique! I loved most of the stories, a couple weren’t as good but still enjoyed the whole book! I can’t say too much without giving it away but this is such a good spooky, slightly gory read!
September 10, 2022
Getting 'A man called Ove' vibes at the start: A man getting annoyed because jackdaws are eating his prized raspberries from his garden despite the netting, wanting to do everything in his power to stop them. The story soon takes a turn and oh my! What a turn it takes!
I like how each chapter depicts one of the residents from Silverweed Road. Very different things happen to them from a cuttlefish researcher being consumed to a swimming pool with a secret, strange orchids to very human-like foxes prowling the streets, they are all linked by the road they live on.
Loved the writing style and the descriptions into each inhabitant, I was gripped very early on! The jackdaws see all!
I like how each chapter depicts one of the residents from Silverweed Road. Very different things happen to them from a cuttlefish researcher being consumed to a swimming pool with a secret, strange orchids to very human-like foxes prowling the streets, they are all linked by the road they live on.
Loved the writing style and the descriptions into each inhabitant, I was gripped very early on! The jackdaws see all!
June 13, 2023
→ my rating: 4.0 ★
A collection of short horror stories set on the same street, very horrifying & a solid read !
A collection of short horror stories set on the same street, very horrifying & a solid read !
May 21, 2023
Good read. Wonderful use of repetition to build an atmosphere. Well written.
January 16, 2025
I can totally see why the comparisons are being made to the afire mentioned programmes, however, for me, this leans more closely to the Hammer/Amicus portmanteau horror films of the 1960's-70's, with a very nasty streak running through the middle of Silverweed Road. This nastiness is cursed with wantoness, jealousy, greed and self-importance, all of which are dealt with within the confines of a road mired in death and tragedy.
12 of the 41 properties, including one which really shouldn't be there, spill their secrets and whilst I was hopeful it meant there might be a second instalment, the denouement was entirely satisfying and befitting what had come before.
Each tale is prefaced by a foreshadowing-eg that it had come from a coroner's report or from an accompanying police investigation-so that you know something nefarious has occurred. Between each story is the evidence of ex-police Detective Inspector Jim Heath, whose suspicions are published on his blog to record that which normal avenues of reporting would not.
There are small details woven through the narratives that bring the stories together,such as birds, certain colours and the plants which seem to want to reclaim the land for its own. These are in the form of the eponymous Silverweed and Hawthorn bushes, and here, the folk horror element reminded me of one of my favourite writers,James Brogden, who looks at the uncanny with a very modern twist on age old myths.
Tying in historical and allegorical tales of morality, with some incredibly inventive scenes of horror works very effectively in the short story format ,as each tale, which does not run concurrently around the occupants of this dead end road, allows the writer to flex his character and world building whilst paying homage to it's horror influences. Special effects maker Gepetto Savini springs immediately to mind, and his finest creation, the Mogon, which will not be easily forgotten!
The horror of the very modern cul-de-sac is what lends itself so well to creating feelings of unease, each of the people who live there feels themselves entirely alone and it reflects how it took so long for the one outsider, Jim, to begin to piece things together. It also explains the reluctance of his collegaues to bear witness to a bizarre and surprising amount of deaths. It makes you think about the one street, the one house in your own town which defies the vagaries of the weather to stand , uninhabited for decade after decade attaching mythical status to itself whilst doing so. I can easily think of two, one place people will never again inhabit after the awful happenings there, and another, which is gently rotting away whilst its neighbours stand pristine and lived in.
Jealous wives, cuckolded husbands, lost sporting prowess and revenge on garden pests all align with the pursuit of wealth and knowledge to very-in some cases very very -sticky ends. The deaths were so inventive, but entirely in keeping with the setting and the slow build of tension was deliciously realised through trip after trip to the end of Silverweed Road.
I absolutely recommend this collection to anyone looking for something a little darker and quirkier than what they would normally read during spooky season,
12 of the 41 properties, including one which really shouldn't be there, spill their secrets and whilst I was hopeful it meant there might be a second instalment, the denouement was entirely satisfying and befitting what had come before.
Each tale is prefaced by a foreshadowing-eg that it had come from a coroner's report or from an accompanying police investigation-so that you know something nefarious has occurred. Between each story is the evidence of ex-police Detective Inspector Jim Heath, whose suspicions are published on his blog to record that which normal avenues of reporting would not.
There are small details woven through the narratives that bring the stories together,such as birds, certain colours and the plants which seem to want to reclaim the land for its own. These are in the form of the eponymous Silverweed and Hawthorn bushes, and here, the folk horror element reminded me of one of my favourite writers,James Brogden, who looks at the uncanny with a very modern twist on age old myths.
Tying in historical and allegorical tales of morality, with some incredibly inventive scenes of horror works very effectively in the short story format ,as each tale, which does not run concurrently around the occupants of this dead end road, allows the writer to flex his character and world building whilst paying homage to it's horror influences. Special effects maker Gepetto Savini springs immediately to mind, and his finest creation, the Mogon, which will not be easily forgotten!
