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A Press of Feathers
RAGE .
Bea has it - more than ever, since her husband left her.
Lou has it - has it in spades, since she lost her job and her flat and had to move back in with her parents.
And whoever’s been murdering and mutilating the men whose bodies keep mounting up in Bea and Lou’s city - they’ve got it, too.
But when Bea moves to The Gates, an exclusive new estate with a strange and troubled history, and Lou’s interest in the murders leads her right to Bea’s door, the two women find the lines between nightmare and reality, history and myth and sanity and madness blurring around them - and a primeval entity born from the chaos of creation with her own appetite for rage rising up to meet them from the ground below.
She sees them. And she’s hungry.
Bea has it - more than ever, since her husband left her.
Lou has it - has it in spades, since she lost her job and her flat and had to move back in with her parents.
And whoever’s been murdering and mutilating the men whose bodies keep mounting up in Bea and Lou’s city - they’ve got it, too.
But when Bea moves to The Gates, an exclusive new estate with a strange and troubled history, and Lou’s interest in the murders leads her right to Bea’s door, the two women find the lines between nightmare and reality, history and myth and sanity and madness blurring around them - and a primeval entity born from the chaos of creation with her own appetite for rage rising up to meet them from the ground below.
She sees them. And she’s hungry.
264 pages, Paperback
Published September 29, 2022
2 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
T.C. Parker
16 books139 followersI'm a writer and researcher based in the fox-ravaged wilds of Leicestershire.
I've been a copywriter, a lecturer and, very briefly, an academic; now I run a semiotics and cultural insight agency by day and dream up horror and crime fiction at night, when the kids are asleep.
I write mostly horror and crime, skeet enthusiastically as @tcparker.bsky.social, and post the occasional poorly-composed photo on Instagram (as @writestc).
For stories, serialised novels and other thoughts about the universe, visit/subscribe to my Substack - tcparker.substack.com
I've been a copywriter, a lecturer and, very briefly, an academic; now I run a semiotics and cultural insight agency by day and dream up horror and crime fiction at night, when the kids are asleep.
I write mostly horror and crime, skeet enthusiastically as @tcparker.bsky.social, and post the occasional poorly-composed photo on Instagram (as @writestc).
For stories, serialised novels and other thoughts about the universe, visit/subscribe to my Substack - tcparker.substack.com
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 22, 2021
What the hell did I just read?
A Press of Feathers is what you get when you mix David Cronenberg, Clive Barker and Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’. A Press of Feathers is a quintessentially British horror that has so much to offer the reader, it is a fabulously woven story that flits back and forth between our two main protagonists and deals with a number of themes such as; portal horror, cosmic horror, mythology, folklore, asylums, social experiments that make the Stanford Prison Experiment look like a picnic, plus there is blood and gore and a huge slice of unease that is woven between the very fabric of the story, with each chapter adding to the tension and the drama that is unfolding on the page.
Touching on the Britishness of the piece, this could (but it shouldn’t) affect the enjoyment of those across the pond in a number of ways which I’ll try to elaborate on here. The language used by TC Parker is very British, the location is in England and the prose is also very British with many turns of phrase that might be lost to a few from over the pond, but here in the UK and for me, those really made the piece feel authentic and very much about our little Island we call home. I bloody loved it, but this may be in part due to me being (as I’ve mentioned a few times already) British – so I’d love to see what the American audience thinks of this brutal story too.
But A Press of Feathers is something to be celebrated nonetheless, many times we British writers take on the mantel of setting our stories in the States (I’ve done it myself with my books Juniper and Tome), in a way it seems engrained in us from an early age that horror is American – strange right? We have people like Clive Barker, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker (Irish but we’ll claim him), Daphne du Maurier, James Herbert, Adam Nevill and Ramsey Campbell (big hitters right?) to name just a few fabulous British writers.
But there has always the lure of horror greatness which comes from across the pond with the likes of Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, Anne Rice, Jack Ketchum, Robert McCammon, Joe Hill, Stephen Graham Jones, Edgar Allan Poe, William Peter Blatty, Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson, Alma Katsu (the list is literally endless).
So in a way this connection between horror and America is something that does truly exist, and I feel that all too often, us writers from this little island we call home are pulled to set our stories in the great horror house that is America – but TC Parker has bucked that trend – firstly with her debut Salt Blood (setting it on a remote island off the coast of England – although populated with many American characters) and now with A Press of Feathers, she’s cemented it firmly here in the UK and I for one bloody love the boldness of that, British horror is great, we’ve a wealth of history to back these tales up, there should be more, there will be more!
Now, on with the book - TC Parker produces a masterclass of pacing with this book, it’s a little more frenetic (pages turning not pace of the prose) than Salt Blood, as the story drifts between our two fabulously realised protagonists. This back and forth element helps us to become attached to each of them and their individual and then combined plights, but also helps to pull the reader into the ensuing chaos that rages around this new settlement and the discovery of various mutilated bodies that are stacking up. The introduction of one of our characters being a True Crime Podcaster also adds another fabulous element to the story too, that being crime, knowing personally that TC Parker also writes under another name for her crime fiction we know that this is going to be another feather to A Press of Feathers already impressive cap, because let me tell you that the crime elements (Ture Crime elements) are spectacularly written, damn this woman writes it so well!
