Melissa reviewed Wyrd and Other Derelictions by Adam Nevill
Review of 'Wyrd and Other Derelictions' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
"[I]t is not static images of a moment that I have made the subject of this collection, but certain places and particular landscapes in which the strange and horrific are discovered. Extraordinary aftermaths are inevitably and naturally impregnated with narrative, are immediately imbued with the potential for story. To cope with the confrontation of horror, the mind fills with an appalled curiosity, with questions. How did this event or situation come about? Who were the individuals who died here? What must they have felt before the end?
Such charged spaces naturally evoke mystery, suggest presences and atmospheres, and are akin to hauntings. With hauntings, what wields most power may not be what is seen walking, or flickering briefly into animation, but the anticipation of such, or the evidence off-screen – the sound of it. And when something unnatural seems to be taking place, one also suspects that these strange infestations …
"[I]t is not static images of a moment that I have made the subject of this collection, but certain places and particular landscapes in which the strange and horrific are discovered. Extraordinary aftermaths are inevitably and naturally impregnated with narrative, are immediately imbued with the potential for story. To cope with the confrontation of horror, the mind fills with an appalled curiosity, with questions. How did this event or situation come about? Who were the individuals who died here? What must they have felt before the end?
Such charged spaces naturally evoke mystery, suggest presences and atmospheres, and are akin to hauntings. With hauntings, what wields most power may not be what is seen walking, or flickering briefly into animation, but the anticipation of such, or the evidence off-screen – the sound of it. And when something unnatural seems to be taking place, one also suspects that these strange infestations from a past tragedy or malfeasance could manifest themselves within that ruined castle or aged room . . . at any time.
The stories here gripped me inconsistently, but the endeavor overall has gripped me indelibly, and the story notes excerpted above provided satisfying insight into what motivated it. I'll have to write more later!
