Greg Gifune has created a helluva buzz in the small press for the past few years, earning himself a legion of faithful fans. Last year I got my first taste of Gifune's fiction via Cemetery Dance's forthcoming release of CATCHING HELL, a Twilight Zone-esque novella that I thoroughly enjoyed (and highly recommend). And so it was with a fair amount of excitement that I sat down to read his latest novella, KINGDOM OF SHADOWS. 
The story opens with a flashback as we're introduced to Michael "Rooster" Cantrell and his gang of thieves, who are fleeing from a botched armored vehicle robbery in which one of their crew is killed. Looking for a place to hide and split up their take, the group finds an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. However, the farmhouse only adds to their problems as they come across strange things -- a cluster of six scarecrows in the courtyard, an ominous "feel" to the property, an upper floor marked with animal blood, and a mysterious basement door covered in symbols.
Fast forward to the present. After the failed robbery, the crew has split up and gone their separate ways. Rooster has attempted to distance himself from his past life of crime. Unfortunately, things are still in shambles -- he's unable to hold a job, unable to sleep at night...and he's haunted a past he can no longer remember. Rooster's life prior to the robbery is lost in darkness, and he only remembers bits and pieces of the night he was in the farmhouse.
Blood. Screaming. Pain.
The first half of the novella is quite good, as Rooster tracks down one of his friends and attempts to piece together their past. The flashbacks effectively create tension, while Rooster's current life adds plenty of mystery to the story. That being said, the second half of the novella was a huge letdown for me. As the final details of their night at the farmhouse are revealed, I couldn't help but feel that the build-up was wasted on a silly, convoluted premise (which at times took pages and pages of tedious explanation). KINGDOM OF SHADOWS truly is a tale of two halves, and unfortunately, the latter part of the novella made the overall story fairly lackluster.
KINGDOM OF SHADOWS is available as an e-book for $4.95 from the Horror Mall.
(4 out of 10)
The story opens with a flashback as we're introduced to Michael "Rooster" Cantrell and his gang of thieves, who are fleeing from a botched armored vehicle robbery in which one of their crew is killed. Looking for a place to hide and split up their take, the group finds an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. However, the farmhouse only adds to their problems as they come across strange things -- a cluster of six scarecrows in the courtyard, an ominous "feel" to the property, an upper floor marked with animal blood, and a mysterious basement door covered in symbols.
Fast forward to the present. After the failed robbery, the crew has split up and gone their separate ways. Rooster has attempted to distance himself from his past life of crime. Unfortunately, things are still in shambles -- he's unable to hold a job, unable to sleep at night...and he's haunted a past he can no longer remember. Rooster's life prior to the robbery is lost in darkness, and he only remembers bits and pieces of the night he was in the farmhouse.
Blood. Screaming. Pain.
The first half of the novella is quite good, as Rooster tracks down one of his friends and attempts to piece together their past. The flashbacks effectively create tension, while Rooster's current life adds plenty of mystery to the story. That being said, the second half of the novella was a huge letdown for me. As the final details of their night at the farmhouse are revealed, I couldn't help but feel that the build-up was wasted on a silly, convoluted premise (which at times took pages and pages of tedious explanation). KINGDOM OF SHADOWS truly is a tale of two halves, and unfortunately, the latter part of the novella made the overall story fairly lackluster.
KINGDOM OF SHADOWS is available as an e-book for $4.95 from the Horror Mall.
(4 out of 10)
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