Once more, I don’t look properly into the books I take out! I am getting pretty used to being very surprised by the books that I end up with. Means I’m reading a lot of things I probably wouldn’t have considered in the first place.
This book is actually a short story. A very long short story. We follow Stella who is back in town to help after a childhood friend’s brother died. She is reminded of something she’d long ago forgotten — a strange children’s show that she had forgotten she was part of. One where the creepy old man told stories that seemed to foretell the ends of the children he watched.
It is a delightful concept! It combines a bunch of ideas that I love to see, from something innocuous turning out to actually be sinister if you look at it longer than five seconds, to prophecies that are surprisingly direct even at the time actually but you weren’t paying attention.
I sort of wish it was a little bit longer to see more things wrapped up, but ultimately, I think it ended at just the right place. It’s creepier and leaves a better impression where it ends here.
And if you want to read it, it’s actually available in full on Tor! Go read it now!