Review
“It isn't the same. I wont fall asleep if I read the book myself” - Angela Bill Congreve's second collection of short stories contains thirteen tales of the macabre ranging right across the time line of the Author's published career. While I would love to say this allows the reader some insight to Congreve's development as a writer that would be something of a lie as the Author starts strongly with The Desertion Of Corporal Perkins, an alternative reality story, doesn't lag through the middle sections of the collection, and finishes in style with The Traps Of Tumut, an out and out horror yarn. There are probably a few weaker stories with Bill Congreve's name on them in the bottom draw of his desk, but since they aren't included you are left with the impression that Congreve started his career strongly, hasn't missed a beat, and has maintained a high standard down the years. Let's see what might be lurking between the pages. Horror reviewing is at best a schizophrenic business where you are constantly left feeling that the genre could throw up some additional classics if the Writers and Movie Makers only tried to take things to the next level. Of course when you run across something that breaks out of the ghetto and is able to square off against the best the mainstream can throw into the cultural mix you are left wondering how “horror fans”, a group that on the whole values meat and veg over fine cuisine, might view a work that pops it's head above the normal swamp of ineptitude. Downunder we are blessed with any number of people working in the dark genre who are producing works that hold their heads well above the swap water, which is probably why the attitude exists that local horror is a hard sell. Souls Along The Meridian is an exemplary collection that strides purposely out of the genre swamp and lays claim to being one of the best releases of any genre in 2010. Paradoxically it's work like this collection that should bring new found respect to the genre that runs the risk of being ignored by your average horror consumer. Getting them to read is one part of the puzzle, getting them to read quality works is the third dimension to a Rubik’s Cube of complexity. Your average horror reader is going to perhaps find Souls Along The Meridian hard to “get into”, Bill Congreve isn't writing for the lowest common denominator here and expects the Reader to either catch up to a train gathering momentum right from the first story or to fall by the wayside as the stories pickup speed. The whole question of accessibility is going to be a tough one to get pass, the collection is no doubt a wonderful read for anyone wanting to spend the time and mental sweat getting onto Congreve's groove train, but given the low attention span of modern Audiences that might be pushing the friendship somewhat. For those still with me, and I assure you the journey is well worth taking part in, Bill Congreve writes in an almost tradition British style that somehow remains notably Australian. The meter of each story is intense, there's a lot going down, and you are going to find you are pushing yourself hard to get full value from some the entries in the collection. To be honest I had to force myself not to skip a couple of stories as things threatened to become bogged down in tight prose, but am glad overall that I made the effort. It sort of reminded me of when I first tackled ye olde writers such as John Bunyan at University, hard nuts to crack but well worth taking the time to get your read on. And yes before you ask I'm stating Bill Congreve can be mentioned in some pretty exulted company in terms of English Literature. So what do we actually get in the collection. Besides Bill Congreve's classic tale Legacy there's the new story The Traps Of Tumut which I've already noted as a second classic. Also featured is Ghia Likes Food, showing off the Writer's darker more morbid side, I challenge anyone to read this story and then try not to visualise what happens next after story end. And a number of other stories rambling through the various sub genres that make up the dark genre, with the titular tale Souls Along The Meridian being a standout. The collection is certainly a grab bag of dark delights that should enthral most readers who enjoy more classically written dark yarns. Surprisingly Souls Along The Meridian is only Bill Congreve's second book after the vampire orientated Epiphanies Of Blood, the Author being one of those you would expect a much higher output from. In Congreve's defence he has also edited the landmark Downunder Anthologies Intimate Armageddons and Southern Blood. So for those after additional Congreve titles, few and far between. After initially spending quite sometime acclimatising myself to the tone and pace of the stories, I had a pretty good time with most of the stories, though a few did drag slightly. There's some not to be missed stories in the collection and Bill Congreve raises the level of the genre which is something of a welcome after wadding through a lot of half arsed efforts. Not sure if this collection is one you would read for share entertainment, but it does keep your interest. Souls Along The Meridian can be purchased via Blade Red's site right here for a reasonable $19.95. Probably if you google additional sales options will also be available.
ScaryMinds Rates this read as ... Another classic collection from Bill Congreve.
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Disclaimer: Please note this review reflects the opinion of the team at ScaryMinds and should in no way be construed as
representing the views of the AHWA Shadows Award Judges. This review is for the edification of ScaryMinds readers and does not constitute a
“literary criticism” or any other criteria the Shadows Judging panel may take this year.