Horn

Horn #1

by Peter M. Ball

A dead girl in a dumpster and a unicorn on the loose - no-one knows how bad that combination can get better than Miriam Aster. A consulting job for city homicide quickly becomes a tangled knot of unexpected questions, and the link between the dead girl and the unicorn will draw Aster back into the world of the exiled fey she thought she'd left behind ten years ago, and she isn't happy.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy

80 pages, Nook

First published June 1, 2009

Reviews

[A. Dawes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun novella. It's a highly stylised detective noir fantasy and the protagonist, Miriam Aster, is a hard-boiled lesbian detective.

The story revolves around a unicorn and the body of a girl found in the trash. They both have links with the fey world that Miriam has long left behind her.

It's a quick, juicy and very adult-themed read (think 'contains adult themes' with that deep SBS voiceover). The one issue which I have is that Miriam, although a lesbian, could simply have been replaced with a male. In other words, Miriam is just your typical hard boiled male detective with a gender change. I just thought Ball could have done more with the idea - you know explore the female psyche more so. After a while, I just began to replace Miriam with boys names like Mark to test the theory out... and it made absolutely not one iota of difference.

Still, although the lesbian part is more gimmicky rather than explorative, Horn is a cool read. And I've bought the sequel, Bleed.

[Kate O'Hanlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is noir-ish urban fantasy just the way I like it. Miriam Aster is a tough private investigator who is consulting with the police on a gruesome rape and murder because of her connections with the fae.

It's a bit Law and Order: Faerie Beat at times but hell, sometimes that's what you're in the mood for. It's a quick read and a fun one.

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great novella, a brilliant and dark noir thriller, which has unfortunately completely changed my view of unicorns thanks to one particularly disturbing scene. It's one of those books you recommend to other people with "this is seriously fucked up and disturbing - but awesome." And judging by the author's blog, there's going to be a sequel.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a lot of ways, Horn sticks pretty close to what have become the standards of urban fantasy. The protagonist is a chick with a lot of fight in her and strong ties to the supernatural du jour. She has a tormented love life and has to deal with a bunch of men working on the case who'd prefer to never have to deal with her or the otherworldy critters. Although she's allegedly working with the police, it's Aster who does most of the footwork and who, in fact, solves the mystery. The city setting is simultaneously gritty and a bit generic. This could be the underbelly of any city in North America, which means the setting doesn't particularly stand out.

On the other hand... dude, the underaged victim has been raped to death by a unicorn in a nasty snuff film. Aster only maintains a semblance of power over the fey with a technicality: since she's gay, she's a virgin by the literal definition, never having had sex with a man. Also, she's died and been brought back, not as an undead, but to full life. No vampires or zombies here.

Obviously, this is one dark and twisted story. I spent awhile trying to figure out how to review this one, because the dark elements are so unexpected it spun my head around. It's not the sort of thing I could recommend to anyone, but odds are good if you read "unicorn" and "rape" in the same sentence and instead of having your brain explode, you thought "wow, that sounds really interesting and original," this is probably something you should be looking deeper into, because a premise like this one isn't something you're likely to come across again.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a gritty noir short novella about a crime ring making unicorn snuff films, complete with the hard-drinking ex-cop (lady) narrator (whose ex-lover - also a lady - is somehow involved), the body of a young girl in a dumpster, and the mano-e-mano gotta-take-em-down-myself finale. That's how it was sold to me, and that's what it delivered. I find myself somewhat dissatisfied with that delivery, but a lot of that (I suspect) is me, not the book.

For starters, I don't read short spec fiction. I don't really read short fiction, full-stop, because if a story's worth engaging with, I want to engage with it fully and in detail and with all its context and complications. I kept seeing teasing glimpses of all that stuff around the edges of this story, and it frustrated me immensely to turn away from it. Especially given that all of this seemed to be driven by "what happened last time there was a unicorn", the lack of detailed exploration of what happened last time really annoyed me. I just feel like there's so much more that this could be, and so much more to explore within this story (and the larger world).

So while there's a lot that I like about this ruthless urban faery fantasy, I just can't take it above three stars.

[Jonathan Scotese · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this book. The content is brutal. I was expecting a book, and if my page count is correct this was less than 100 pages. I should blame the podcast that mentioned it, rather than the novella itself. I still to hink it would have been better more fleshed out with maybe a false lead or two in the investigation.

It feels like Jim Butcher's Dresden files, but the main character is just hard and gritty and does not have any of Harry Dresden's fun or irreverence. It also reminded me of Equoid because of the monster, though the one in this is less lovecraftian. I love the Dresden Files and the Laundry, so channeling them even imperfectly is still pretty good.

[Chris Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read an early draft of this story, and it's great to see it in print as part of Twelfth Planet Press's neat little novella series. Hardboiled lesbian detective meets a homicidal unicorn ... after this slice of gritty pulp fiction I promise you'll never look at unicorns the same way again. 'Horn' has strong characters and lean prose, and is perfectly paced. Looking forward to 'Claw', the next Miriam Aster adventure, which will, it is rumoured, take the talking cat trope to equally dark and twisted places...

