Brian J. Showers
Brian J. Showers has quietly been one of the stars of short fiction horror writing since the publication of his first collection of stories, The Bleeding Horse and Other Stories (review here). That collection made it onto my Top 5 Reads of 2010 list and I've been impatiently waiting for him to publish a follow up collection for some time. For those who have found themselves in a similar position, the wait is finally over; that is if you can get your hands on one of the merely 60 copies of Old Albert - An Epilogue that are being offered for sale.
Old Albert is effectively a continuation of The Bleeding Horse and Other Stories and so like its predecessor, the stories that comprise Old Albert are set in the Rathmines district of Dublin. Specifically, these stories tell the purported history of an estate known as Larkhill, which we're told was first permanently settled in the middle of the nineteenth century.
In the first tale, "Ellis Grimwood of Larkhill," we learn that the estate was built by a wealthy ornithologist who made his home there because, at the time, a profusion of larks and other birds made their homes there as well. As time progresses, Grimwood becomes increasingly eccentric and reclusive. Next is "This Terrible, This Unnatural Crime," which is essentially a retelling of an actual famous killing and subsequent murder trial. While complete in their own right, these two tales also set the stage for what is to come.
"An Exaltation of Skylarks," is the firs tale in Old Albert to occur after Mr. Showers has hinted to the reader of the peculiarities of Larkhill. It is the tale of a wealthy wine importer who comes to occupy Larkhill with his new wife. His wife proves to be far more popular than her businessman husband and let's just say that this tale ends poorly for all concerned.
Forty years later, as recounted in the next tale, "Thin and Brittle Bones," the General Council of the Holy Ghost Fathers decides that Larkhill is the perfect place to house a new secondary school. While renovating the property, a troubling discovery that sheds light on the history of Larkhill is made, but the school nonetheless opens shortly thereafter and remains open until World War I. After a decade during which the property is leased to various tenants, the school reopens and has operated ever since.
The final tale, "Come Like Shadows, So Depart," is the crescendo to which the previous tales have been building. I am not going to say anything about it other than to mention that it is the story of a friend of the narrator who once attended the school at Larkhill. It makes a very fitting ending to this collection.
In the final analysis, Larkhill turns out to be a place with its own essence and power; one that draws its occupants to it and never lets them go. And the unique fate that a schoolyard rhyme called "Old Albert" warns against afflicts those who pass through the place regardless of the particulars of their individual lives.
Ex Occidente Press has given this book the beautiful treatment it deserves. I just hope that one day it will be more widely available, and perhaps reunited with its predecessor in a single volume.
All of the strengths that The Bleeding Horse and Other Stories possesses are also on display in Old Albert. Old Albert isn't just a subtly powerful work of supernatural fiction, it's also a work that demonstrates the profound ability Mr. Showers has to infuse a seemingly nondescript locale with a sense of history, with a sense of place in the flow of time. I have not come across any other writer working today who is writing quite like Brian Showers is. Get your hands on this one if you can.
Rating: 9/10
The True First
Old Albert - An Epilogue was first published in 2011 by Ex Occidente Press in an astoundingly low print run of 60.
[This review was based on an electronic review copy]
2 comments:
Wow, that sounds great... Off to check it out now.
Hope you like it. You may also want to check out Showers's first book.
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