Review: Reading this is like solving a Rubik's Cube of horror.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 8, 2013
We call them carnivals in the United States, they are known as funfairs across the pond, but they are synonymous with horror everywhere. Based on the cover art, I expected the carnival to be the primary setting and, well, you need to read this one to find out!This horror novella is told through a series of flashbacks and present day scenes, from 1985 when the first person narrator, Drew, and his friends enjoy the carnival/funfair arrival in town and a present day police interrogation. Tragedy struck in 1985 and here we go again.The story unravels like layers of an onion being peeled away with a scalpel's precision. There isn't a writer behind a story like this, only a skilled surgeon operating on the reader's brain. Every scene reels the reader closer to learning what really happened in 1985 and could be happening again in the present day.It's too much fun reading stories that twist my mind in different directions wondering what or who is the real monster. SHIFTLING is one of those rare horror treats--it's cotton candy fiction that I'll gladly pay more for--that takes familiar horror components and blends them in a different way. Those that enjoy a good mystery-horror hybrid will be unable to stop turning the pages to the end.Despite the awesome buildup, there's a bit too much foreshadowing, perhaps slightly marred by the way the story is told (tough to contain a total shock in a flashback tale)--blessing in that it is unique and curse that gives a bit too much away--and the ending doesn't build to any huge reveal. A shock ending would have made this a perfect 5-star read for me, but it's still a very strong 4.5 stars, easily rounded up, and highly recommended. Another glimmering star in the published by DarkFuse sky. 1,792 Kindle locations.