Wednesday 31 October 2012

Novella Review: In The Tall Grass

In The Tall Grass
-       Stephen King & Joe Hill

Kindle Book
In the Tall Grass begins with a sister and brother who pull off to the side of the road after hearing a young boy crying for help from beyond the tall grass. Within minutes they are disoriented, in deeper than seems possible, and they’ve lost one another. The boy’s cries are more and more desperate. What follows is a terrifying, entertaining, and masterfully told tale...

This is a short story I bought especially for Halloween this year and it does do a pretty good job of taking something pretty ordinary and turning it into something creepy. A brother and pregnant sister are taking a road trip when they hear a child lost in the field filled with tall grass. Naturally they stop to help him – and his mother. However, the grass isn’t what it seems and more maybe happening here than they first though.

The first half of this story is truly creepy with the slowly dawning realisation that this field isn’t what you first though. That realisation is beautifully drawn out – with frustration and irriation playing as much of a role as horror. However the second part of the story drops the slow creepiness for more explicit horror which is quite uncomfortable to read and topples the story into a more visual, disturbing element. Like one of those horror films you have to watch from between you fingers – you just can’t stop watching.

This is a perfect little horror story to read now the evenings are closing in and the trees start to weep leaves – but I would make sure your lawn is cut before hand or you may not venture out into the grass for a while afterwards...

Recommended for fans of Shaun Hutson and James Herbert.7 out of 10

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