Early Review: Through Dead Eyes

Through Dead Eyes

Chris Priestley

Publisher: Bloomsbury – To be released 15^th March 2013

Earc courtesy of Netgalley & Bloomsbury

Alex joins his father on a business trip to Amsterdam. During the day he hangs out with the daughter of a family friend. They visit the usual sights but also coffee shops and flea markets off the beaten track. At one of these markets Alex spots an ancient-looking mask. Before he knows what he's doing he buys it. Later, in his hotel room, he feels compelled to put the mask on. Alex is sucked into a parallel Amsterdam, one from centuries before which begins to reveal the dark past of both the building he is staying in and the little girl who once lived there ...

This was a darkly atmospheric read that plays on your fears and the strangeness of being in a new unfamiliar city. Part of it reads like a travel guide for Amsterdam – a city I must admit has never particularly appealed to me before, but after reading this I feel like I know it and would love to see it in real life now! But despite some wonderful descriptions of the cities past and current states the main focus is on Alex, a teenage boy who has been through a lot – his mum leaving and some trouble at school.

Alex is a great character – isolated, but hoping to connect to someone. Taken out school to an unfamiliar city and then left to a strangers care he starts to learn more about the hotel he and his father are staying in – particularly the merchant and his family who’s house it was. Chris Priestley has managed to build a wonderfully dark and creepy story without any fat to the story. Every sentence and paragraph is economical but purposefully. I managed to read this whole book in one sitting and didn’t look up once as I was so engrossed in the story.

This is the first full length story by Chris that I’ve read, but he has firmly earned his place amongst the top British story tellers for children. At once classic and fresh this is a creepy but enthralling read. High recommended!

Recommended for fans of Philippa Pierce & Gillian Cross. 9 out of 10

Tales of Terror from the Tunnel's Mouth Review

Tales of Terror From The Tunnel’s Mouth

-          Chris Priestley

Publisher: UK – Bloomsbury

Robert Harper is going back to school, and it is the first railway journey he has ever made alone. And it is not a very usual sort of railway journey. The train stops at the mouth of a tunnel and in order to help while away the time a strange woman dressed in white tells Robert stories. But these are not the kind of stories normally told to a child. soon Robert is both entranced and terrified by the strange woman and the macabre stories.

Once again Chris Priestley has managed to create an enthralling collection of tales that feels both fresh and inherited from the Victorian era. Every story feels like a ghost tale you used to tell at sleepovers to scare your friends with each one attempting to top the last. At the same time each story feels unique and original, painting some truly macabre images in your mind. At least one will have you wondering about some of the everyday elements in your life and giving them a second glance...the crack in my ceiling has suddenly turned menacing rather than another DIY chore...

The thread pulling these stories together this time is a boys train journey and the mysterious woman in white who entertains him while they are held up at the entrance to the tunnel. Once again the teller of tales feels just as intimidating as the tales themselves which I enjoy as it makes me not only anxious to see what the next story is about but wanting to know what the point of the stories is.

There is a strong moral core to these stories with the wicked, impatient or lazy punished – adults and children alike this time. Firmly set in the Victorain era, the morals can still be relevant today – tell the truth, respect the dead, don’t steal, be good to your parents.  Having read two other tales of terror I also enjoyed the subtle nod to the other books in the epilogue and suggested that perhaps there is a link between them all.

In all this was a fun read for the dark evenings and cold weather, which make an excellent background to these spooky stories. Extra marks for some beautifully spooky covers in this reprinted selection!

Recommended for fans of Christopher Pike and LJ Smith. 7.5 out of 10

Tales of Terror from the Black Ship Review

Tales of Terror From The Black Ship

-       Chris Priestley

Publisher: Bloomsbury

At the Old Inn, which clings precariously to a cliff top above a storm-lashed ocean, two sick children are left alone while their father fetches the doctor. Then a visitor comes begging for shelter, and so begins a long night of storytelling, in which young Ethan and Cathy, who have an unnatural appetite for stories of a macabre persuasion, sit out the last throes of the storm in the company of a sailor with more than enough grisly tales to satisfy them. But something about this sailor puts Ethan on edge, and he becomes increasingly agitated for his father's return. Only when the storm blows itself out can Ethan relax - but not for long, for the new dawn opens the children's eyes to a truth more shocking, more distressing than anything they heard the night before.

Once again Chris Priestley presents us with a selection of ghostly tales covering a variety of sea-related monsters and frights linked together by an intriguing tale of two sick children waiting for their father to return with the doctor. I enjoyed the previous tale – Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror (reviewed here), but I definitely preferred these selection of tales. The ongoing theme of nautical terror was a strong link between stories – after all what is scarier than being trapped on a ship with a bunch of strangers, surrounded by unfriendly seas for miles? Add a ghostly element, or a mermaid or even sea snails and suddenly you’re feeling ever so glad you’re sat firmly inland with the sea well out of sight reading a book rather than out on the big blue.

As is usually the case with short stories, some are more memorable than others – the one about the sea snails definitely sticks with me! This time the link between stories was just as strong as the stories and I was intrigued about the sailor’s background and the children’s home life – how long would their father be gone? It was this linking theme that kept me turning the pages, wanting to know what happens next.

The writing feels like a classic ghost story – ancient and yet modern at the same time. The words just flew by and I pretty much sailed through the book (yes, that pun was intended!). Plus how creepy is that cover? A great read for Halloween or any time a storm in brewing...

Recommended for fans of Peter Beagle and R.L. Stine. 8 out 10

Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror Review

Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror

-          Chris Priestley

Publisher: UK – Bloomsbury

Uncle Montague lives alone in a big house and his regular visits from his nephew give him the opportunity to relive some of the most frightening stories he knows. But as the stories unfold, a newer and more surprising narrative emerges, one that is perhaps the most frightening of all. Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror, it transpires, are not so much works of imagination as dreadful lurking memories. Memories of an earlier time in which Uncle Montague lived a very different life to his present solitary existence.

Do you remember staying up late at night during sleepovers, turning the lights off and telling a ghost story by the light of a torch only? Slowly recounting the background, complete with little details, building up the tension and then – bam, a twist, a change of direction, the rug pulled out from under you...remember those stories? Well, that is what Chris Priestley’s Tales of Terror is like. Short ghost stories told in the guise of a nephew spending time with an uncle, recounting scary stories on a dark day in front of the fire.

As with any short story collection, some stories work better than others – some do genuine surprise, while others follow a pattern. However, the element that intrigued me most was the frame around the short story format – Uncle Montague himself. The description of the house, the dark candle light, the mysterious manservant all created a creepy atmosphere.  It was his story, rather than the stories that he told that kept me reading to the end. Why is he telling these stories to his young nephew? What other secrets lurk in the house?

Overall, these stories are best suited for pre-teens, and might come across as quite simple for older readers. However, it was the simplicity of the tales that appealed to me. All the stories feel quite old fashioned and traditional even though most of them are written specifically for this book – albeit traditional enough to feel like you might have heard them before. And there is a general theme that bad children (whether selfish or stupid or those who just don’t do as their told) get what they deserve.

Recommended for fans of Point Horror and The Outer Limits. 7 out of 10.