And then we touch on the prose of the piece, and what a sheer delight it is. There are many passages that I highlighted in this book; word flourishes that made me re-read them to fully absorb their brilliance. What TC Parker is able to achieve in a few words is pretty outstanding (and I’ve been taking notes for myself too), there is no need for hefty and weighty paragraphs of descriptions in her work as she delivers everything you need to know with the most beguiling of short and concise wordplay which is an absolute delight, her beautiful and easy on the eyes prose enables some of the heavier and more detailed parts of the book to be fully digested without feeling lost or confused about these weightier matters.
There is also intelligence to TC Parker’s prose and voice to her work. The subject choices that she chooses to use for her fiction are sensational, this isn’t just some hack and slash job, gore for gores sake and a mindless evil entity (this goes for Salt Blood too). It is always about the story and there is a fabulous story behind this offering, one of social class and belonging, of wrongs made right - it is horror, but it’s horror that glances at the state of society and holds up a mirror to show us what we’ve been missing, as we stare at the page and quite possibly see ourselves, people we know, situations that are raging around us reflected back in an eerie horrific clarity.
A Press of Feathers is a stunning read, one that cements TC Parker as a main player in the British horror scene, I gave Salt Blood five stars, I’ve rated A Press of Feathers five stars – so on that basis I can’t wait to see what TC Parker comes up with next.
A Press of Feathers is what you get when you mix David Cronenberg, Clive Barker and Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’. A Press of Feathers is a quintessentially British horror that has so much to offer the reader, it is a fabulously woven story that flits back and forth between our two main protagonists and deals with a number of themes such as; portal horror, cosmic horror, mythology, folklore, asylums, social experiments that make the Stanford Prison Experiment look like a picnic, plus there is blood and gore and a huge slice of unease that is woven between the very fabric of the story, with each chapter adding to the tension and the drama that is unfolding on the page.
Touching on the Britishness of the piece, this could (but it shouldn’t) affect the enjoyment of those across the pond in a number of ways which I’ll try to elaborate on here. The language used by TC Parker is very British, the location is in England and the prose is also very British with many turns of phrase that might be lost to a few from over the pond, but here in the UK and for me, those really made the piece feel authentic and very much about our little Island we call home. I bloody loved it, but this may be in part due to me being (as I’ve mentioned a few times already) British – so I’d love to see what the American audience thinks of this brutal story too.
But A Press of Feathers is something to be celebrated nonetheless, many times we British writers take on the mantel of setting our stories in the States (I’ve done it myself with my books Juniper and Tome), in a way it seems engrained in us from an early age that horror is American – strange right? We have people like Clive Barker, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker (Irish but we’ll claim him), Daphne du Maurier, James Herbert, Adam Nevill and Ramsey Campbell (big hitters right?) to name just a few fabulous British writers.
But there has always the lure of horror greatness which comes from across the pond with the likes of Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, Anne Rice, Jack Ketchum, Robert McCammon, Joe Hill, Stephen Graham Jones, Edgar Allan Poe, William Peter Blatty, Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson, Alma Katsu (the list is literally endless).
So in a way this connection between horror and America is something that does truly exist, and I feel that all too often, us writers from this little island we call home are pulled to set our stories in the great horror house that is America – but TC Parker has bucked that trend – firstly with her debut Salt Blood (setting it on a remote island off the coast of England – although populated with many American characters) and now with A Press of Feathers, she’s cemented it firmly here in the UK and I for one bloody love the boldness of that, British horror is great, we’ve a wealth of history to back these tales up, there should be more, there will be more!
Now, on with the book - TC Parker produces a masterclass of pacing with this book, it’s a little more frenetic (pages turning not pace of the prose) than Salt Blood, as the story drifts between our two fabulously realised protagonists. This back and forth element helps us to become attached to each of them and their individual and then combined plights, but also helps to pull the reader into the ensuing chaos that rages around this new settlement and the discovery of various mutilated bodies that are stacking up. The introduction of one of our characters being a True Crime Podcaster also adds another fabulous element to the story too, that being crime, knowing personally that TC Parker also writes under another name for her crime fiction we know that this is going to be another feather to A Press of Feathers already impressive cap, because let me tell you that the crime elements (Ture Crime elements) are spectacularly written, damn this woman writes it so well!
And then we touch on the prose of the piece, and what a sheer delight it is. There are many passages that I highlighted in this book; word flourishes that made me re-read them to fully absorb their brilliance. What TC Parker is able to achieve in a few words is pretty outstanding (and I’ve been taking notes for myself too), there is no need for hefty and weighty paragraphs of descriptions in her work as she delivers everything you need to know with the most beguiling of short and concise wordplay which is an absolute delight, her beautiful and easy on the eyes prose enables some of the heavier and more detailed parts of the book to be fully digested without feeling lost or confused about these weightier matters.
There is also intelligence to TC Parker’s prose and voice to her work. The subject choices that she chooses to use for her fiction are sensational, this isn’t just some hack and slash job, gore for gores sake and a mindless evil entity (this goes for Salt Blood too). It is always about the story and there is a fabulous story behind this offering, one of social class and belonging, of wrongs made right - it is horror, but it’s horror that glances at the state of society and holds up a mirror to show us what we’ve been missing, as we stare at the page and quite possibly see ourselves, people we know, situations that are raging around us reflected back in an eerie horrific clarity.
