BOOK REVIEW: MISERY AND OTHER LINES BY CC ADAMS

16/9/2022

Something more accomplished, controlled. Deftly wielding all of his writing powers and sculpting them into a cohesive whole.

Misery and Other Lines By CC Adams

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sinister Horror Company (14 Oct. 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 258 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1912578387
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1912578382

A book review by Kev Harrison

Horror does not have to be scary. As a horror writer and reader, I will die on this hill. And yet, there are some working within the genre who can’t seem to help scaring the living daylights out of you with every release. One such individual is CC Adams. I still think back to when I first read his novella, But Worse Will Come: a nuanced, heavily character-driven story in essence, and yet some of the set pieces there were terrifying. Similarly with his novelette, Forfeit Tissue. I forbid anyone to read the scene in the tube carriage and not find themselves squirming in their seat with pure, unadulterated terror. I’m pleased to say that Misery and Other Lines continues this trend.

Aside from scaring the bejeezus out of his readers, there is another vein which runs through Adams’ body of work, and that is the city of London. A proud native of the UK capital, Adams has spoken in numerous venues about the way in which London is very much a character for him in his horror stories. Always aiming—and to my mind succeeding—to present a realistic impression of the city, with Misery and Other Lines, his latest, coming 14 October from The Sinister Horror Company, he steps this up a notch.

The book is a mosaic novel, set on a single Hallowe’en night in the capital. Each chapter sub-titled with the transport link in use and the start and end point of the characters’ journey. Like all the best mosaic novels, each story stands comfortably on its own, but when fused together, we get a sense of a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts. Small details a reader may pay only scant attention to in the early chapters echo back towards the latter stages. Once you realise there is this interconnectedness, you’re suddenly analysis every element in forensic detail. This only serves to increase the thrill and the fear factor, especially when reaching the climactic, penultimate tale.

When reading the book, I wondered if there was more for me to take from it, as someone who has spent significant time in London. Certainly, the portrayal of the capital bears all the hallmarks of someone who knows the city intimately, feeding into the reality of the situations presented. But such is the living, breathing nature of the capital in this agglomeration of stories that I feel anyone would feel immersed in that world, regardless of whether they have a casual familiarity with London or have never so much as set foot in the place.

The only people I can imagine being unhappy with Misery and Other Lines are the London Tourism Authority, who may not want Adams scaring their potential customers away.

As mentioned above, I’ve read a number of Adams’ releases prior to this: two novellas and one novelette. It’s a testament to his growth as a writer that, even though each of those would make a great addition to any horror library, this felt like a step forward. Something more accomplished, controlled. Deftly wielding all of his writing powers and sculpting them into a cohesive whole.

So, check your tickets at the barrier, mind the gap as you board, and enjoy the ride.

Misery and Other Lines
by C. C. Adams

Welcome to Halloween in the capital.

No matter where you need to get to, whether you're going out, going somewhere, or going home, London Underground is at your disposal. Teeming with passengers, just like you; many of them masked, made up or in costume to celebrate the Hallowed Eve.

But some of them are different; sly and sinister. Wearing masks of humanity. Or, sometimes, no mask at all.

Keep your wits about you, watch your step, and maybe you'll survive the night.

Maybe.

"Adams knows how to make your skin crawl... He can change a scene from normality and mundanity of life to open-mouthed terror in seconds." - David Watkins, author of The Exeter Incident

Kev Harrison

Kev Harrison is a British author of strange and dark fiction, living in Lisbon, Portugal. His novellas, Below and The Balance, are out now, as is his short fiction collection, Paths Best Left Untrodden. His work has also been featured in more than twenty magazines and anthologies, including Lost Films from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing and Were Tales from Brigids Gate Press. And if you can just put a link to my twitter and my website http://kevharrisonfiction.com that would be ace!