Caroline
I love folk horror, I cannot lie, and David Barnett's previous books in this genre have been on my want-to-read list for a few months now. When the opportunity to read an ARC of Scratch Moss presented itself, I could not resist. Before I was halfway through, I had ordered the other two from the library. But I digress. I'm here to tell you about Scratch Moss, and all the reasons why you should read it. 🖤
Scratch Moss is a small Lancashire town, that was home to the miners, and their families, of Scratch Moss colliery. The colliery, on land owned by Lord Brody of Scratch Moss Hall, began operating in the 1860's, and was eventually closed in 1985. 🖤
That's the backstory to the colliery, but there is another story running parallel to that, the story of the consequences of destroying a sacred Barrow, and the story of Red Clogs, the bogeyman of Scratch Moss. 🖤
The story of Scratch Moss is told across several timelines; 2025, 1985, 1945, 1905, 1865 and AD85. What I love about this is we go back in time in forty year increments, then jump back to AD85, before moving forward again in the same increments. Thus we learn the identity of Red Clogs, and his connection to Scratch Moss. 🖤
This is a bleak tale, set as it is in the industrial north, with the miner's strike forming part of its backdrop. But it's the superstition and folkloric symbolism that provide the eerie, and sometimes menacing, atmosphere. 🖤
I loved Scratch Moss, despite how much it unsettled me. I now eagerly await my library reservations. 🖤
Thanks to Canelo Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
I love folk horror, I cannot lie, and David Barnett's previous books in this genre have been on my want-to-read list for a few months now. When the opportunity to read an ARC of Scratch Moss presented itself, I could not resist. Before I was halfway through, I had ordered the other two from the library. But I digress. I'm here to tell you about Scratch Moss, and all the reasons why you should read it. 🖤
Scratch Moss is a small Lancashire town, that was home to the miners, and their families, of Scratch Moss colliery. The colliery, on land owned by Lord Brody of Scratch Moss Hall, began operating in the 1860's, and was eventually closed in 1985. 🖤
That's the backstory to the colliery, but there is another story running parallel to that, the story of the consequences of destroying a sacred Barrow, and the story of Red Clogs, the bogeyman of Scratch Moss. 🖤
The story of Scratch Moss is told across several timelines; 2025, 1985, 1945, 1905, 1865 and AD85. What I love about this is we go back in time in forty year increments, then jump back to AD85, before moving forward again in the same increments. Thus we learn the identity of Red Clogs, and his connection to Scratch Moss. 🖤
This is a bleak tale, set as it is in the industrial north, with the miner's strike forming part of its backdrop. But it's the superstition and folkloric symbolism that provide the eerie, and sometimes menacing, atmosphere. 🖤
I loved Scratch Moss, despite how much it unsettled me. I now eagerly await my library reservations. 🖤
Thanks to Canelo Books and Netgalley for the ARC.