The horror of the very modern cul-de-sac is what lends itself so well to creating feelings of unease, each of the people who live there feels themselves entirely alone and it reflects how it took so long for the one outsider, Jim, to begin to piece things together. It also explains the reluctance of his collegaues to bear witness to a bizarre and surprising amount of deaths. It makes you think about the one street, the one house in your own town which defies the vagaries of the weather to stand , uninhabited for decade after decade attaching mythical status to itself whilst doing so. I can easily think of two, one place people will never again inhabit after the awful happenings there, and another, which is gently rotting away whilst its neighbours stand pristine and lived in.
Jealous wives, cuckolded husbands, lost sporting prowess and revenge on garden pests all align with the pursuit of wealth and knowledge to very-in some cases very very -sticky ends. The deaths were so inventive, but entirely in keeping with the setting and the slow build of tension was deliciously realised through trip after trip to the end of Silverweed Road.
I absolutely recommend this collection to anyone looking for something a little darker and quirkier than what they would normally read during spooky season,
October 9, 2022
This is a punchy, creepy collection of short stories all set in the houses of the inhabitants of Silverweed Road, where some very strange things are happening…
From the man who taunts the Jackdaws in their garden a step too much, to the dart player who sells his soul to the devil to play better, each of these short stories has some very dark elements to it and you know as you begin each one that there’ll be someone dead before long, because at the start of the book (and in between each chapter) we hear extracts from the local detective blog as he discusses the case from his perspective.
Some of the stories gripped me more than others, as is often the case with a collection of short stories, but as I go to list m favourites I’ve realised there is actually only one or two which I didn’t enjoy as much – all the others were great, with their own unique twists. As commented upon by many other reviewers, this collection had a definite feeling of Inside Number 9 to it (which I loved!)
Coming up to Halloween is a great time to read these stories but they’d be hugely entertaining at any point in the year. Simon Crook manages to tread the line between atmospheric and eerie, creating creepy short stories which never feel ‘too much’…
As you continue reading the stories it becomes more and clear (if you didn’t already realise this) that the stories are all connected in some way, and it makes reading this collection even more fun as you piece together how someone might be linked to someone else on this very odd road… Whether you’re reading this during ‘spooky season’ or not, Silverweed Road is definitely a recommended read.
From the man who taunts the Jackdaws in their garden a step too much, to the dart player who sells his soul to the devil to play better, each of these short stories has some very dark elements to it and you know as you begin each one that there’ll be someone dead before long, because at the start of the book (and in between each chapter) we hear extracts from the local detective blog as he discusses the case from his perspective.
Some of the stories gripped me more than others, as is often the case with a collection of short stories, but as I go to list m favourites I’ve realised there is actually only one or two which I didn’t enjoy as much – all the others were great, with their own unique twists. As commented upon by many other reviewers, this collection had a definite feeling of Inside Number 9 to it (which I loved!)
Coming up to Halloween is a great time to read these stories but they’d be hugely entertaining at any point in the year. Simon Crook manages to tread the line between atmospheric and eerie, creating creepy short stories which never feel ‘too much’…
As you continue reading the stories it becomes more and clear (if you didn’t already realise this) that the stories are all connected in some way, and it makes reading this collection even more fun as you piece together how someone might be linked to someone else on this very odd road… Whether you’re reading this during ‘spooky season’ or not, Silverweed Road is definitely a recommended read.
October 20, 2022
If you love short stories and want something spooky to read with a connecting narrative that runs through them all then Silverweed Road is a good choice to pick up.
Welcome to Silverweed Road - a suburban street shaped like a J with the Woods set at the dead-end of the road. Something strange and terrifying is happening behind each house on this street but the connecting themes include the street they all sit on and the presence of a mysterious jackdaw that appears in all of the stories..
Each story is self-contained and different and after each one there is a report extract from the local detective who was tasked with solving these mysterious crimes. The stories are definitely weird, chilling and in a lot of cases very gory, macabre and inexplicable weaving fantasy elements and the supernatural at play.
The stories that fascinated me the most:
- the man examining behaviours of the cuttlefish in isolation. Things quickly go dark when he is bitten by one.
- the swimming pool that turns predatory and ends up inhaling its victims
- the dead wife’s ashes seeks revenge on her murdering husband and lover
- the cursed ring that destroys anyone who seeks it (made me think of LOTR…but it’s nothing like it!)
It’s also interesting how themes of the human condition are explored in the characters of these stories: isolation, revenge, obsession, greed, anger. It’s almost as if these traits brings the horrors of Silverweed Road to life as if it feeds off those behaviours.
If you like something spooky for Halloween, you should definitely visit Silverweed Road. It’s a good one to read a scary story each night..or devour in one sitting. I think I will now avoid any real roads named Silverweed!
Welcome to Silverweed Road - a suburban street shaped like a J with the Woods set at the dead-end of the road. Something strange and terrifying is happening behind each house on this street but the connecting themes include the street they all sit on and the presence of a mysterious jackdaw that appears in all of the stories..
