Speculative Fiction Junkie

Bill Hussey

My interest in reading horror books is episodic at best. Every now and then I get the itch to read a scary novel but usually feel a bit disappointed when I'm finished. The reason is that the horror books I pick up tend to be those whose authors think they've done their job so long as they've included sufficient gore and a spooky bad guy (imagine if the movie Scream were a novel and you'll understand what I'm talking about).

Bill Hussey's debut novel, Through A Glass, Darkly, is the first horror book I've read in a very long time that brakes this tired mold and does what a horror book is supposed to do. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that this book has singlehandedly rekindled my interest in the entire horror genre.

The book begins with inspector Jack Trent investigating the disappearance of a seventeen year old boy in the rural fenland town of Crow Haven with his investigative partner, Dawn, with whom he previously had a bit of a fling. In his youth, something happened to Jack that left him unable to touch other people without producing bizarre results and it was this that was largely responsible for the premature ending of the relationship. Another consequence of this incident was that Jack periodically has dreams that more or less reveal to him a warped vision of part of the future. In the first scene of the book, Jack experiences one of these dreams and it shows him someone murdering a boy.

Through A Glass, Darkly very quickly becomes a terrifying read. While this is partially a function of some very grisly murders, it's mainly attributable to the fact that Mr. Hussey is a master of psychological terror. The elements with which he populates his novel scare as much by what they hint at and allude to as what they actually are. The eerie town of Crow Haven has a dark history that is only slowly revealed; a widow lives in an isolated house in the middle of a forest and the the mysterious and horrible death of her husband is alluded to but not immediately revealed; there are unexplainable encounters in the woods. This list goes on. The overall effect is that this book's ability to terrify is limited only by the reader's own imagination.

Mr. Hussey isn't satisfied merely to terrify the reader, however. Somehow, he also manages to address questions about the nature and limitations of familial relationships in this horror novel as well(!). The book also contains a sprinkling of what might be called fantasy elements. Here, I'm thinking in particular of that part of the book that occurs in a place called the Yeager Library. I was left with the distinct impression that Mr. Hussey has that rare ability to take whatever he needs from other genres and make them serve his literary purpose. And instead of looking like an odd patchwork, the result is a feeling that this is what the genre is actually supposed to look like.

Finally, Mr. Hussey is a top notch writer. And I'm not just talking about the prose. Seldom have I read a book that is as well balanced as this one is. It contains exactly the right amount of characterization, scene setting, action, flashbacks, etc. Furthermore, the author has somehow managed to sidestep the potential for confusion that arises whenever a book contains dream sequences, flashbacks, etc.

Put simply, Through A Glass, Darkly is the best horror book I've ever read. I wouldn't change a thing about it. Whether you're a veteran of the genre or someone who just dabbles like myself, you owe it to yourself to give this one a go.

My only complaint about the book is that it isn't available in hardcover as far as I know. I NEED a hardcover version of this book! Similarly, and unfortunately, you may find it difficult to find this book in the United States. While it's available via Amazon, you probably won't find it in a bookstore. This is a real shame and I hope it's remedied soon.

Rating: 10/10

The True First

Through A Glass, Darkly was originally published as a trade paperback by the Bloody Books imprint of Beautiful Books in London during 2008.

[This review was based on a review copy]