 The Dark Between The Trees by Fiona Barnett Publisher : Solaris (13 Oct. 2022) Language : English Hardcover : 352 pages ISBN-10 : 1786187132 ISBN-13 : 978-1786187130 A Horror Book Review by Jim McLeod Fiona Barnett meticulously weaves the two threads into one coherent and ultimately fascinating story that pokes deep into our primal fears. Despite the trappings of the modern world, there are situations that trigger our most profound rooted genetic memories and fears. We all like to think that we are above silly superstitions, old wives' tales, and the often told stories of myths and legends told by that old bloke sitting at the bar in the local pub. But those fears remain buried deep in our psyche, just lying in wait for an opportunity to remind us that no matter how evolved we think, we are thralls to our pneuma. The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett is one such book that magnificently plays on this notion. Our irrational fear of deep dark woods and the secrets they hold within their misty realms are central to the novel's main narrative drive and, used perfectly, to raise a deep sense of dread and fear within the reader. It is why folk horror, when done correctly, can be such an influential subgenre of horror; what's the chance of coming across a real-life slasher? What's the possibility of actually meeting a vampire or a zombie? Pretty slim. However, most of us live just a short journey away from places we don't associate with a safe, modern life. To paraphrase an old saying, we are only a few hundred yards away from panic. One wrong turn or an encounter with a weird local, the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up, and the cold chill sweat of panic will be dripping down your neck. In the case of The Dark Between the Trees, you are always just one page away from this happening to you, even in the comfort of your front room. Told in a dual narrative thread with one half of the story concerning a troop of Parliamentarian soldiers during the English civil war and the second half concerning an all-women research team looking for evidence and proof of the fate of the Parliamentarian soldiers who disappeared while hiding out in the woods. With each chapter alternating between the two points of view, Fiona Barnett meticulously weaves the two threads into one coherent and ultimately fascinating story that pokes deep into our primal fears. The Dark Between the Trees is a rich, character-driven novel that uses elicits a sense of fear and dread not just from the supernatural going on within the pages of the book but from an impressive use of the breakdown in the, for want of a better phrase, the chain of command. We all know how this goes down; everything is fine and dandy whether you are a soldier hiding out from your enemy or a researcher hiking through the woods, but as soon as things begin to go south, or east, west or north, if you are trapped in these bewildering woods, as soon as the person in charge starts making the wrong decisions, things are going to get nasty pretty quickly. One of the strengths of The Dark Between the Trees is how both of the narrative strands blend seamlessly into each other, with both groups of protagonists almost seemingly going through the exact same predicaments. Should they keep going, should they try and retrace their steps, or should they leave their wounded and infirm teammates behind? It felt as though they were doomed to failure no matter what they did. The dynamics between all the characters in this regard are handled exceptionally well, with both groups making similar mistakes. The interpersonal conflicts that arise from the hellish situation they all find themselves in are presented as entirely believable and plausible. There are so many novels where the reader will sit there and think, well, that was just stupid; why didn't they just this or that? But The Dark Between the Trees is written with such a commanding understanding of the human condition that we, the readers, will never once think that how the propagandists react to the events of the book aren't how we would respond. The soldiers and the researchers are not the only characters within this excellent novel; I would be remiss not to talk about two of the other essential characters of the novel, the woods themselves and the "monster" of the story, the Corrigal! Barnett's depiction of the woods is divine; the shifting nature of the woods and how it seems to transcend the laws of science, nature, and time lends the narrative a profound claustrophobic nature. Her description of the woods drips with an ending sense of oppressive fear. Every musty smell of rotting leaf litter, every crack of a twig as someone or something stands on it fuses into one complete and chilling background for the story. As someone who spends most of his free time traipsing through ancient woods, I could picture every single deer trail and every single dense patch of undergrowth that may or not be hiding something, not wishing to be seen. It is challenging to bring something like this to life within the confines of the written word, but Barnett achieves this with dominion over the woods. As for the Corrigal, Barnett takes the same approach to her monster as Ridley Scott did with the Alien. Rather than giving the creature a front and centre spotlight early on in the book, she shrewdly keeps the creature mostly hidden behind a moss-covered tree, only hinting at the true shape of the beast. I loved this approach, as it dragged up so many memories of other great folkloric creatures, from bigfoot to even Herne the Hunter from the classic TV series Robin of Sherwood. Even when the Corrigal is placed front and centre on the page, she still somehow manages to give it a degree of uncertainty, almost as though we are looking at it through a dirty, cracked pair of binoculars. It was just perfect for this novel as it tied in with the concept of things not being as they are and the mysterious ever, shifting nature of the woods. This brings us to how Barnett deals with the conclusion to the story; I'm not going to spoil anything for you, but suffice to say, it fits this story perfectly; those looking for easy answers won't find them here, as Barnett, ensures that the ethereal, elusive nature of reality within the woods is carried on right through to the conclusion of the story. It is an authentic and suitable way to end this magnum opus of a novel. The Dark Between the Trees is an atmospheric folk horror story that will make anyone think twice about heading off to their local woods for a walk; the forestry commission might not be happy about this, but the reading world should be ecstatic that a new and immensely talented author has brought us their version of a primordial forest. The Dark Between The Trees by Fiona Barnett An unforgettable, surrealist gothic folk-thriller with commercial crossover appeal from a brilliant new voice. 1643: A small group of Parliamentarian soldiers are ambushed in an isolated part of Northern England. Their only hope for survival is to flee into the nearby Moresby Wood... unwise though that may seem. For Moresby Wood is known to be an unnatural place, the realm of witchcraft and shadows, where the devil is said to go walking by moonlight... Seventeen men enter the wood. Only two are ever seen again, and the stories they tell of what happened make no sense. Stories of shifting landscapes, of trees that appear and disappear at will... and of something else. Something dark. Something hungry. Today, five women are headed into Moresby Wood to discover, once and for all, what happened to that unfortunate group of soldiers. Led by Dr Alice Christopher, an historian who has devoted her entire academic career to uncovering the secrets of Moresby Wood. Armed with metal detectors, GPS units, mobile phones and the most recent map of the area (which is nearly 50 years old), Dr Christopher's group enters the wood ready for anything. Or so they think. Be sure to check out our horror fiction review section, for 1000's of horror book reviews. The Heart and Soul of Horror Fiction Review WebsitesComments are closed.
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