Mark Morris has come a long way since TOADY back in 1989. Back then, it was hailed by the Science Fiction Chronicle as the “horror debut of the year.” In a year that was still flooded with the horror boom, that’s saying quite a bit. Sarah Pinborough, who penned the introduction discusses this and Mark’s influence both on the genre – and himself – describes IT SUSTAINS, a new novella as something special, something that Morris could not have written twenty years ago, despite having a similar coming of age premise.
That premise is where all similarities cease. The story leaps and bounds over that initial effort. The writing stands heads and shoulders above the other, displaying such growth that it feels as if TOADY had been written over 50 years ago, not 20.
IT SUSTAINS feels like the best of classic horror yet with a freshness not seen in ages. Fifteen year old Adam moves onto a new town after the death of his mother and immediately encounters horrors both organic and supernatural. The local toughs invite him into their fold, which could make for a pleasant or disturbing existence. His mother and he had developed a special, private language which might reappear in text messages and other venues with such creepy phrases like “it never dies because it’s always feeding.” Where the tale goes from there is nothing short of frightening, touching, and thought-provoking.
Mark Morris has always been a talent worth reading. IT SUSTAINS shows where horror can reach and is one of the easiest recommendations of the new year. Very few reviews here carry a Stoker suggestion – this one would be ill-written if it didn’t.
Take the trip with Morris. It could be one of the finest, yet darkest journeys of the year.
- THE BEST OF ROD SERLING’S TWILIGHT ZONE - April 11, 2015
- BLIND RAGE - April 11, 2015
- Black Static #44-45 - April 11, 2015
- The Halloween Children - February 12, 2015
- Darkness Ad Infinitum - November 24, 2014
- Fear City - October 5, 2014
- The Boneyard - July 24, 2014
- Double Feature: A Novel - July 24, 2014
- Never Alone - July 24, 2014
- Blind Vengence - July 24, 2014
