LGBTQ+ HORROR MONTH: WHAT MONSTERS DO AND OTHER PEOPLE’S DARKNESS BY NICHOLAS VINCE

 
 
I came across Nicholas Vince’s work when I was attending a Hellraiser Q&A with some friends. Nicholas Vince is probably best known as the Chatterer Cenobite in the Hellraiser films, or as Kinski in Nightbreed. But as well as being an outstanding actor, Nicholas Vince is also an excellent writer, who has published two collections “What Monsters Do” and “Other People’s Darkness” both published by Bibliofear.
 
“What Monsters Do” is a collection that primarily focuses on the traditional monster tropes of the horror genre. Though whilst certainly paying homage in theme and stylistic narrative of the traditional monster tale. Nicholas Vince brings an originality to these stories which reminded me of the wondrous chill that I got when I was a child and reading my first horror story. Whereas in “Other People’s Darkness” Nicholas Vince tells us a series of moralistic tales, which whilst showing us the horror that people are capable of, also holds up a mirror and asks whether we ourselves would commit these same crimes and atrocities if the opportunity arose, and if we would actually be strong enough to commit them if we had to.
 
Both of Nicholas Vince’s collections are well written, with the strength of his work coming from the depth of his characters. To manage in the short story form to pack so many facets in to your cast, is no mean feat and to manage it in such a way that the flaws and weaknesses of the protagonists, alongside the redeeming features of the antagonists, strengthen and make the story more realistic, rather than feeling shoe horned in, is an amazing achievement. My only criticism of Nicholas Vince’s writing is that there isn’t enough of it. I look forward to reading more by him in the future.
 

Bio
 
Penny Jones currently lives in Leicestershire with her long suffering husband and patron of the arts Simon, although they do spend any free moments they have plotting to leave the landlocked county and get closer to the sea.
 
Penny knew she was a writer when she started to talk about herself in the third person, her family apparently knew when she was little and Santa bought her a typewriter for Christmas (honestly who buys a three year old a typewriter?)
 
Penny loves reading and will read pretty much anything you put in front of her, but her favourite authors are Stephen King, Shirley Jackson and John Wyndham. Her whole family are avid readers meaning that they have had to move three times just to fit in their book collections. In fact Penny only got into writing to buy books, when she realised that there wasn’t that much money in writing she stayed for the cake.
 
You can find out more at her website www.penny-jones.com
 
 
 

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