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A review by beththebookdragon
The Bone Key: The Necromantic Mysteries of Kyle Murchison Booth by Sarah Monette
5.0
I'm not a fan of horror at all, but I heard a podcast interview with the author and was intrigued, partly by the supernatural yet non-gory nature of the story fragment the author read, and partly (well, largely) by the painfully shy turn-of-the-20th-century protagonist who seems to draw supernatural events to himself in the course of his work as an archivist.
I bought the book in March, read it, and have been rereading it ever since.
The author said her intention was to write truly frightening horror that implies, not shows, that are a homage to HP Lovecraft and MR James, with the addition of elements of the sexual side of human nature. She does all this brilliantly. The stories are compelling, with well-fleshed-out characters (including the ones who no longer have any flesh), and intriguing plots.
MY greatest attractions, though, are to the settings and atmosphere Dr. Monette presents so brilliantly. Her use of language is excellent and pulls you right into the story. For example, "The Venebretti Necklace" begins:
There were fingers in the wall.
I was lifting a box when I saw them, saw the gap between the bricks where the mortar had fallen away and then the whitish-yellow gleam of bone. I lost my grip on the box; it fell and broke, sending yellowing holograph pages in all directions.
Right there, you have the setting, the horror, and Booth's characteristic clumsiness.
The first-person narration works beautifully; you feel pulled into Booth's own intense, less than happy but eventful life.
If you buy this reprint edition, I recommend you skip the Introduction to the Second Edition, which contains spoilers.
Recommended for subtle-horror fans, early-20th-century historical fiction fans, and people with an affinity for a shy, put-upon protagonist with a miserable childhood who is apparently dull and ineffectual but is truly courageous and fascinating.
I bought the book in March, read it, and have been rereading it ever since.
The author said her intention was to write truly frightening horror that implies, not shows, that are a homage to HP Lovecraft and MR James, with the addition of elements of the sexual side of human nature. She does all this brilliantly. The stories are compelling, with well-fleshed-out characters (including the ones who no longer have any flesh), and intriguing plots.
MY greatest attractions, though, are to the settings and atmosphere Dr. Monette presents so brilliantly. Her use of language is excellent and pulls you right into the story. For example, "The Venebretti Necklace" begins:
There were fingers in the wall.
I was lifting a box when I saw them, saw the gap between the bricks where the mortar had fallen away and then the whitish-yellow gleam of bone. I lost my grip on the box; it fell and broke, sending yellowing holograph pages in all directions.
Right there, you have the setting, the horror, and Booth's characteristic clumsiness.
The first-person narration works beautifully; you feel pulled into Booth's own intense, less than happy but eventful life.
If you buy this reprint edition, I recommend you skip the Introduction to the Second Edition, which contains spoilers.
Recommended for subtle-horror fans, early-20th-century historical fiction fans, and people with an affinity for a shy, put-upon protagonist with a miserable childhood who is apparently dull and ineffectual but is truly courageous and fascinating.