By Tera Kirk
Eric Hansen is a scientist first. As a psychology graduate student, he spends his days learning all sorts of “reasonable” explanations for unusual human experiences; during his internship, he consults with teachers and classmates, sharing knowledge that can be verified with logic and science. So when faced with a new case—a thirteen-year-old boy, Greg, who sees a “dead child”—Eric first asks questions. Is the boy hallucinating? Is he really haunted? Why does this case bring up a patient from Eric’s past?
Anthony Hines’ novella Dead Works is a quick read—and not just because it’s only 135 pages. The author’s experience as a psychology professor with a focus on children is also very compelling. Greg himself is abrasive, especially when he and Eric first meet, when his speech is peppered with profanity. As someone who went to counseling as a teenager and hid her vulnerability in this way in front of her therapist by showing how strong and “mature” she was, I could relate to this. Additionally, Eric often repeats what Greg tells him in the form of questions to make sure he understands, which sounds like someone practicing a new skill they’re not familiar with—which is true of Eric. Yet he’s patient with Greg, and watching their relationship slowly develop was my favorite part of the book. Eric’s own issues—relationship problems with his girlfriend, Karissa, stress at school, abuse from the past—all come to the surface.
But this is Eric and Greg’s story. The other characters surround them but aren’t nearly as fleshed out. This problem is especially evident with the villains and the people associated with them. While the story is short and the villains are kept mysterious for good reasons, I still felt like I didn’t know enough about them by the end. Maybe ghost stories are supposed to leave the audience feeling uneasy, unsure of what’s really going on.
Haynes’s prose was a little bland, but still kept me coming back for more. In the end, this book shows that science isn’t set in stone, and it doesn’t matter whether or not science has answers to all questions. While it took me a while to get used to Haynes’s prose, and the story left me feeling a little frustrated, Dead Works also made me want to see what else the author can come up with.
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score: 3/5
About the AuthorTera Kirk loved horror movies before her mom would let her watch most of them. (One of her fondest childhood memories was being terrified by the trailer for Stuart Gordon’s Dolls.) She has written for Monsters At Play and reviewed video games for GameCritics.com. Her personal website is Sweet Perdition.