[Haralambi Markov · Rating 4 out of 5]

What you can expect: “Horn” is a fast and entertaining read, which I can categorize as urban fantasy rooted in the classic pulp fiction, not that I have read much of the latter, but certainly different from the urban fantasy popular now.

Pros: An interesting protagonist, who is older by a decade than most heroines in the genres as well as being a lesbian, which adds a whole new dimension to exploring the story. I enjoyed the world building choices a great deal and the narrative prose fell to my liking.

Cons: The notion that I probably should have read something before the events of “Horn” to immerse myself in the story completely was slightly irritating, but the story presented is understandable. I’d also mention the bestiality scene, although I personally wasn’t affected by it all, but I am jaded like this and perhaps this scene would be tasteless and disturbing to some readers.

Summary: A unicorn in heat can inspire a lot of trouble and doesn’t ex-cop turned private investigator Miriam Aster know the downside to a disturbing event such as Sally Crown’s murder. Called by her former colleague in the force Tim Kesey, and teaming with coroner Heath Morrow, who knows how whacked a case can be with Miriam, Aster submerges in the underground she least wants to communicate with, the magical sort. The beast has been slain, but the culprit behind the unicorn smuggling and the murder remains unpunished, which means only one thing: a painful trip to the past. Even more agonizing, when this past has a name, Anya Titan.

Characters: For me the show was definitely stolen by Miriam Aster, who is the first lesbian I have read about as a narrating character. “Horn” is written by a man, so I couldn’t validate on how accurately the author represented female homosexuality, but to me it was nevertheless a first experience with such a character.

What I find positive here is that her homosexuality is a given fact, which doesn’t take center stage and turn Miriam into a coming-out or struggling to find her place in society protagonist. Sex is only hinted vaguely in Miriam’s past, which leaves her homosexuality as an additional layer to the character. Reading about a woman narrating about a painful relationship with another woman adds a whole new dimension to the law enforcer archetype in urban fantasy pantheon.

Aster is the tough as nails chick, but unlike most urban fantasy heroines, who feel empowered via a mixture of status, a special talent and that irresistible doze of sex appeal, Miriam draws strength from surviving in a male dominated area and building a career in law enforcement, which comes at the expense of great sacrifice. She’s the old dog and gifted sleuth with a dry, raw voice that hides certain charisma a reader most likely would find in a classic 50’s pulp novel. This quality to Aster is what made me pulled me in and see whether she would ignore her better judgment or abide her years of somewhat bitter experience. The inner fight between nobility and self preservation from re-opening old wounds is effortlessly found in between the lines and delivered with skillful simplicity.

The remaining cast doesn’t create the impression of brilliant achievement in characterization, but each and every name popping up brings me to a small era, an accumulation of the 20s and the 50s. Tim Kesey knows how things should be done and he follows his methodology as the strict, but golden hearted officer figure, while heath Morrow is the likeable oddball. Anya Titan is the distressed femme fatale with her own personal tragedy, while Mister Drabble to me embodied that slick criminal mobster vibe.

Story: “Horn” is more or less about the small elements that build the bigger picture than the plot itself. The story is pretty straight forward, which I don’t mind. Following an investigation can be a treat under the right circumstances and such is the case here. Ball’s prose is brisk and reflective of Miriam’s temperament as well as it manages to transport me to an authentic pulp atmosphere, where a certain kind of class hung in the air and in between the lines.

I can’t say that “Horn” is novella that takes pride on its story line. The plot is pretty straight forward and the reader will stick closely to Miriam as she starts from the crime scene moves to suspects and then uncovers the truth, which here is bitter, sad, avoidable and a shame all together blended to create a successful suspension of belief. Favorable here is also the world building, which is subtle and shaded into our own world one magical piece after another. I like the deviation in the belief that pixies and unicorns are loveable creatures and instead here are portrayed as vile bastards. The innocence behind the magical realm full of elves, fairies and wondrous beasts has withered and replaced by the gritty, venomous air that is hovering in our dark alleys.

I did feel that I needed to have read more to truly understand the complexity and depth of Miriam’s pain connected with Anya Titan, but it’s a small subtle tease that doesn’t lead to anywhere. Another element of “Horn” I sense that would cause problems with readers apart from a gay protagonist would be the bestiality scene, though I personally do believe that being impaled on a unicorn’s literal horn is not a sexual act, even if in this novella it served as a reproductive act.

The scene itself is very brief and the details provided do not cause nausea, but they do disturb and this serves a purpose naturally. Thinking about why the author wrote this scene took me to the theme of loss of innocence. Miriam Aster has loved, lived life to fullest. The illusion that life is a wondrous place is shattered once she spirals downwards and life has shown its ugly side. Magic is as real as you and me, but it’s not that sweet escape from the trouble, but a nightmare waiting to feast on you. This scene as disturbing as it is, but hammers the final nail in innocence’s coffin, both in life, in love and in magic.

