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Steve Stred's Reviews > In Excess of Dark
In Excess of Dark
by
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*Huge thanks to DarkLit Press for the eARC of this one. Disclaimer – I have a novella releasing in 2024 through DarkLit, but in no way did this influence my thoughts on this book*
I’ve been a fan of Red’s work for sometime now and her short fiction is some of the best stuff you’ll ever read. Now, with this novella on the horizon, I was excited to see what she’d created, especially after reading the synopsis. Much like Gran’s ‘Come Closer,’ this one seemed to be a story that would walk that line between ‘is this real or not,’ and that always makes for a fun time in the horror world.
What I liked: The story follows Karina, a wife and mother who has always had to contend with her mind rapidly running through the darkest thoughts possible about every situation. Brakes are going to fail, the bungee will snap, the house will catch on fire. On and on, her entire life she’s struggled with it, but even worse – as her mother likes to remind her – sometimes the thoughts she’s having come true.
So, it comes that after a horrible moment occurs, one that happened exactly how she imagined in, Karina spirals into the depths of grief. Her family is gone. But something else has arrived. A strange black blob that seemingly can take the shape of those departed.
From here, Lagoe does a masterful job of keeping the reader guessing – is this actually happening, or is Karina sleep deprived and hallucinating. It never lets up and to make matters worse, we see Karina continue to spiral and grow unhinged. She stops talking to those who love her, holes up in her house, quits her job and focuses on what she needs to do to somehow bring those gone back to her.
This all culminates in a phenomenal ending where we see Karina become truly unhinged and in a macabre way, live out the dreams many aspiring writers long to obtain. It had me grinning like a maniac and the machine-like precision with which Red delivers this ending was magical.
What I didn’t like: We do get a tiny smidge of background story aspects surrounding Karina and her father, but I wished it was expanded upon a bit more.
Why you should buy this: This novella is going to knock the socks off every reader, much the same way Marceau’s, ‘This Is Where We Talk Things Out’ did. Lagoe has crafted a truly unnerving story that walks so close to the edge time and time again and ultimately leaves that question – Is this real or a hallucination? – firmly in the hands of the reader to determine.
Outstanding work.
I’ve been a fan of Red’s work for sometime now and her short fiction is some of the best stuff you’ll ever read. Now, with this novella on the horizon, I was excited to see what she’d created, especially after reading the synopsis. Much like Gran’s ‘Come Closer,’ this one seemed to be a story that would walk that line between ‘is this real or not,’ and that always makes for a fun time in the horror world.
What I liked: The story follows Karina, a wife and mother who has always had to contend with her mind rapidly running through the darkest thoughts possible about every situation. Brakes are going to fail, the bungee will snap, the house will catch on fire. On and on, her entire life she’s struggled with it, but even worse – as her mother likes to remind her – sometimes the thoughts she’s having come true.
So, it comes that after a horrible moment occurs, one that happened exactly how she imagined in, Karina spirals into the depths of grief. Her family is gone. But something else has arrived. A strange black blob that seemingly can take the shape of those departed.
From here, Lagoe does a masterful job of keeping the reader guessing – is this actually happening, or is Karina sleep deprived and hallucinating. It never lets up and to make matters worse, we see Karina continue to spiral and grow unhinged. She stops talking to those who love her, holes up in her house, quits her job and focuses on what she needs to do to somehow bring those gone back to her.
This all culminates in a phenomenal ending where we see Karina become truly unhinged and in a macabre way, live out the dreams many aspiring writers long to obtain. It had me grinning like a maniac and the machine-like precision with which Red delivers this ending was magical.
What I didn’t like: We do get a tiny smidge of background story aspects surrounding Karina and her father, but I wished it was expanded upon a bit more.
Why you should buy this: This novella is going to knock the socks off every reader, much the same way Marceau’s, ‘This Is Where We Talk Things Out’ did. Lagoe has crafted a truly unnerving story that walks so close to the edge time and time again and ultimately leaves that question – Is this real or a hallucination? – firmly in the hands of the reader to determine.
Outstanding work.
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Reading Progress
December 7, 2023
–
Started Reading
December 7, 2023
– Shelved
December 7, 2023
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30.0%
December 11, 2023
–
Finished Reading
