Thistlebone Book One by T.C. Eglington & Simon Davis
Published by 2000 AD, 2021
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Sumptuously rich and detailed artwork really sells the unnerving imagery and threatening atmosphere in this tale of ritualistic folk horror. Our heroine is the survivor of a now defunct cult, returning to the scene of her torment 20 years later, after ominous messages suggest the group has been revived.
Madness, folklore, mass hysteria, and PTSD all play a part in the narrative, which builds in tension throughout. Reaching boiling point in the closing pages, we’re left horrified and wanting more in equal measure, perfectly setting up the promise of Book 2. While it doesn’t offer anything hugely new to the genre, it’s perfectly solid and satisfying.
Foster by Claire Keegan
Published by Faber & Faber, 2010
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Claire Keegan has a brilliant knack for exploring the power of what remains unsaid. Though it comes in just shy of 100 pages, this novella has such emotional depth and beautifully drawn characters who feel almost painfully real.
Our narrator is a young girl who, in the opening pages, is taken by her father and left with a couple who live on a farm in rural Ireland. As she comes to know true affection for the first time, and uncovers a terrible secret, what follows is an understated yet deeply moving exploration of family, loneliness, class, grief, and love. Keegan writes sparingly and does an excellent job of capturing a child’s naïve worldview, and yet there’s a lyrical quality to her prose that paints the scene and elevates the reading experience significantly.
While the climax delivers a well-earned gut punch, and I so admire Keegan’s ability to tell such a rounded and affecting story with so few words, I do wish we could have stayed with these characters just a little longer, to further explore the implications of the final moments. Still, it says something in and of itself if my only complaint is that I wanted more.
Callum McLaughlin 
I loved the Claire Keegan too, but you’re right, it was too short!
I would have loved more time with those characters! Such a gorgeous book.
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