Review: Wyrd and Other Derelictions by Adam L.G. Nevill

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Adam L.G. Nevill, horror, Night Worms Book Party, Reviews, Short Stories, Wyrd and Other Derelictions

Wyrd and Other Derelictions

by Adam L.G. Nevill

Thank you to the author and Night Worms for this copy.

Publisher: Ritual Limited
Publish Date: October 26, 2020
Paperback
106 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Horror, Short Stories

Derelictions are horror stories told in ways you may not have encountered before.

Something is missing from the silent places and worlds inside these stories. Something has been removed, taken flight, or been destroyed. Us.

Derelictions are weird tales that tell of aftermaths and of new and liminal places. Each location has witnessed catastrophe, infernal visitations, or unearthly transformations. But across these landscapes of murder, genocide and invasion, crucial evidence remains. And it is the task of the reader to sift through ruin and ponder the residual enigma, to behold and wonder at the full horror that was visited upon mankind.

Wyrd contains seven derelictions, original tales of mystery and horror from the author of Hasty for the Dark and Some Will Not Sleep (winner of The British Fantasy Award for Best Collection).

My Review:

These stories are like standing in a place where horrible things have happened and yet you can feel the vibrato from the invisible particles that was left behind. Like that constant shoulder tapping where you turn around and nothing is there... all your tiny hairs at attention as you try to keep yourself from falling to pieces. When I read the story notes at the end and read that the author got inspiration from his visit to Poland and the feelings he got from certain places there... well, clearly that resonated greatly in the feelings I had from this read.

I had sworn off short story collections and anthologies a while ago... but when this showed up at my door step, it's like the creature from the cover suctioned itself to me, the suctioning sounding like "READ.. ME"... and so I did. In full transparency, I probably would have set this down after the first couple of pages. It's not an easy read in the fact that it's very lyrical and I almost felt like I was just reading clumps of adjectives over and over again.. but I told myself I could get through at least ONE short story. I was uncertain how I felt after that first one so I continued to the next and the next and the next. And quite frankly, I STILL don't know how I feel about any of it.

Let me try to break it down. What I didn't care for: no dialogue or plot and the very lyrical prose. What I liked very much: the very lyrical prose once I got used to it and the absolute staticky, eerie feeling that will take a moment or three to brush off my reading soul. This isn't going to be a read for everyone, that much is certain. I'm not even quite sure it's the read for me. However, I can't oversee the fact that these stories will stick with me for a very long time and I will question every single little thing that I can't see.. like something is constantly scurrying away from my line of sight. Basically, I'm having a very love/hate relationship with this.

★★★