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** I received an ARC for an honest review **
Description
These eleven tales of historical dark romance and horror will guide through the teeming streets and markets of old Hong Kong, the listless heat of French Senegal and the fog of Victorian London.
Step inside penny arcades, shadow theatres and freak shows.
These are tales dreamt in the dark, touched by madness and the caress of demons. They whisper of grief and loss, of old curses from the Inquisition, of bad bargains struck in haste and fear on the battlefields of the Great War. Of children’s games that end in bittersweet tragedy.
Be warned. There is contagion here.
These stories will infect you.
And know there is no cure.
Summary
I recently read The Leper’s Garden and Other Contagions by UK-Australian horror and dark fantasy author Jeff Clulow.
Review
The Leper’s Garden and Other Contagions is the latest collection from Clulow and offers a slice of dark fantasy and horror suitable for all. There is a mixture of old favourites from previous publications and several new tales. Clulow writes with aplomb and beautiful prose that can be chilling, magical and carry a sense of foreboding and longing sometimes in the same work. Typical to Clulow’s style, there are no wasted words and the tone of each story is strong and vibrant.
Clulow has carefully curated this collection to span stories of gothic horror, military horror, dark fantasy, alternate history, the supernatural, folkloric and the macabre. Some of my particular favourites are:
- “Rats’ Alley”
- “The Songbird on Sampan Street”
- “Pegger Moe”
- “Unshadowed”
- “The Leper’s Garden”
- “The Hare Bride”
Clulow’s story that lends its name to the collection, “The Leper’s Garden” is a story of revenge, the macabre, the exploited, and in way like Rats’ Alley, is a work focused on disability but in a very different manner. Here, stigmas are on display in the characters attitudes and the thrill of revenge hangs heavy at the end. It is not a tale for the faint-hearted but is one of great impact as is “Pegger Moe” which again features disability in the Victorian era but with more direct brutality.
Conclusion
A recommended read for fans of dark fantasy and horror. This collection is broad, spanning supernatural, gothic horror, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fantasy and dark folklore. These stories will not disappoint.
Leanbh Pearson 