A Press of Feathers is a stunning read, one that cements TC Parker as a main player in the British horror scene, I gave Salt Blood five stars, I’ve rated A Press of Feathers five stars – so on that basis I can’t wait to see what TC Parker comes up with next.
April 19, 2024
A Thrilling Read
I wish I'd remembered to review this when I finished it a few months ago, but it was a great read that I would absolutely recommend!!
Another twisty, interconnected tale steeped in lore and spanning multiple timelines. Well worth a read for horror and mythology fans.
Parker's writing is always engrossing, with a rich vocabulary and deeply detailed plot lines that will always keep you guessing. Any one of her books are well worth a read (or three!)
I wish I'd remembered to review this when I finished it a few months ago, but it was a great read that I would absolutely recommend!!
Another twisty, interconnected tale steeped in lore and spanning multiple timelines. Well worth a read for horror and mythology fans.
Parker's writing is always engrossing, with a rich vocabulary and deeply detailed plot lines that will always keep you guessing. Any one of her books are well worth a read (or three!)
December 30, 2020
T. C. Parker's writing style seems to immediately lull me into a sense of comfort. It's like I've always been reading that book.
But wait a minute, there are horrific mutilations, mass-bird stakeouts that would make Hitchcock (or even James Nguyen) quake in their boots from the off, so how is that so?
I sat back and thought about it and, much like in Parker's earlier novel, Salt Blood, the thing that draws me in is, inevitably, the characters. They are so real, so nuanced and detailed and 3-dimensional. They seep Britishness (in all its multicultural forms) and I wonder whether readers from the States, Canada or further afield realise quite how utterly fully formed they are. Regardless of whether it's universally appreciated, this is the first ingredient of what I found such a delight about this book.
Second up is the set up. Again, paralleling with Salt Blood, while simultaneously being totally different, A Press of Feathers presents the reader with a scenario which is utterly plausible to us all. Murder, while a ghastly thing, happens and, as countless forensically detailed Netflix docs have taught me, they can be bizarre and nightmarish, far beyond the 'mere' taking of another's life.
As we meet Bea, an unfortunate bystander, simply trying to pull her life together after a messy marital breakdown and Lou, a would-be true crime podcaster, we can empathise with them. Imagine ourselves in their wrong place/wrong time shoes. Little by little, things unravel into something infinitely more sinister, weaving in gloriously dark folklore and myth.
The pace of this is the second triumph of the book, drip feeding it in slowly enough that as a reader, you feel yourself nodding along as the utterly implausible becomes the Occam's razor approach.
A final word for the sheer quality of the prose. I selected five highlights that had me clapping the sheer writing chops that Parker shows off in this book. I picked these particular ones because they are flourishes that use few words to paint in great swathes of detail of character, scene or what have you. It looks like a small thing, but like keyhole surgery, it slices through the page, doing heavy lifting in minimal space.
My favourite author is a Japanese gentleman called Haruki Murakami. When people ask why I love him, I tell them it is his capacity to make the mundane seem like life and death and the end of the world seem mundane. While T. C. Parker's style and voice is clearly different to Mr Murakami's, it is that same quality which renders her work a must read for me.
More please!
But wait a minute, there are horrific mutilations, mass-bird stakeouts that would make Hitchcock (or even James Nguyen) quake in their boots from the off, so how is that so?
I sat back and thought about it and, much like in Parker's earlier novel, Salt Blood, the thing that draws me in is, inevitably, the characters. They are so real, so nuanced and detailed and 3-dimensional. They seep Britishness (in all its multicultural forms) and I wonder whether readers from the States, Canada or further afield realise quite how utterly fully formed they are. Regardless of whether it's universally appreciated, this is the first ingredient of what I found such a delight about this book.
Second up is the set up. Again, paralleling with Salt Blood, while simultaneously being totally different, A Press of Feathers presents the reader with a scenario which is utterly plausible to us all. Murder, while a ghastly thing, happens and, as countless forensically detailed Netflix docs have taught me, they can be bizarre and nightmarish, far beyond the 'mere' taking of another's life.
As we meet Bea, an unfortunate bystander, simply trying to pull her life together after a messy marital breakdown and Lou, a would-be true crime podcaster, we can empathise with them. Imagine ourselves in their wrong place/wrong time shoes. Little by little, things unravel into something infinitely more sinister, weaving in gloriously dark folklore and myth.
The pace of this is the second triumph of the book, drip feeding it in slowly enough that as a reader, you feel yourself nodding along as the utterly implausible becomes the Occam's razor approach.
A final word for the sheer quality of the prose. I selected five highlights that had me clapping the sheer writing chops that Parker shows off in this book. I picked these particular ones because they are flourishes that use few words to paint in great swathes of detail of character, scene or what have you. It looks like a small thing, but like keyhole surgery, it slices through the page, doing heavy lifting in minimal space.
My favourite author is a Japanese gentleman called Haruki Murakami. When people ask why I love him, I tell them it is his capacity to make the mundane seem like life and death and the end of the world seem mundane. While T. C. Parker's style and voice is clearly different to Mr Murakami's, it is that same quality which renders her work a must read for me.
More please!
September 30, 2025
I bought ‘A Press Of Feathers’ four years ago after reading T. C. Parker's ‘Saltblood,‘ a novel about evil both human and otherwise. Halloween Bingo prompted me to pull 'A Press Of Feathers' to the top of my TBR pile because, amongst many other things, it has a portal/hellmouth in it that made it a good fit for the Alice In Wonderland square.
