Scott Graham
A gothic horror story of a set of Caroline era wooden stand-up figures with a suspect provenance and possible malignant intention. The plot builds trepidation well across two timelines, one during the reign of Charles I and the other timeline contemporary to the main story during tge Victorian era. The earlier timeline explains the cause of the apparent fall of the Bainbridge family and the latter details its final demise. The author created enough murkiness in the narrative to leave the reader unsure of what, if any of it, actually happened. The narrator is unreliable, and all of the tragic events are unbelievably presented as either the act of one person, or of a set of painted wooden stand up likenesses that can change personality at will. Witchery, possession, murderous intent, and unbelievable coincidence come together to an unsatisfactory conclusion. Recommended only for someone who likes a good tale of building dread only to be left with one of multiple conclusions to come to at the end, none of which would tie up all the threads woven into the story.
A gothic horror story of a set of Caroline era wooden stand-up figures with a suspect provenance and possible malignant intention. The plot builds trepidation well across two timelines, one during the reign of Charles I and the other timeline contemporary to the main story during tge Victorian era. The earlier timeline explains the cause of the apparent fall of the Bainbridge family and the latter details its final demise. The author created enough murkiness in the narrative to leave the reader unsure of what, if any of it, actually happened. The narrator is unreliable, and all of the tragic events are unbelievably presented as either the act of one person, or of a set of painted wooden stand up likenesses that can change personality at will. Witchery, possession, murderous intent, and unbelievable coincidence come together to an unsatisfactory conclusion. Recommended only for someone who likes a good tale of building dread only to be left with one of multiple conclusions to come to at the end, none of which would tie up all the threads woven into the story.