A Small Light & Other Stories by Sara Century | Book Review
Here's a lovely little collection of stories filled with creeping dread that I read recently.
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A Small Light & Other Stories by Sara Century
Released December 2022
Source: Received for Review Consideration
A mysterious woman stalks a seaside town. An isolated couple inhabit a house full of tropical birds. A rowboat floats down a river toward a witch's cave. Death wanders an unnamed city during the plague. Sara Century's debut short story collection carries with it surreal visions inspired by pulp paperbacks, art house films, comic books of all flavors, and classic queer villains. A Small Light & Other Stories gathers tales that hinge on troubled characters with nothing left to lose encountering existential horrors, where everyday problems escalate into insurmountable monsters, and we find ourselves unable to escape dreams long since transformed into nightmares.
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A Small Light & Other Stories is an eerie, melancholy collection of sapphic horror and haunting stories focusing on the characters and an always present slow creeping dread. I can easily recommend this collection to fans of this type of horror story.
I liked all of the stories but these were my favorites. I won’t say too much about them because short stories like these waste no time getting to the point and should be experienced by reading them instead of reading too much about them.
Slipping But Not Falling
This is an eerie tale of a recent break-up, and the resulting road trip that leads to some very strange places. I LOVE stories like this. So strange but yet you’re able to clearly see it all happening and you have no idea where it’s going. Be careful out there, lol!
The Hollow Bones
There is a house by the sea that is filled with birds. Hundreds of exotic birds. And I will not tell you the reason. This is such a weird story. I wanted to move into that house - until I didn’t! Ultimately it’s about the harm one can do to the ones they love the most when they hold on too tight. It truly reads like a nightmare which is why I adored it so very much.
A Small Light
This one was the creepiest for me. A couple takes off for a camping vacation in the wilderness. Already a horror scenario, if you ask me. One of them heads out to collect firewood and things immediately start to get weird.
Red Lips In A Blue Light
This was a weird one about an “It” girl whose life doesn’t seem to be her own. It gave me some Severance/ Black Mirror vibes and I love me some Severance/Black Mirror vibes!
Many of the stories deal with grief and unresolved emotions that manifest as hauntings and together the collection is very cohesive and filled with imperfect characters. I’d love to read a novella from this writer someday.
I liked all of the stories but these were my favorites. I won’t say too much about them because short stories like these waste no time getting to the point and should be experienced by reading them instead of reading too much about them.
Slipping But Not Falling
This is an eerie tale of a recent break-up, and the resulting road trip that leads to some very strange places. I LOVE stories like this. So strange but yet you’re able to clearly see it all happening and you have no idea where it’s going. Be careful out there, lol!
The Hollow Bones
There is a house by the sea that is filled with birds. Hundreds of exotic birds. And I will not tell you the reason. This is such a weird story. I wanted to move into that house - until I didn’t! Ultimately it’s about the harm one can do to the ones they love the most when they hold on too tight. It truly reads like a nightmare which is why I adored it so very much.
A Small Light
This one was the creepiest for me. A couple takes off for a camping vacation in the wilderness. Already a horror scenario, if you ask me. One of them heads out to collect firewood and things immediately start to get weird.
Red Lips In A Blue Light
This was a weird one about an “It” girl whose life doesn’t seem to be her own. It gave me some Severance/ Black Mirror vibes and I love me some Severance/Black Mirror vibes!
Many of the stories deal with grief and unresolved emotions that manifest as hauntings and together the collection is very cohesive and filled with imperfect characters. I’d love to read a novella from this writer someday.
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Some of those one sentence blurbs sound so good! This sounds fabulous. the mention of pulp and comic influences caught my eye too!
ReplyDeleteThe Hollow Bones is a great title and the story sounds great too.
ReplyDelete