[BOOK REVIEW] THE DEATH OF AN AUTHOR BY S.L. EDWARDS

30/8/2021

No matter where on the dark fiction spectrum your heart lies, you’re certain to find something that will woo you from S.L. Edwards.

The Death of an Author by S.L. Edwards
A Book Review by Rebecca Rowland

In a follow up to his horror-heavy Whiskey and Other Unusual Ghosts, S.L. Edwards offers seventeen stories of monster, dystopian, spectral, and political weird fiction tinged with cerebral fantasy and Lovecraftian allegory in The Death of an Author. Seven of the tales are original to the collection, and whether you fancy creature creep-fests or contemporary satire, you’re certain to find a dark ditty to enjoy among them.

In a reprint from Unleashed: Monsters vs Zombies, vol II, “Allister’s Garden” incorporates classic monster tropes in a fresh way that will please fans of both Gothic and post-apocalyptic literature. After a zombie invasion has decimated much of the human population, Joseph is caught in an abandoned department store, then trapped by an unusual savior: the beautiful but deadly Allister. She’s survived the swarms of the ravenous undead because she herself is not of the living; she’s a vampire, and soon, “she is his protector, his captor. Occasionally, his lover.” Allister brings home other humans, but they are for sustenance, not companionship, until one day, her hunt’s bounty is simply placed alive in a cell, leaving Joseph to wonder, has Allister saved another human, or is she simply savoring her next meal?

Two other standouts that may not have fit comfortably in a traditional horror collection shine especially brightly here. In “I Keep It in a Little Box,” consumed with despair, Tom jumps off a cliff; when he awakens, he’s in a strange land of water and dragons. When he recounts his story to one of the creatures, he is given the opportunity to rid the whole world of misery, forcing Tom to consider what he has lost in the choice to take his life. For anyone who has ever been consumed by depression or anxiety, this smart tale will prove visceral and bittersweet. In “Standing There,” a work of flash fiction, a resident of a housing development under construction stumbles across a spectre on his back patio. This two-page piece is a ghost story that is lifted to brilliance in its final two sentences where Edwards paints the most terrifying image in the whole book.

A number of the entries in the author’s Miskatonic and Madness section follow Edwards’ Lovecraftian politician, Robert March, but readers need not be a fan of the Mythos to appreciate the slyly metaphorical but terrifying storylines. In “The Cthulhu Candidate,” Jenn Maknken is a star reporter who loathes election season, and she’s tasked with interviewing Marsh, a congressman from an influential family in the Innsmouth area of Massachusetts. When Marsh reveals on live television his platform in the race to achieve the American presidency, the viewer screams cannot be contained. “The Ambassador in Yellow” begins with “Elena Carter believes her president is the greatest man who’s ever lived.” What follows is a disturbing [and sadly, accurate] allegory of a president whose true alliance lies with a nefarious foreign power and whose press secretary is Stockholm syndrome-level loyal. If you’re one of the remaining blind supporters of the United States’ 45th leader, you will embrace the wickedness of Marsh’s cabinet and conspirators with open arms; if you’re not, you may walk away from Edwards’ rendition with a case of PTSD.

Horror writers have killed off victims in just about every way possible, and I thought I had read it all in my literary wanderings, but “A Slower Way of Starving” proved me wrong. In this dystopian story, original to the collection and hands-down, my favorite of the seventeen, the Eating Disease is a pandemic that causes its afflicted to become so mad with hunger, they choke to death or rupture their digestive tracts as they shovel food ferociously into their mouths and throats in a futile attempt to seek relief from an insatiable appetite. For protagonist Carrie, working at a pizza delivery restaurant becomes a particularly grotesque—and perilous—occupation. This story is a gruesome joyride from beginning to end, crammed with government sinisterism and body horror.

What sets The Death of an Author apart from many other single-author horror collections is that its content runs the gamut of speculative fiction: Edwards’ range is represented well. Another thing of note is the author’s decision to follow each story with an explanation of what inspired it and his own notes on its characters, themes, and journey. It is a nice touch that adds another level of intimacy to an already well-crafted and unusual body of work. No matter where on the dark fiction spectrum your heart lies, you’re certain to find something that will woo you from S.L. Edwards.

The Death of an Author
by S. L. Edwards

In his second short story collection, S. L. Edwards offers tales of fantasy and horror, all-too human and all-too terrifying. In this volume, you'll find stories of vampires lording over the zombie apocalypse, gunslingers fighting their way through haunted mining towns, dragons at the end of the world, and the death of an author.

At the intersection of pulp horror, weird fiction, and a general love for fantasy, The Death of An Author is a kinetic collection, with offerings both for those who enjoyed Whiskey and Other Unusual Ghosts and for new readers as well.