C.S. Kane

Darkfuse continues to produce quality dark fiction and Shattered is no exception. The authors that they publish represent quite a variety of styles so there certainly is something for everyone.

A traditional ghost story set in England. I am already liking it. While I certainly enjoyed it, I felt that I was traveling familiar territory in this novella and there were not any surprises for me. Ghostly revenants from the past , some evil, some victims, seek out and torment a current resident living in their former home. I thought it was well written, but it just didn’t go deep enough for me. I particularly wanted to know more about the villain of the story.

Good characters. I particularly liked the protagonist and the issue of whether she was going mad or really experiencing supernatural phenomenon was well done but this story has been done before in pretty much the same way (eg. A Stir of Echoes) so I was left a bit disappointed in the end.

I will definitely read more of Ms. Kane's work though because she writes very well and I enjoyed her characters.
… (mehr)

This is C. S. Kane's debut novella, and it was a cracking good time!

Here is part of the blurb:

"Stacey's fiance Liam has just landed a new job in the city, and the young couple is forced to move into a low-budget flat in a seedy neighborhood. Soon after they move in, however, Stacey begins to experience terrible nightmares, vivid hallucinations, cold spells, and frequent panic attacks. As she spirals deeper and deeper into what appears to be a physical and mental breakdown, putting her university career and relationship in jeopardy, she befriends the reclusive old woman next door who tells her chilling stories of the house's former occupants."

With our protagonist, Stacey, writing her thesis on "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James, Ms. Kane creates her very own ambiguous tale. I'm a big fan of the kind of book that allows the reader to interpret WTF just happened (??), for themselves.

There were a few genuinely creepy moments ,(and I mean truly creepy scenes), that made me glad that I wasn't home alone when I read this. Overall, I think this was a fantastic debut by Ms. Kane and I can't wait to read more of her work. The Darkfuse Kindle Club strikes again with another fantastic novella! Recommended!

**This review is also posted at Char's Horror Corner here: http://charlene.booklikes.com/post/705409/shattered-by-c-s-kane… (mehr)

It has been a real pleasure to read this novella by a new and most certainly upcoming author in the horor/dark fiction genre. The story is essentially a haunted house tale, a young couple Stacey and Liam move into No. 24 Claremont Street a building with an evil and sad past. Stacey is particularly disturbed in this new environment and is experiencing frequent and violent dreams. So what makes a good horror story? We have a fast and well pace narrative that grabs the readers attention from the start and refuses to relinquish and in doing so we make the acquaintance of an eclectic mix of characters including Jake Clarke heartless realtor agent, Nora Aiken concerned neighbour with a story to tell, and Doctor McCabe a medical practitioner with a mysterious past....they all add to and make a very colourful spectacle as the story unfolds. The author smoothly blends 24 Claremont Street's bloody past with events happening in the present and it becomes clear that Stacey's life is in imminent danger. An intelligent reader also demands a memorable, poignant and thoughtful conclusion and it is here that CS Kane has excelled. As events draw to a close in just one paragraph the unexpected happens and the threads of the story are expertly drawn together. The "novella" presents different and at times difficult constraints for a writer who must create and conclude a story within a limited time frame. CS Kane has shown in "Shattered" that she is one capable and exciting new author and I look forward to her future publications.… (mehr)