'A Press Of Feathers‘ is a horror novel about rage-fueled violence. It focuses mainly on the righteous rage of women who have been abused and what women might do if given the power to avenge themselves and others.
It’s an unusual novel; a minestrone of horror tropes. There’s an ancient goddess of chaos, tentacled Cthulhulian monstrosities, menacing murders of crows, a Victorian mental asylum run by sadists, a dodgy self-made millionaire who likes to create communities and then nurture conflict and a series of brutal killings and mutilations of young men with no apparent link between them. It's a rich mixture, but for the most part, it worked.
The story is told mostly from the point of view of two women, strangers to each other, both with rage in their hearts at the way the men in their lives have treated them, whose paths cross as they become tangentially involved in the investigation of a series of murders. I liked that the two women saw the world quite differently, but both understood the temptation to surrender to rage and unleash righteous violence.
The story is firmly grounded in the everyday reality of life in the suburbs of Leicestershire. That's not something that immediately suggests Gothic horror, yet its effect was to amplify the fear and rage that possess the people in the story.
For the most part, I enjoyed the novel. I liked the melding of dream and reality, myth nd history, modern malevolence with ancient vengeance. The key scenes were intense and well-realised. The characters, good and bad, were easy to relate to.
From time to time, I was distracted from the story by clumsy plot disclosure and what felt to me like uneven pacing. The ending also felt too tidy, given the chaos that had preceded it.
'A Press Of Feathers‘ is a horror novel about rage-fueled violence. It focuses mainly on the righteous rage of women who have been abused and what women might do if given the power to avenge themselves and others.
It’s an unusual novel; a minestrone of horror tropes. There’s an ancient goddess of chaos, tentacled Cthulhulian monstrosities, menacing murders of crows, a Victorian mental asylum run by sadists, a dodgy self-made millionaire who likes to create communities and then nurture conflict and a series of brutal killings and mutilations of young men with no apparent link between them. It's a rich mixture, but for the most part, it worked.
The story is told mostly from the point of view of two women, strangers to each other, both with rage in their hearts at the way the men in their lives have treated them, whose paths cross as they become tangentially involved in the investigation of a series of murders. I liked that the two women saw the world quite differently, but both understood the temptation to surrender to rage and unleash righteous violence.
The story is firmly grounded in the everyday reality of life in the suburbs of Leicestershire. That's not something that immediately suggests Gothic horror, yet its effect was to amplify the fear and rage that possess the people in the story.
For the most part, I enjoyed the novel. I liked the melding of dream and reality, myth nd history, modern malevolence with ancient vengeance. The key scenes were intense and well-realised. The characters, good and bad, were easy to relate to.
From time to time, I was distracted from the story by clumsy plot disclosure and what felt to me like uneven pacing. The ending also felt too tidy, given the chaos that had preceded it.
November 9, 2022
Creepy Cool on Kindle Unlimited.
If you're into paranormal horror mystery with truly creep-tastic atmosphere this is the book for you! This is also probably the author for you, too! I previously enjoyed this authors Saltblood immensely, so I have decided to read their other works. And WOW I was not disappointed.
There's just such an atmosphere and visceral detail the author creates with their words. Do be warned there's lots of blood and gore, as is the case in most horror stories.
The all too real emotions coupled with paranormal elements was such an intriguing idea for a story, and plotted so well and kept me captivated. The comparisons one could make about anger and the unfairness of this world, and how you can 'feed' the wrong thing in yourself, was all too apparent.
It's a story that is multi-layered, allowing you to think deeply about it's elements and your own interpretations on things, while still wrapping up nicely - but also leaves just that bit of mystery and 'unknowing' to keep you curious and creeped-out! But in the best possible ways!
It's not lesfic as such, but I would call it women's lit in the sense that I think many women in any stages of life, who has ever lamented the historic treatment of women in days gone by and even today - could absolutely relate to a lot of feelings of injustice herein. One MC dates women, but it's literally just a tiny blip part of who she is.
The story overall is impressive and has me awe-struck. I'd really recommend it to others who love deeply thoughtful philosophical paranormal horror with all too human feelings and metaphors coinciding in great storytelling themes.
If you're into paranormal horror mystery with truly creep-tastic atmosphere this is the book for you! This is also probably the author for you, too! I previously enjoyed this authors Saltblood immensely, so I have decided to read their other works. And WOW I was not disappointed.
There's just such an atmosphere and visceral detail the author creates with their words. Do be warned there's lots of blood and gore, as is the case in most horror stories.
The all too real emotions coupled with paranormal elements was such an intriguing idea for a story, and plotted so well and kept me captivated. The comparisons one could make about anger and the unfairness of this world, and how you can 'feed' the wrong thing in yourself, was all too apparent.
It's a story that is multi-layered, allowing you to think deeply about it's elements and your own interpretations on things, while still wrapping up nicely - but also leaves just that bit of mystery and 'unknowing' to keep you curious and creeped-out! But in the best possible ways!
It's not lesfic as such, but I would call it women's lit in the sense that I think many women in any stages of life, who has ever lamented the historic treatment of women in days gone by and even today - could absolutely relate to a lot of feelings of injustice herein. One MC dates women, but it's literally just a tiny blip part of who she is.
The story overall is impressive and has me awe-struck. I'd really recommend it to others who love deeply thoughtful philosophical paranormal horror with all too human feelings and metaphors coinciding in great storytelling themes.
