Bill Hussey

A third, thrillingly positive and extremely well-written review for ‘Through A Glass, Darkly’ has been posted by Mathew F. Riley on the book review blog www.bookgeeks.co.uk. Mathew has very kindly allowed me to post a few snippets from the review, the full text can be read on bookgeeks:

‘Bill Hussey’s debut novel, Through A Glass Darkly is an unnerving joy to read, dark words that demand a rainy afternoon with no distraction. Hussey’s obviously been brought up on that wonderfully nutritious diet of Hammer films, M.R. James‘ quiet curatorial ghosts and Dennis Wheatley’s Satanist tracts that have left a dark seed in so many thirty-and-forty-somethings. Hence the story moves subtly through a solidly thorough British horror heritage and drips an enthralling occult atmosphere as it forges its own distinct and horrifically contemporary path.’

‘A real strength is Hussey’s ability to depict the environment as a character. Man’s influence on the land, through his actions and deeds, the psycho geography of a place, has always fascinated me and to find it so convincingly present here is particularly appealing. The cursed and insular town of Crow Haven; its residents silently terrified, its clergy silently seething, questioning their own faith and that of their parishioners, both human and corvid, allows the murderous events to develop with an elegant ferocity as man, myth and (super)nature collide in an unavoidable and heartbreaking climax.’

‘Through A Glass, Darkly is the print equivalent of that unsurpassed classic of British horror cinema, Night of the Demon, directed by Jacques Tourneur and released in 1957.’

‘Through A Glass, Darkly, whilst not eschewing such modern plot devices as difficult descriptions of mutilation and murder, does not forget its debt to the more gentler atmospheres and is indeed ‘A Pleasing Terror’*, and therefore recommended without reservation

• A quotation from M.R. James – he said that his stories were intended to make one feel pleasantly frightened as one walked past a graveyard at night, or sat by the embers of a dying fire.’

I am hugely flattered by Mathew’s review and encourage everyone to check out other excellent pieces on the bookgeeks site. Mathew’s own engrossing serial novel for children and adults, ‘The Night Man’ can be found http://thenightman.wordpress.com/ – I urge you to check it out!