Book Review: The Horror by Seb Doubinksy
Doubinsky's first foray into the horror genre.
Seb Doubinsky is an author probably best known for his Philip K. Dick-esque science fiction, especially his dystopian books in his City-States cycle. He’s also written novels in other genres, such at the politically-drive war story Fragments of a Revolution, and several books of poetry. The Horror, as the title implies, is the first time Doubinsky dips into the genre of horror.
It uses a simple set-up. An author, a mid-lister in horror genre, rents a cabin in a remote town to work on the first draft of his new novel, which is a dark fantasy about a girl with supernatural powers resisting Nazis in World War II. While there, strange things start happening. Threatening messages start showing up on his computer. Rumors about the owner of the cabin fly around the town. He sees a mysterious figure wandering around. He soon realizes he may be in a horror story of his own.
Seb Doubinksy’s prose style is best described as terse, similar to hard-boiled mysteries. His books are short overall, and often feature very short chapters, some which are no more than a paragraph. The Horror is no different. Here it contributes to the atmosphere.
The author staying in a cabin in a small town creates a claustrophobic atmosphere, especially as he often goes back and forth in the same locations. The text being in short, tight chapters help make the book feel even more claustrophobic.
The story is excellently paced. There’s a gradual build up, reminiscent of gothic horror, and some of the climactic moments hit when you don’t really expect them.
The book is also a commentary on the horror genre, but feels neither overbearing nor condescending. While this is Doubinsky’s first horror work, the excellently crafted story and the clever use of the the genre’s tropes make it clear he has a love for the genre and its potential uses.
Doubinsky’s Dick-esque science fiction often has characters disconnecting from reality, often by drugs or other means, in order to see greater truths beyond the veil of what seems to be. This theme is also present The Horror. Here, dreams and the occult are the means of seeing the unseen. The line between what’s in one’s own head and what’s real often becomes blurred for the characters in the story. Whether the occult is real force in the world, or pure luck is also unclear. They both, however, are important threads in the world’s tapestry.
Doubinsky’s first entry into the horror genre is a successful one. It tells a tense, page-turning story that fans of horror will certainly find entertaining. Doubinsky continues to show himself an insightful writer of speculative fiction. I definitely recommend picking up The Horror, and I look forward to what Doubinsky will come out with next.
Buy The Horror by Seb Doubinsky here.