October 31, 2020
Powerfully written, with a superb use of language, this is a mix of the supernatural, ancient cults leaking into the modern day, Chaos ruling, and an investigation into a string of modern day murders. A complex layered narrative, well executed by T C Parker, who is an indie author to watch out for. She has a very distinctive writing voice and is adept at creating scary scenarios and three dimensional characters you can relate to.
April 14, 2021
The author already had me at the novel 'Saltblood', now I'm sold for an eternity of magnificent storytelling. The top-notch writing stands out in this one, painting a rich picture of characters, feelings and surroundings.
Exit - Reality. You may be a whore of Enfield or just a bathloving feather-type, none of that matters when peering through darkness at The Gates of some hellish insanity, black wings everywhere.
Enter - Rage. Easy now, don't lose your head...
Exit - Reality. You may be a whore of Enfield or just a bathloving feather-type, none of that matters when peering through darkness at The Gates of some hellish insanity, black wings everywhere.
Enter - Rage. Easy now, don't lose your head...
on-hold-will-finish-one-day
April 23, 2024unfortunetly, i'm not connecting with this one? and i've pretty much devoured every other book by this author. so that's a bummer. but i've made it a real goal not to push through books this year if i'm not vibing with them. i can always try again some other time. bc i don't think this is a case of 'this book is not good' at all. it's v much just a 'i need a different vibe right now' kind of situation.
so. paused at like 30% in and will try again later.
so. paused at like 30% in and will try again later.
May 26, 2021
An easy 5 stars here for this gruesome horror mixed with murder mystery. This is the 4th book of TC Parker's that I've read and as always the prose is just so, so good.
The writer's ability to create realistic characters and then place them in a world of pain is unparalleled. No matter how complex the scene or gruesome the imagery you will be able to see it in Technicolor all around you thanks to the extremely impressive descriptive quality of the writing.
As is the way with Parker you can expect a layered plot and if you think you've figured one out, fear not, another one will be along shortly. Brilliant from beginning to end.
The writer's ability to create realistic characters and then place them in a world of pain is unparalleled. No matter how complex the scene or gruesome the imagery you will be able to see it in Technicolor all around you thanks to the extremely impressive descriptive quality of the writing.
As is the way with Parker you can expect a layered plot and if you think you've figured one out, fear not, another one will be along shortly. Brilliant from beginning to end.
February 23, 2021
A Press of Feathers was a joy to read. Think murder mystery complete with a determined sleuth battling not just a serial killer but also evil crows, ancient deities and rich people!
Told through the tale of two women Bea and Lou who have both recently moved to Leicester to rebuild their lives. Bea isn't going to let heartbreak and divorce stop her and is determined to carry on with her life. She moves into a new housing development called The Gates, it's a strange place but she can't afford to live anywhere else. The rent is unusually low, there must be a catch somewhere...
Meanwhile Lou has been forced to move back from London after losing her job. Employment opportunities are sparse but when she hears about all the recent killings she has an idea....
Using her detective skills Lou finds a overlooked connection between the killings which soon leads her to The Gates.
Eventually Lou and Bea cross paths, from this killer no one is safe. Can they find out what is happening before it is too late?
I had so much fun reading this book, it works really well as a murder mystery but with the addition of supernatural elements and ancient folklore it really takes off. When the book switches between the two characters you are eager to find out what the other one is up to.
What makes this book so enjoyable other than the suspenseful atmosphere and intrigue are the characters, Lou and Bea. They are so likeable and relatable. Both have been through tough times but instead of wallowing in their own misery they just get on with things and emerge all the more stronger for it.
Told through the tale of two women Bea and Lou who have both recently moved to Leicester to rebuild their lives. Bea isn't going to let heartbreak and divorce stop her and is determined to carry on with her life. She moves into a new housing development called The Gates, it's a strange place but she can't afford to live anywhere else. The rent is unusually low, there must be a catch somewhere...
Meanwhile Lou has been forced to move back from London after losing her job. Employment opportunities are sparse but when she hears about all the recent killings she has an idea....
Using her detective skills Lou finds a overlooked connection between the killings which soon leads her to The Gates.
Eventually Lou and Bea cross paths, from this killer no one is safe. Can they find out what is happening before it is too late?
I had so much fun reading this book, it works really well as a murder mystery but with the addition of supernatural elements and ancient folklore it really takes off. When the book switches between the two characters you are eager to find out what the other one is up to.
What makes this book so enjoyable other than the suspenseful atmosphere and intrigue are the characters, Lou and Bea. They are so likeable and relatable. Both have been through tough times but instead of wallowing in their own misery they just get on with things and emerge all the more stronger for it.
July 16, 2021
This review contains spoilers.
Reviewing “A press of feathers” in isolation was always going to be a tough call. I came to the book through Nat’s (T.C.Parker) other books, Salvation Spring and Saltblood, and as there are repeating themes throughout all the books, it’s maddeningly hard not to compare the three, given that they are all written with the eminently likable and eloquent voice Parker employs on the page, and also given that they have reoccurring threads or story devices – but we’ll get to that below.
The premise of APOF is that of past events impinging on the present – a locational story, where a specific area of land is, in effect, haunted, by a rage-fueled God. The specific area of land that is used as a new housing development, is built upon the grounds of an old disused mental institution, which itself was built upon the ruins of a temple dedicated to a god. That something lingers in the area and multiplies its presence through the unfortunate people who are incarcerated there is the base of the story.
