For anyone interested in the
Pan Books of Horror I have just come across a great site, which covers all of the books, their stories and covers:
Pandaemonian - Scribbles on the Pan Book of Horror Stories Collection.
I particularly liked the write-up of the
Eleventh Pan Book of Horror Stories, since I had a story in that one:
THE LURKERS IN THE ABYSS
By David A. Riley
Ian Redford is making his way home from the
library after dark when he encounters a group of youths looking for
trouble. Following a brief but violent
struggle he breaks free, but is chased into a graveyard. Taking refuge in a disused building, he soon discovers
there are worse things in the world than fist-wielding thugs.
A quality piece of writing this one, with
Riley effortlessly creating a threateningly sinister town, Pire, set in a
dystopian not too distant future.
Marvelously evocative descriptive prose abounds with much of the
narrative a remember-to-breathe-when-reading roller-coaster ride.
The Lurkers, when they finally put in an
appearance are a truly loathsome bunch, and I should not be surprised if they
turned up in some of the author’s subsequent writing. Indeed, I think may actively go seeking them
out.
If I do have a criticism of the story, it
is that old chestnut: characterisation.
For although the author does attempt to imbue Redford
with some character – he reads “Escapist fiction” to help escape the monotony
of his daytime job, and we learn he is saving hard for a car – ultimately I
found it difficult to engage with the running man.
But this is a minor quibble with a really
rather memorable yarn.
