By Vitina Molgaard
This is an interesting collection of twelve stories that the author himself chose to label Weird horror novelThe stories Mr. Everington creates are very entertaining with their surreal and mysterious nature. The horror here is less about gore and more about people’s horrific reactions to negative or unconventional situations. Loneliness, fear, the isolation that comes from being different and the parts of life that we regret.
I feel that, out of a vast selection of what could all be called great stories, I have chosen the following short stories to give you a glimpse into this outstanding series.
My first choice is the eponymous story “Another Room”. Imagine a man who is tired of traveling and sleeping in hotels and he starts to hate his life. His marriage is in crisis and he has no intention of fixing it, and our character suddenly finds himself with the opportunity to do something different while on the road. But along the way, he stumbles into the wrong hotel room and everything normal that this man knows is suddenly distorted. This hotel room has a special price and the question is: can he afford it?
Another wonderful story is “The Red Route.” In this story, we find Elliot, exhausted, driving along the road that the story is named after, a road he has traveled so many times that he has lost count. There is one very annoying thing about this road: road signs. The signs have a body count, and as he continues to drive, the body count increases. The driver begins to wonder if driving today is the wisest decision.
“The Last Wish” is another brilliant one. A grief-stricken, guilt-ridden man wandering aimlessly should probably be very careful and think about what value (if any) his life has before making any major wishes. Also, wishing for an ending is never an optimistic concept, but this guy is about to find out that such a wish can bring more rewards than expected.
My final pick is “The Writer’s Words.” The story focuses on a man (once a lover of words) who boards a train to go home. As the journey progresses, things start to get confusing and his journey becomes more mysterious than familiar. He can no longer find any recognizable signs that he is heading in the right direction. His fellow travelers also seem hostile and angry towards him. Soon, confusion and fear overwhelm him as he tries to rely on what he knows best – words, but fails utterly. The words he loves and relies on are no longer available to him.
There are a few other outstanding stories that should be mentioned here. “First Time Home Buyers”, “Watchmen” and “When the Walls Bend” are all memorable stories. These are all well written pieces that will leave a lasting impression on the reader. James Everington has done an excellent job and I recommend you take the time to immerse yourself in this book.
Order the book here.
grade:4/5