Leading the novel, we have two strong female main characters, Bea and Lou. Lou, recently redundant, decides to investigate a series of murders in the area, with the idea of producing a blog. Bea has just moved to a new housing development - which acts like a commune – after her recent divorce has made living anywhere else untenable. As the story develops, the two women come together, each with individual experiences and information, and also have a shared experience, which helps define their friendship and commitment to unraveling the mystery of both the murders and the strange phenomenon occurring.
Ok, I think that was a clear enough summary. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.
APOF suffers, in that I had read the other two books previously mentioned, and all three have commonalities which are core elements in all of the books. Whilst those threads are not weak by themselves, having read the first two, it did influence my thinking about the phenomenon occurring. Pretty early on, I assumed the phenomenon was locational, and based around a God/Deity and similarly, that the two strong women would come together to solve/resolve the crisis. And that’s great, horror needs more strong-women representation, and TC delivers on that promise. But it was following a pattern.
With that core base being in all three books, other threads are then added that occur in only two of the books – for example, a human “head figure” is given as a focus for the readers dislike – In Saltblood it was Hampton. Here, it is Lawrence Jordan, the owner of the housing development. And it works. T.C’s prose is on target, she manages to instill a sense of wrongness in the man, despite the calm reasonable demeanor he exudes.
Bea, who lives in a house on the estate, and who is still emotionally impacted by her divorce, experiences several moments of “interaction” with the previous “tenants” of the land, images of tortured young women, flashes of scenes from the temple, and images of people being recently murdered. Those experiences she internalizes – works through them, deciphering them as a form of mental instability, and that process itself is documented. For me, honestly, almost over documented. I have to say that the second quarter of the book lost an amount of impetus due to the internalization from a person convinced they were having a mental breakdown. And I get it – the character had to go through that process to be able to be as strong as she was at the end, in order to deal with the horror that the deity unleashed. But it stalled the book, somewhat - unusual – compared to the flow I am used to from T.C. previously. The book picked up, and raced to the end, but I think we stayed too long in Bea’s thoughts in that quarter.
I think that Lou, who started off strong, and very likable, continued throughout the book as strong and likable, but at the end, for me, was under-utilized. Lou is a great character, her search for the truth of the murders (her motivation) – for me, she was the most interesting and likable character. But this was always going to be Bea’s book. Bea’s transformation from somewhat broken divorcee to – well, survivor, I think, given the death toll in the book! So, Lou provides the information which Bea requires, but in the “Boss battle” at the end, is relegated to the sidelines, despite throwing a lifeline to Bea in her moment of need. Hard to see how it could have been done otherwise, but it doesn’t lessen the regret I felt that Lou became a secondary character, despite the short poignant scene at the end, of her starting off again in a blossoming relationship. I wanted more Lou! And that is a great indication of character work – T.C. nailed it with both Bea and Lou.
The ending was dramatic, I don’t know that I was as emotionally engaged in the battle as I should have been, it became somewhat removed, with the superpowers. And it took being a part of the “beardalong” with Well read beard and E, on Goodreads, to crystalize what I felt was missing– that the “monster” in this book, remains distant. It does not kill itself, it makes others do so. It is not in the final battle scene, it uses figureheads.
Also, obvious threads were left unexplored – If a god in a pantheon exists, surely by association, all of the other gods exist too? No exploration of that logical conclusion came. Should we be worried? And a previously minor character is left to deal with the god and does so with no problems, which of course negates, to a certain extent, Bea and Lou’s work throughout the book.
To remain fair and not compare it to Nat’s other books, I’m judging this by itself, and frankly, I liked the book. T.C. has an amazing voice, you learn new words from everything she writes (my take away this time was “Retroussé – who’d have thunk?!), the book remains demandingly, frustratingly readable (time! I need more time in my life), and feel comfortable in her books, knowing that they will be well researched, eloquent, female-driven and with dialogue that reads as naturally as it gets.
I look forward to my next Parker book. This is a 4 out of 5 ⭐'s, it was engaging, thought-provoking, and continues the trend of TC’s fantastic management of world-building. Hurry up with the next one!
Reviewing “A press of feathers” in isolation was always going to be a tough call. I came to the book through Nat’s (T.C.Parker) other books, Salvation Spring and Saltblood, and as there are repeating themes throughout all the books, it’s maddeningly hard not to compare the three, given that they are all written with the eminently likable and eloquent voice Parker employs on the page, and also given that they have reoccurring threads or story devices – but we’ll get to that below.
The premise of APOF is that of past events impinging on the present – a locational story, where a specific area of land is, in effect, haunted, by a rage-fueled God. The specific area of land that is used as a new housing development, is built upon the grounds of an old disused mental institution, which itself was built upon the ruins of a temple dedicated to a god. That something lingers in the area and multiplies its presence through the unfortunate people who are incarcerated there is the base of the story.
Leading the novel, we have two strong female main characters, Bea and Lou. Lou, recently redundant, decides to investigate a series of murders in the area, with the idea of producing a blog. Bea has just moved to a new housing development - which acts like a commune – after her recent divorce has made living anywhere else untenable. As the story develops, the two women come together, each with individual experiences and information, and also have a shared experience, which helps define their friendship and commitment to unraveling the mystery of both the murders and the strange phenomenon occurring.
