Necro Publications is a versatile and fairly well established small press publisher. They publish some of the great well-known authors such as Edward Lee (one of my personal favorites) and Wrath James White, but they also publish new and unknown talented authors who truly know how to weave a horrific tale.
Necro Publications' "Fresh Flesh" series is where many new authors find their niche. Jeremy Thompson is one promising new author who has published through the "Fresh Flesh" series. And Thompson's new novel The Phantom Cabinet is an intriguing and dark horror story that is worth checking out.
The Phantom Cabinet opens with a strange and disturbing scene of a space shuttle mission gone horribly wrong. Commander Frank Gordon of the Conundrum is searching the shuttle for his crew members. Many of them are dead, having killed themselves. Others are simply raving mad. And all around them they are seeing spirits of the dead. The Conundrum had become a ghost ship. And eventually, Commander Frank Gordon succumbs to the pull of death himself.
Meanwhile on earth Oceanside Memorial Medical Center is being swarmed with thousands of ghosts. Morbid and vengeful spirits of the dead float through the hospital killing all the staff and patients. Specifically, one young couple--the Stantons--are attacked whilst Martha Stanton is giving birth to their son, Douglas. Martha goes permanently insane and Douglas dies. However, minutes later while Carter Stanton holds his dead son, Douglas absorbs a green glow and comes back to life.
What do these two dark events have in common? That is what the rest of the book explains. The story follows Douglas Stanton as he goes throughout his hard and somewhat depressing life. Douglas, since the day he was born, is able to see ghosts and communicate with the horrific dead on the other side. It seems that anywhere he goes that the specters follow. These hauntings drive away most friends or acquaintances leaving Douglas sad and alone.
As Douglas grows older the hauntings only get worse. He soon begins to piece together the truth of what happened the night he was born. And the truth, the secrets held within the phantom cabinet where the ghosts reside, are far worse than Douglas ever imagined.
Jeremy Thompson does a interesting job of creating an entire "science meets supernatural" type lore for his novel. While the novel starts out with many questions and confusions--between the somewhat seemingly disconnected events in chapters 1 and 2--Thompson has very specific answers and explanations for everything that happens.
One of my struggles with The Phantom Cabinet was that many of the scenes felt disjointed or unnecessary. However, the brilliance of the novel is that all of the scenes make perfect sense once the final act of the story is reached. Once all the explanations of the hauntings became clear I was very satisfied with all the extra scenes. Thompson expertly brings in many different characters and many different grotesque moments into his book. They add flavor and variety to the overall story and create an organic unity I never expected to find when I was in the middle of the story.
Thompson's style of jumping around from character to character can often help the story feel fresh. However, I also often found myself frustrated when I would be taken away from a plot or character development I was highly interested in to another scene about a new character I knew nothing about. These types of scenes appear all the way up until almost the end of the book. In many ways this made the story feel a little slow. It also made the middle section of the book (which is the largest) the most tedious to try to read.
However, the payoff at the end of the book makes the story worth it. The explanations tie many of the loose ends together and made me as a reader more forgiving of the story's many offshoots. Many of these little extra scenes feel like miniature horror stories of their own.
Thompson is obviously a talented and vibrant writer. He has many vivid descriptions that capture the creepiness and the gore that takes place on page. However, occasionally it feels as if the author is trying too hard to avoid cliches and instead create new imagery. Mixed metaphors and similes that don't make sense are a common occurrence.
Additionally, Thompson is a master of dark prose--and that is his forte. When he gets into writing scenes that are meant to be heartfelt they can sometimes come off as sappy instead. Particularly a few of the final scenes of the novel end up feeling like a Hallmark movie.
But, even with the occasional hiccup (as would be expected from an new and upcoming writer) the novel is an enjoyable one. Douglas Stanton carries the story well as the main character. We relate to him and feel sorry for him but also hate his downfalls. And it is the story's overarching ideas and supernatural lore that hold The Phantom Cabinet as a stand out novel from a new author.
Necro Publications' "Fresh Flesh" series is where many new authors find their niche. Jeremy Thompson is one promising new author who has published through the "Fresh Flesh" series. And Thompson's new novel The Phantom Cabinet is an intriguing and dark horror story that is worth checking out.