The Verdict: I would recommend this, because there are certainly themes incorporated here that are usually overlooked or presented in a more acceptable way. “Horn” lurks in the dark spectrums of speculative fiction, where you can expect everything and anything. I’d say this is an excellent read for the brave that wish to push their limits.

[Dylan Tweney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read, but kind of appalling

[Narrelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I approve when the world of faerie is written about as a dark, powerful, scary place. Faeries weren't necessarily all that fun in the original stories and were as likely to play nasty tricks as clean your house Back In the Day.

I also approve when people take two apparently disconsonant ideas and smash them together - particularly when the result is entertaining.

Which brings me to Horn. A work of hard-boiled detective fiction, a la MIckey Spillane and Sam Spade. There's the jaded detective, a former cop who's been through the wringer once too often. There's the detective's mysterious femme fatale who still holds a strong, seductive attraction for our protagonist. There are thorough dirtbag villains and vicious thugs,all fronting for the dirtist, most vicious crime king of all. There's heartbreak and horror. And faeries. And unicorns.

Raymond Chandler's famous description of a PI starts "down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean." In this instance, our man is a woman, Miriam Aster, with her haunted past. She is a perfect hard-boiled, mean-streets detective and is surrounded with the required cast.

But the whole thing is sparkier than the old fashioned hard-boiled detective story, which is after all over 60 years old as a genre and often rendered more as a cliche than as the Maltese Falcon. This is where blending it with fantasy works so well for it. A genre that can be so, well, airy-fairy, so high-brow and wispy and mystic, crashing into the low-down, grungy, gutter world creates a fabulous frisson and makes something entirely new.

Parts of this book are grotesque and horrific, but importantly not, I felt, gratuitous. I can't talk too much about it without giving away vital plot elements, but certainly it's not a scene for the squeamish. The appalling nature of it is pivotal to the plot, however, and Aster's reaction to it gives it gravity.

Horn skates close to cliche at times, by the nature of it's mean streets structure, but the introduction of the fantasy element, made dark and dirty, keeps it above that, and keeps it fresh. A lot of the characters aren't very likeable, yet I liked Aster, self destructive as she (and her type) is.

Horn is a novella, a fast read at 80 pages - a short, sharp uppercut of a book. Parts of it are hard and ugly, as they need to be for this kind of story, but it's also a ripping yarn. It may leave you desperate for whisky and a cigarette, but you'll finish it knowing you've fought the good fight.

[S.B. Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horn by Peter M Ball is another brilliant Australian novella from Twelfth Planet Press. It's a paranormal detective story.

But be prepared, this ain't your little sisters ( unless you have a rather odd family) book about faeries and unicorns. This is a hard boiled detective novel, dark and probably a little confronting for some.

The Tale
Miriam Aster ain't no Nancy Drew, either, she's an undead freelance investigator on the trail of a murderous, horny unicorn- Oh did I mention she's a Lesbian.

To give away more, would I think ruin the novella. Horn needs to be experienced on a personal level.

My Thoughts
Now for those not reading closely, I said undead, lesbian, and horny unicorn all in the same sentence. No this isn't some paranormal erotica gone wrong. It's possibly the best paranormal fiction I have read all year, possibly ever. It will be confronting, it will take some of you close to edge. But I think Ball crafts a delightfully dark little tale, revealing a more honest portrayal of the Fae, the sex, lust and double edged devious nature.

If you grew up playing Faeries and Unicorns with 'My Little Pony' you might want to skip this one. If you are looking for great noir fiction and a good angle on paranormal fiction, read it, possibly with stiff drink in hand.

[Mikaela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stephen King said, "If you want to be a writer, you must read a lot..." And William Faulkner said, “Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it."

So I picked up "Horn" because it's a crime novel, a police procedural, and a paranormal/fantasy all rolled into one. And I'm trying to write something along those lines. This story taught me what NOT to do.

What I liked:

- casting a unicorn as the bad guy - or one of them - yet still incorporating glitter and rainbows.
- vivid descriptions of a couple of fantastical creatures- but with a gritty, noir edge.
- wise acre narrative

What I didn't like:
- the flow of the story. It was too choppy and the transitions were abrupt
- character development. Or lac thereof. Blame it on my fascination with psychology but I wanted to know WHY certain characters did the things they did or felt the way they did.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Private detective gets caught up in a case involving Faerie queens and unicorns. This suffers from being a novella, which is a difficult length to get right. In this case, the story is too short and too linear in plot. A good crime noir story needs greater development of the characters and a red herring or other plot complication than can be found here. There certainly should not be a straight line of the sort clue-witness-clue-witness-solution. There is enough here, however, to make an effective base for an expanded director's cut. Rated MA for violence, sexual violence and coarse language. 2.5/5

[Hypatia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting twist on the usual approach to the Fey. The story was short, but interesting, although there isn't a lot of explanation or back story. I'd be interested in reading other stories set in this world though.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty weird, but clever. Maybe if I read more SF I wouldn't even think it was weird.

[Niall519 · Rating 3 out of 5]

So very, very wrong. In a very good way.

[Mark Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book - if anything a bit too short!

A couple of brief comments can be found on my June 2014 monthly roundup on my website.