Ok, I think that was a clear enough summary. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.
APOF suffers, in that I had read the other two books previously mentioned, and all three have commonalities which are core elements in all of the books. Whilst those threads are not weak by themselves, having read the first two, it did influence my thinking about the phenomenon occurring. Pretty early on, I assumed the phenomenon was locational, and based around a God/Deity and similarly, that the two strong women would come together to solve/resolve the crisis. And that’s great, horror needs more strong-women representation, and TC delivers on that promise. But it was following a pattern.
With that core base being in all three books, other threads are then added that occur in only two of the books – for example, a human “head figure” is given as a focus for the readers dislike – In Saltblood it was Hampton. Here, it is Lawrence Jordan, the owner of the housing development. And it works. T.C’s prose is on target, she manages to instill a sense of wrongness in the man, despite the calm reasonable demeanor he exudes.
Bea, who lives in a house on the estate, and who is still emotionally impacted by her divorce, experiences several moments of “interaction” with the previous “tenants” of the land, images of tortured young women, flashes of scenes from the temple, and images of people being recently murdered. Those experiences she internalizes – works through them, deciphering them as a form of mental instability, and that process itself is documented. For me, honestly, almost over documented. I have to say that the second quarter of the book lost an amount of impetus due to the internalization from a person convinced they were having a mental breakdown. And I get it – the character had to go through that process to be able to be as strong as she was at the end, in order to deal with the horror that the deity unleashed. But it stalled the book, somewhat - unusual – compared to the flow I am used to from T.C. previously. The book picked up, and raced to the end, but I think we stayed too long in Bea’s thoughts in that quarter.
I think that Lou, who started off strong, and very likable, continued throughout the book as strong and likable, but at the end, for me, was under-utilized. Lou is a great character, her search for the truth of the murders (her motivation) – for me, she was the most interesting and likable character. But this was always going to be Bea’s book. Bea’s transformation from somewhat broken divorcee to – well, survivor, I think, given the death toll in the book! So, Lou provides the information which Bea requires, but in the “Boss battle” at the end, is relegated to the sidelines, despite throwing a lifeline to Bea in her moment of need. Hard to see how it could have been done otherwise, but it doesn’t lessen the regret I felt that Lou became a secondary character, despite the short poignant scene at the end, of her starting off again in a blossoming relationship. I wanted more Lou! And that is a great indication of character work – T.C. nailed it with both Bea and Lou.
The ending was dramatic, I don’t know that I was as emotionally engaged in the battle as I should have been, it became somewhat removed, with the superpowers. And it took being a part of the “beardalong” with Well read beard and E, on Goodreads, to crystalize what I felt was missing– that the “monster” in this book, remains distant. It does not kill itself, it makes others do so. It is not in the final battle scene, it uses figureheads.
Also, obvious threads were left unexplored – If a god in a pantheon exists, surely by association, all of the other gods exist too? No exploration of that logical conclusion came. Should we be worried? And a previously minor character is left to deal with the god and does so with no problems, which of course negates, to a certain extent, Bea and Lou’s work throughout the book.
To remain fair and not compare it to Nat’s other books, I’m judging this by itself, and frankly, I liked the book. T.C. has an amazing voice, you learn new words from everything she writes (my take away this time was “Retroussé – who’d have thunk?!), the book remains demandingly, frustratingly readable (time! I need more time in my life), and feel comfortable in her books, knowing that they will be well researched, eloquent, female-driven and with dialogue that reads as naturally as it gets.
I look forward to my next Parker book. This is a 4 out of 5 ⭐'s, it was engaging, thought-provoking, and continues the trend of TC’s fantastic management of world-building. Hurry up with the next one!
February 5, 2021
Dark history and myth come together to create an ominous narrative of a series of horrendous murders and a dark history. Newly divorced, Bea, is searching for affordable housing after being forced from her marital home. It almost seems too good to be true when she finds a house to rent in a planned community called The Gates. The community is odd, it’s houses ringed with spikes in an effort to keep the flocks of crows away from them. Lou, who has recently lost her job, decides to start a true-crime podcast that sends her off to investigate the murders.
This is the second T.C. Parker book that I have read and although they are completely different in plot they are similar in style. I love the precise wording that Parker uses to give such a detailed setting and authentic characters without being wordy or overly descriptive leaving room for the plot. But most of the characters were introduced at the same time and I found myself flipping back to that moment several times until I got them straight. The story immediately grabbed me and I was content to follow.
This is the second T.C. Parker book that I have read and although they are completely different in plot they are similar in style. I love the precise wording that Parker uses to give such a detailed setting and authentic characters without being wordy or overly descriptive leaving room for the plot. But most of the characters were introduced at the same time and I found myself flipping back to that moment several times until I got them straight. The story immediately grabbed me and I was content to follow.
November 22, 2024
The Gates is a collaborative community built on the site of a psychiatric hospital and underneath that something much older. Bea has just moved there after an acrimonious separation from her husband and Lou, a wannabe podcaster, is drawn there after a series of brutal murders of young men. But something ancient is stalking the land and it is angry.
A eldritchian horror that pulses with female rage and revenge. TC is so brilliant at these set pieces with a cast of people pitted against each other in a seemingly domestic situation that turns sinister. Horror is often other people and this is played out here with an ancient force thrown into the mix to intensify the trauma.
