'On winter solstice, the birds disappeared, and the mist arrived. The inhabitants of Nebulah quickly learn not to venture out after dark. But it is hard to stay indoors: cabin fever sets in, and the mist can be beguiling, too.
'Eventually only six remain. Like the rest of the townspeople, Pete has nowhere else to go. After he rescues a stranded psychic from a terrible fate, he's given a warning: he will be dead by solstice unless he leaves town - soon.'
Titan Books have definitely picked a good time of year to publish Soon, the latest horror novel by Lois Murphy. Whilst horror works anytime, there's something about a creepy, slow-burning ghost story at Halloween time that just feels right.
Soon is set in the small Australian town of Nebulah, a former mining and farm town that's all but abandoned as a small group of people try to continue living in what has become 'the most haunted town' in the world. Each night a mist descends upon the town, filled with spirits and ghosts that torment and disturb the townsfolk with awful visions, trying to lure them out of their houses to their deaths.
What makes this story stand apart from a lot of other ghost stories, however, is that this isn't a new thing for Nebulah. The mist has been there every night for months. This isn't a story about a sudden new, frightening phenomenon, but something that the people in Nebulah have learned to live with. Yes, the majority of people have moved away, leaving half a dozen people behind who can't afford to leave, but to those still there the mist and the hauntings are just part of their regular routine now.
The townsfolk make sure that they're home before dark. They lock their doors and stay inside. They also close their curtains so that they can't see what's out there, and turn their TV's on loud so that they can't hear the ghostly noises. I kind of loved this. There are ghosts just outside their door, but they turn their TV up louder to drown them out and act like they're not there. There's something about this approach that I found fascinating. It speaks to the very real human nature of wanting to pretend that something bad isn't happening, or that things are normal.
I loved that Soon began far into the story of Nebulah, and that we learn a little about what came before through flashbacks and conversations, rather than seeing it in real time from the beginning. If the story had started with the appearance of the mist we would have straight away seen what it was capable of, would have known the kind of horrors it contained. Instead, it actually takes a while to even learn what happens at night. We're dropped into the narrative with characters that have gotten used to it and have it as part of their lives, so we're on more of a back foot about it than they are.
Whilst this somewhat 'regular' life in Nebulah seems to be going okay to begin with there are clearly some cracks as not all of those left in the town completely get along. There's some interpersonal issues at play, which is completely believable as even when facing ghostly killers you're not going to get along with the douche-bag from down the road. Despite this, they seem to have a fairly good system worked out.
Things begin to change in Nebulah, however, when Pete, an ex-cop stuck in the town, discovers a young woman outside just before nightfall. Managing to get her inside before the mist descends he saves her life, but is also set onto a course that could end his own. The woman is a medium, and is deeply affected by spending the night in Nebulah, but does warn Pete before she leaves that he needs to leave the town soon or he is going to die there. She even gives him the date that it'll happen.
Now most people would probably think that this would be good motivation to leave, but Pete and the others have been living with the threat of death over them for months and haven't gone yet. It's not bravado or stupidity that keeps them in the town though, but the simple fact that they can't afford to move and have nowhere to go. This puts a very real world spin on the scenario that I really liked. If no one will buy a house in haunted town how can you pay for somewhere new to live? If you've got no family to take you in where can you go?
The looming threat and the difficulty in just leaving town make for a great ticking clock that Pete has to face, and fills the book with tension. Even when it appears he's managed to get away from Nebulah there's still tension as you know it can't be that simple because there's still a third of the book left.
I loved Soon. Its pacing was great, with a story that didn't feel like it needed to rush, and a threat that Lois Murphy chose to unveil slowly rather than all at once. The characters feel like very real people, and we learn more about them as the story progresses, and you come to care a lot for them; I was desperate for Pete to be able to survive the book. The fact that you never really find out about what the mist or the ghosts are, how they came to be or why, makes it really fascinating too. Whilst I wanted answers I wasn't upset that I didn't get any as the journey itself was amazing. A must read for horror fans that is full of tension, and great characters, that will leave you stunned.
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