BOOK REVIEW: CITY OF THE SHRIEKING TOMB BY PATRICK A ROGERS

One of reading’s greatest pleasures is the ability to easily travel to another place. Fiction can take us all over the world, sci-fi can shoot us into space, fantasy can whisk us to another world. But horror can sometimes limit us to a few different regions(not all the time mind you). Yet, Patrick A Rogers’ City of the Shrieking Tomb shines light on a new locale for horror fiction, India. And after reading the mythology and folklore present here I believe this could be a wonderful region to add to horror’s repertoire.

Rogers’ novel takes us to a small village in Southern India that has been cursed by two battling demons, leaving the villagers fearful of the night and any outsiders that may incur the wrath of the demons. Despite the potential of a unique and haunting story, City of the Shrieking Tomb fails to deliver.

 There is a lot to like about this book. The myth of the village’s past is the making of great horror. The villagers tell the tale of a conquering sultan that made a pact with a demon only to discover his brother also made a pact with a demon. The two now hold each other in check, yet haunt the streets at night. I’m not sure if this is based on a true Indian myth, but if it is, then I want to know more. We’ve already mined the depths of Norse, Greek, Japan, and American legends, I think it’s time to dig into some of India’s mythology. If they are anything like what Rogers has given us, then this is a great area for inspiration for horror writers.

Rogers detailed descriptions of Humayunpur make the village feel like a living nightmare. There are cramped twisting roads that lead you in whatever directions they feel like. Mysterious villagers that want nothing more then for you to leave. Broken tombs that appear whole only in the night. Strange crying and shrieks that fill the night. If this sounds like a haunted house, you are right. Every uneasy moment we explore Humayunpur we are taken deeper into the mystery that haunts the village and it is great.

Our main character, Rick, is the outsider that takes us through the village. And he is the main drawback of the book. Rick is one of the most unlikable protagonists that I’ve read in a long time. He’s been in India for over a year taking pictures for a book of photography when his bus breaks down near Humayunpur. When he finds out there are a few temples he’s never heard of there, he decides these would be perfect for his book. The villagers warn him repeatedly to stay away from the tombs and temples, that bad things will happen to him if he takes any pictures. Does this stop Rick? Of course not.

And this is where the dislike begins. When a villager opens up his home to Rick, Rick lies and tricks the villager so that he can get the perfect shot. When an Imam takes him on a tour of the village and asks that Rick doesn’t take any pictures, he goes behind the Imam’s back to do what he wants. On top of this, through Rick’s inner dialogue, we find out that he thinks these villagers are idiots, he looks down on them and thinks what he is going to do is better for them. Rick is the character that you scream at because he’s doing the exact opposite of what any sane human would do.

Now, I know this can make for an interesting character. It’s a great way to build tension and set up conflict. However, this only works if you are invested in the character, if you believe they believe what they are doing is right. Well, Rick makes it pretty clear he is just doing this to get on the cover of National Geographic. There is nothing noble about what he is doing, nothing that makes him endearing enough to see it from his point of view.

The plot of the book is a bit run-of-the-mill with very few surprises. Despite all warnings the photographer goes ahead and does what he shouldn’t do and has to pay a price. The few twists that do come up are so telegraphed that they miss their mark when revealed. We get one too many furtive glances and not too subtle clues to not figure out who one character is after their first appearance. When we get to the final set piece, which is a bit cosmic/otherworldly, we’ve been so underwhelmed that we don’t get to truly appreciate the horror of what is happening.
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City of the Shrieking Tomb has a ton of potential. If the focus had been set on Humayunpur’s past and Rick’s story been relegated to something like a wraparound, this would be a powerful piece of horror fiction. Instead we are left with a generic ghost story with a problematic protagonist. Rogers however did give us a new area of myth and legend to explore, one that I hope to see expanded upon.