The murders are gruesome and the bird imagery so viscerally fetid that you can feel the filth under your fingernails. Another beautifully crafted tale, no one does female rage like TC and this is spectacularly explosive.
A eldritchian horror that pulses with female rage and revenge. TC is so brilliant at these set pieces with a cast of people pitted against each other in a seemingly domestic situation that turns sinister. Horror is often other people and this is played out here with an ancient force thrown into the mix to intensify the trauma.
The murders are gruesome and the bird imagery so viscerally fetid that you can feel the filth under your fingernails. Another beautifully crafted tale, no one does female rage like TC and this is spectacularly explosive.
July 7, 2021
Super unique, wickedly intelligent, and the kind of prose you just don’t see if someone hasn’t put a lot of work in on their craft. Another strong showing from T.C. Parker, who is quickly becoming another must-read author for me.
February 4, 2021
Fucking hell this was good, review to follow!!!
October 28, 2020
Another intelligent page-turner from T.C. Parker, this time with an almost homage to Hitchcock's The Birds in terms of the imagery created. On a new estate, built on the site of a former hospital which itself was built on the site of an ancient Temple to Nox, the past becomes present and Chaos (literally) ensues. Just the right blend of thriller, murder and the supernatural to keep you reading.
January 3, 2025
I won this book in a lucky giveaway organized by the fabulous Nefarious Bat Press—thank you so much, what a treat! This is also the second book I’ve read by T.C. Parker. If you haven’t already, make sure you grab a copy of Saltblood for a fantastic, thought-provoking story of survival in a not-so-distant dystopian reality.
A Press of Feathers is another intense and haunting horror story, infused with mythology and folklore—the hidden but unavoidable supernatural forces lurking just beneath the surface. It delves deeply into themes of female rage and human suffering across the ages.
The Gates, a sleek new residential development, seems like the perfect place to live—surprisingly affordable and inclusive, as long as you follow the rules for the good of the community. But, as expected, it was too good to be true. This land harbors a chilling history, its powerful dark energy manifesting in disturbing visions and eerie occurrences.
At the heart of the story are two compelling women: Bea, a resident grappling with depression and loss after a messy divorce, and Lou, drawn to The Gates to investigate a string of gruesome serial murders in the area. Both women, fueled by rage and driven by the frustrations and injustices in their own lives, uncover the horrifying truth about the land and the sinister forces that refuse to stay buried.
Beautifully written, this story is sharp and engaging, twisted and suspenseful, leaving you thrilled—and more than a little unnerved.
A Press of Feathers is another intense and haunting horror story, infused with mythology and folklore—the hidden but unavoidable supernatural forces lurking just beneath the surface. It delves deeply into themes of female rage and human suffering across the ages.
The Gates, a sleek new residential development, seems like the perfect place to live—surprisingly affordable and inclusive, as long as you follow the rules for the good of the community. But, as expected, it was too good to be true. This land harbors a chilling history, its powerful dark energy manifesting in disturbing visions and eerie occurrences.
At the heart of the story are two compelling women: Bea, a resident grappling with depression and loss after a messy divorce, and Lou, drawn to The Gates to investigate a string of gruesome serial murders in the area. Both women, fueled by rage and driven by the frustrations and injustices in their own lives, uncover the horrifying truth about the land and the sinister forces that refuse to stay buried.
Beautifully written, this story is sharp and engaging, twisted and suspenseful, leaving you thrilled—and more than a little unnerved.
March 6, 2022
This is my third book to read by TC Parker (first two were Maiden & Salvation Spring). I wasn’t disappointed in this book! She knows how to write some great characters. It’s such an interesting horror book! I don’t want to say too much and ruin anything for anyone but TC Parker really delivers on the horror, heart, weird and brutality! I loved it so much! Can’t wait to read more by her!
March 20, 2024
A gory mystery!
Great prose, an engaging mystery, well-written characters, and a 3rd act that get wild!
This was extra enjoyable as I live in the same city the book is set in, in an area known as The Gates no less!
Bonus point for a Quantum Leap reference!
Looking forward to reading more from the author!
Great prose, an engaging mystery, well-written characters, and a 3rd act that get wild!
This was extra enjoyable as I live in the same city the book is set in, in an area known as The Gates no less!
Bonus point for a Quantum Leap reference!
Looking forward to reading more from the author!
March 13, 2023
Strange creatures, forgotten gods, and the machinations of the rich all converge on a small development. A story of rage and terror that you won't forget.
August 14, 2022
-A developer running a nefarious experiment and pitting inhabitants against each other for some unknown end.
-A tainted plot of land where there used to be a psychiatric hospital of tortured patients, and before that; a temple where a mysterious deity was worshipped.
-A neighborhood completely inundated by crows and the like (and not so like).
These things all tie together and come to light as a string of mutilated bodies are being found and we become acquainted with two strong women:
Bea, whose husband has left her for someone new, and finds herself having to move to what must be the strangest neighborhood ever & Lou, a young woman who’s been forced to move back to her parents. Neither women are exactly happy about their circumstances. This all pales in comparison to what they will be up against when they team together and try to uncover what’s been going on in the neighbourhood & who’s been murdering young men.
Took me less than 24 hrs to read this as I had a hard time putting it down. Tense, thrilling & wholly engaging. I enjoyed it immensely & am looking forward to reading more Parker (I’m fortunate enough to have 2 more of their books lined up).
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