Review: An innovative horror mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 23, 2013
English horror treat "Shifting" blends coming of age storytelling with small town mystery amidst a backdrop of 80s nostalgia. Much like Keene's recent foray with "Ghoul" and Dan Simmons beloved "Summer Of Night", Steve Savile builds his story around a select group of kids who find their lives disrupted by evil. The story has mandatory elements of good horror fiction; a sinister house, an underground lair and a carnival. While Savile could easily conjure an elementary ghoul or goblin to prey on our young cast, instead his mature talents as creator goes beyond such traditional trends. Instead this is a well thought out mystery that had me quickly turning pages to reveal all of the answers. The author uses two timeframes to present events that shaped lives in 1985 as well as the present day. It is this retroactive sequence of events that allows us as readers to interpret it as we see fit given the hazy recollection from the characters. While there are certainly horrific scenes throughout "Shifting" it is the coming of age factor and its shedding of innocence that headlines this thought provoking tale. Kudos to Savile for a fantastic effort and one that clearly shows innovative ideas are still on the loose.