Book Review: VANDAL - - DARK TIDES BOOK SIX

VANDAL: TALES OF DAMAGE - - DARK TIDES MYSTERIES AND THRILLERS, BOOK SIX anthology of novellas (Crystal Lake Publishing, February 2023) Kindle Edition, 206 pages 

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

Three unflinching novellas of cursed objects, folk horror, and dark family secrets…

The Deathplace Set by Kaaron Warren: Gloria inherits a set of cigarette cards, 24 beautifully illustrated, historically accurate cards depicting death scenes. Once she meets her future husband, they become obsessed with cards, determined to visit each of the locations, driven by a force they don't understand. They profit from this obsession, flipping haunted houses from dumps to delights, selling them for a good return. Their family grows and their five children join the exploration, learning to live with the ghosts, the constant moves, the underlying smell of death that follows them. The family vandalize each place they live in, knowing that you need to destroy in order to rebuild.

It's only once the ghost of a young boy is roused that the true history of the cards is revealed and the true sacrifice to obsession begins.

We Called it Graffitiville by Aaron Dries: Well intentioned virtue-hunters, Dan and Kiki, are two young Australian volunteers posted in Samoa. They met in-country, fell in love, and believe they are making a difference to the local communities. But over the past few months, the value of their work has been challenged. Their love has started to crumble, too. A trip to the southern part of the island proves to be a last-ditch effort to keep their relationship intact... but nature intervenes. A catastrophic tsunami obliterates the coastline, forcing Dan and Kiki inland. They seek refuge in an abandoned village on the side of a dormant volcano. Only this village--notable for the humanoid graffiti on the walls of its old churches and houses-- is not as empty as it at first seems. By night, these graffiti figures come alive and hunt Dan and Kiki through the surrounding jungle, desperate to drag them back to Graffitiville where the couple must participate in an ancient sacrificial rite.

Quicksilver by J.S. Breukelaar: Some curses don’t know how to die. Over two centuries, the artists, Ahava, Alex and Angel inherit a family curse passed down aunt-to-niece through the generations. The curse goes all the way back to a village in Poland where a mad uncle sold his soul to a witch for a shot at eternity. Although the witch gave his female heirs a fifth word to transform the curse into a blessing, this has forced them into a strange ritual of desecrating their own art in order to keep it sacred, an act of self-vandalism that consumes their bodies and their minds. A ritual that cannibalises their friendships, their love affairs, their lives, the darkness always just a brush stroke away. Until one day, one year and in one city, the curse comes too close to home, and the final niece learns the true meaning of wearing your he/art on your sleeve.

Perfect for fans of Folk horror books, Horror mystery, Haunted Houses, Mystery Thrillers, Australian Horror, the South Pacific, Survival Horror, curses, demonic possession, and deals with the devil.

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

My Four Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     The Dark Tide series of novella anthologies from Crystal Lake Publishing continues with three more provocative tales, linked by the theme of vandalism (in any form) as well as written by Australian authors. The opening story is the most powerful of the trio, and one that is sure to be mentioned when awards time occurs.

THE DEATHPLACE SET by Kaaron Warren The first story was absolutely fascinating. I don't recall reading anything quite like this before - - cigarette cards/postcards of sites where death/suicide/murder occurred and ghosts may be haunting. This is like a mini-tour guide of odd spots in Australia. I wonder if these are pure creations by Warren or based on actual sites.

Throughout the story, I couldn't quite understand how a young couple could become so obsessed with visiting these places, although they managed to eke out a decent living by flipping the houses or renovating the cafe and operating it, etc. It's not until the final chapters that the driving force behind their pre-occupation, which also consumed most of their family, was revealed. The story was creepy and disturbing enough, but that revelation put everything into an even grimmer spotlight. This one will stay with me for awhile. 

It's quite different and original, and should be an early contender for best horror novella of the year. I fully expect to see THE DEATHPLACE SET collected in some Best-Of-The-Year anthologies. I would rate this five stars only if I worried about these characters. Empathy is important to my reading, and I felt detached from these characters for much of the story - - not until the end sections where I felt sorry and worried for the narrator. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.

WE CALLED IT GRAFFITIVILLE by Aaron Dries held my attention and interest for most of its' length. However, I thought the ending was an unexpected abrupt left turn that ended up disturbing what for me was a compelling narrative. The supernatural turn at the end just didn't work for me, and ruined the ending. This was a four-star story for me until then. Final rating: THREE STARS.

QUICKSILVER by J.S. Breukelaar starts out like a curious fairy tale/folklore involving a witch's gift that helps a poor villager gain fame and wealth as an in-demand artist. The secret is the four words he carefully conceals within the wet paint. His brave wife visits the witch and obtains a fifth word to counter some of the side effects of his cursed art.

 

Then the story morphs into a symbolic tale of the power of art on not just culture but the ability to shape a life. Across two centuries the story follows descendants of the original artist as they continue the concealed message within their art and have their very lives influenced and shaped by tradition and obligation. FOUR STARS.