The Phantom Cabinet opens with a strange and disturbing scene of a space shuttle mission gone horribly wrong. Commander Frank Gordon of the Conundrum is searching the shuttle for his crew members. Many of them are dead, having killed themselves. Others are simply raving mad. And all around them they are seeing spirits of the dead. The Conundrum had become a ghost ship. And eventually, Commander Frank Gordon succumbs to the pull of death himself.
Meanwhile on earth Oceanside Memorial Medical Center is being swarmed with thousands of ghosts. Morbid and vengeful spirits of the dead float through the hospital killing all the staff and patients. Specifically, one young couple--the Stantons--are attacked whilst Martha Stanton is giving birth to their son, Douglas. Martha goes permanently insane and Douglas dies. However, minutes later while Carter Stanton holds his dead son, Douglas absorbs a green glow and comes back to life.
What do these two dark events have in common? That is what the rest of the book explains. The story follows Douglas Stanton as he goes throughout his hard and somewhat depressing life. Douglas, since the day he was born, is able to see ghosts and communicate with the horrific dead on the other side. It seems that anywhere he goes that the specters follow. These hauntings drive away most friends or acquaintances leaving Douglas sad and alone.
As Douglas grows older the hauntings only get worse. He soon begins to piece together the truth of what happened the night he was born. And the truth, the secrets held within the phantom cabinet where the ghosts reside, are far worse than Douglas ever imagined.
Jeremy Thompson does a interesting job of creating an entire "science meets supernatural" type lore for his novel. While the novel starts out with many questions and confusions--between the somewhat seemingly disconnected events in chapters 1 and 2--Thompson has very specific answers and explanations for everything that happens.
One of my struggles with The Phantom Cabinet was that many of the scenes felt disjointed or unnecessary. However, the brilliance of the novel is that all of the scenes make perfect sense once the final act of the story is reached. Once all the explanations of the hauntings became clear I was very satisfied with all the extra scenes. Thompson expertly brings in many different characters and many different grotesque moments into his book. They add flavor and variety to the overall story and create an organic unity I never expected to find when I was in the middle of the story.
Thompson's style of jumping around from character to character can often help the story feel fresh. However, I also often found myself frustrated when I would be taken away from a plot or character development I was highly interested in to another scene about a new character I knew nothing about. These types of scenes appear all the way up until almost the end of the book. In many ways this made the story feel a little slow. It also made the middle section of the book (which is the largest) the most tedious to try to read.
However, the payoff at the end of the book makes the story worth it. The explanations tie many of the loose ends together and made me as a reader more forgiving of the story's many offshoots. Many of these little extra scenes feel like miniature horror stories of their own.
Thompson is obviously a talented and vibrant writer. He has many vivid descriptions that capture the creepiness and the gore that takes place on page. However, occasionally it feels as if the author is trying too hard to avoid cliches and instead create new imagery. Mixed metaphors and similes that don't make sense are a common occurrence.
Additionally, Thompson is a master of dark prose--and that is his forte. When he gets into writing scenes that are meant to be heartfelt they can sometimes come off as sappy instead. Particularly a few of the final scenes of the novel end up feeling like a Hallmark movie.
But, even with the occasional hiccup (as would be expected from an new and upcoming writer) the novel is an enjoyable one. Douglas Stanton carries the story well as the main character. We relate to him and feel sorry for him but also hate his downfalls. And it is the story's overarching ideas and supernatural lore that hold The Phantom Cabinet as a stand out novel from a new author.
Summing it Up
If you are looking for new talent in your horror then The Phantom Cabinet is a good place to start. While the story isn't perfect and there are a few hiccups in the prose and plot structure, the overall experience is one worth taking. Jeremy Thompson is not afraid to take a few risks and it ultimately pays off in the end. The Phantom Cabinet is a horrific and dramatic story that truly draws in the reader.
Deaths: X
Language: 4
Gore Factor: 4
Sex Factor: 3
Scare Factor: 3
Fun Factor: 3
Overall Rating: 4
Deaths: X
Language: 4
Gore Factor: 4
Sex Factor: 3
Scare Factor: 3
Fun Factor: 3
Overall Rating: 4
To learn more about my rating system click here.
If you want to learn more about Jeremy Thompson and The Phantom Cabinet stay tuned for an interview with him coming later this week.
If you want to learn more about Jeremy Thompson and The Phantom Cabinet stay tuned for an interview with him coming later this week.