Each story is self-contained and different and after each one there is a report extract from the local detective who was tasked with solving these mysterious crimes. The stories are definitely weird, chilling and in a lot of cases very gory, macabre and inexplicable weaving fantasy elements and the supernatural at play.
The stories that fascinated me the most:
- the man examining behaviours of the cuttlefish in isolation. Things quickly go dark when he is bitten by one.
- the swimming pool that turns predatory and ends up inhaling its victims
- the dead wife’s ashes seeks revenge on her murdering husband and lover
- the cursed ring that destroys anyone who seeks it (made me think of LOTR…but it’s nothing like it!)
It’s also interesting how themes of the human condition are explored in the characters of these stories: isolation, revenge, obsession, greed, anger. It’s almost as if these traits brings the horrors of Silverweed Road to life as if it feeds off those behaviours.
If you like something spooky for Halloween, you should definitely visit Silverweed Road. It’s a good one to read a scary story each night..or devour in one sitting. I think I will now avoid any real roads named Silverweed!
October 20, 2022
This is a collection of 12 stories all set in a cul de sac called Silverweed Road which becomes the scene for a series of events which change the lives of the occupants of the 41 houses. The story is told by former DCI Jim Heath who, as a result of the events that took place in November 2019, was forced to leave the police force.
Briefly, it all starts with the death of a male Jackdaw and ends with the female partner ruling the area. In the meantime some pretty nasty things happen to the people living there. From one person been pecked to death by the jackdaw to another infected by a cuttlefish and having cuttlefish babies ( think tiny Alien!) to blackthorns drinking human blood the fun continues! Heath is in charge of the case looking into the suspicious deaths and missing people.
This is a hard book to categorise. Clearly it’s horror, but a bit of supernatural, some dark humour and a soupçon of crime are all there. All the stories have a tiny link to another providing continuity of a sort. Although this isn’t my normal genre it was an enjoyable read, some stories better than others, but all good.
Briefly, it all starts with the death of a male Jackdaw and ends with the female partner ruling the area. In the meantime some pretty nasty things happen to the people living there. From one person been pecked to death by the jackdaw to another infected by a cuttlefish and having cuttlefish babies ( think tiny Alien!) to blackthorns drinking human blood the fun continues! Heath is in charge of the case looking into the suspicious deaths and missing people.
This is a hard book to categorise. Clearly it’s horror, but a bit of supernatural, some dark humour and a soupçon of crime are all there. All the stories have a tiny link to another providing continuity of a sort. Although this isn’t my normal genre it was an enjoyable read, some stories better than others, but all good.
October 27, 2022
A skilfully crafted collection of short stories that are all linked together.
The stories are full of dark gloomy atmospheres with a dash of the weird & wonderful. Creepy, chilling, and witty. Silverweed Road covers love, loss, isolation, loneliness, obsession, greed, and plenty of revenge, often ending in unfortunate events!
Some of the stories gripped me more than others, as is often the case with a collection of short stories.
An enjoyable read that satisfied my ghostly
The stories are full of dark gloomy atmospheres with a dash of the weird & wonderful. Creepy, chilling, and witty. Silverweed Road covers love, loss, isolation, loneliness, obsession, greed, and plenty of revenge, often ending in unfortunate events!
Some of the stories gripped me more than others, as is often the case with a collection of short stories.
An enjoyable read that satisfied my ghostly
October 13, 2022
Silverweed Road is the perfect read for Halloween, it's creepy, atmospheric and totally unique. There are ten stories which are intertwined with police reports and musings from one of the Detectives that dealt with the cases. Each story has one recurring link...the jackdaws, they see and hear everything!
The inhabitants were certainly a strange bunch of characters weren't they?
The stories are bizarre, disturbing and highly entertaining.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The inhabitants were certainly a strange bunch of characters weren't they?
The stories are bizarre, disturbing and highly entertaining.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
October 26, 2022
If you’re of a certain age, ahem, you’ll remember Tales of the Unexpected. This book for me has definite echoes of that in each tale.
Each story is linked and not just by the jackdaws who come into each story whether fully, or fleetingly. Each story neatly leads onto the next because the neighbours are in the next story to come to their own strange end.
I enjoyed how all the stories link neatly together and it doesn’t feel like a book of short stories, even though it is. Sort of. Read it and you’ll see what I mean. Perfect read for Halloween. I also loved the Police report that gives an alternate view. Very cleverly done.
With thanks to Anne Cater, the publisher and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
Each story is linked and not just by the jackdaws who come into each story whether fully, or fleetingly. Each story neatly leads onto the next because the neighbours are in the next story to come to their own strange end.
I enjoyed how all the stories link neatly together and it doesn’t feel like a book of short stories, even though it is. Sort of. Read it and you’ll see what I mean. Perfect read for Halloween. I also loved the Police report that gives an alternate view. Very cleverly done.
With thanks to Anne Cater, the publisher and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
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