Unseemly

Review: UNSEEMLY by Jason Parent

This novelette is just exceptional. I certainly did not expect it to unfold as it did, neither the denouement nor the conclusion. The poetic imagery throughout really inspires vividness, and there's a neat balance of "I really don't trust/shouldn't get involved" vs. sheer greed plus inertia. The outworking of the plot is deliciously scary. Definitely rereadable.

Unseemly by Jason Parent was received direct from the publisher. Graverobbing always seemed to be such a noble job, that and pimping I think? Anyway faeries on a Scottish Island, how could this scenario go wrong? I always enjoy novella length stories that explore folklore and legend and this fits that bill. The novella starts out kind of slow, in a pub but interesting enough to keep me reading. if you are into that type of reading material, please give this novella a try.

3 stars

“A nasty business on a remote Scottish island…..”

“Unseemly: a Novel of Horror” the latest release from Jason Parent pulls in at a brief forty odd pages and around 75 minutes of reading, so you could argue it was a longish short story rather than a novella because of its length. However, I’m not going to quibble too much as it was an enjoyable mix of fantasy and horror which successfully dipped into the myths and folklore of old Ireland and Scotland. Celtic mythology isn’t the most popular basis of horror stories, so I’m always interested when I come across a new one.

Since Jason appeared on the horror scene around 2012 he has published a variety of novellas, novels and has featured in a number of short story anthologies. Last year Adrian Shotbolt, writing for The Ginger Nuts of Horror, gave “Wrathbone and Other Stories” a very good review and I would say that this release “Unseemly” fits in very well with the stories in that collection, whether it has enough going for it to merit an individual release I am not sure. Corpus Press are selling the paperback for £3.99, so judge for yourself whether this offers value for money for what’s on offer. However, you can’t argue with the 99p Kindle price in the UK.

The plot is pretty straight forward and opens with Peter on a remote Scottish island which remains unnamed, meeting a former business partner he's done dodgy stuff with in the past who has lured him there with the promise of making easy money to help pay his mounting debts. His ex-partner believes the island hides a secret…. Why does nobody seem to work? Why is everyone so well to do? Rather than heading into Wicker Man territory which was always one distinct possibility poor old Peter and his chums have a more supernatural world of pain waiting in front of them.

“Unseemly” is written in two parts, much of the first half is set in a local pub and sets the scene, for the major kick off in the second half which gets way, way darker as we head into the ancient myths surrounding the legends of faeries and I’m not talking about Tinkerbell. In the end of the day there is only so much you can do with a story that weights in between 40-50 pages, but the author sets the scene well, loads up on atmosphere and it has a real killer ending. So it’s well worth spending your 99p on and is a pretty easy and undemanding read.

If you’re interesting in YA horror Ginger Nuts reviewed “The Call” by Peadar O'Guilin not so long ago, which was a tremendous twist on the Irish faerie myth. It’s a subject I’ve long been a fan of, flip back 25 years and I was devouring the books of Bridget Wood who between 1991-94 wrote a four book series called “WolfKing” which if my memory serves me correctly was amongst some of the most violent fantasy horror I have ever read and the series made a life-long impression on me I have never forgotten. Maybe Jason Parent is a fan of Bridget Wood? His “Unseemly” story certainly dips its toes in her nightmare world and when you get to the final page poor old Peter and his fellow chancers may well be a character in one of Bridget Wood’s novels. Should you be interested the Bridget Woods books have recently been rereleased on Kindle under the author’s other pen name Sarah Rayne.

I received this book free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Faeries aren't real...are they? Read to find out and it isn't a pretty sight. And so...Go figure. A Scottish tale of horror that isn't authored by Meikle. Parent did a good enough job with it. Having listened to Seeing Evil before, sort of knew what to expect and sure, this was about as diverting as expected, though maybe grosser than optimal enjoyment merits, but certainly nothing too disgusting for seasoned horror fans. For 40 minutes total, this novella entertains plenty. Thanks Netgalley.

I really dug this novelette from Jason Parent. Since I rarely read synopsis or reviews before diving into a work, I was unsure where this one would be going. Of course, after reading Jason’s “What Hides Within” and checking out the cover of this one, I pretty much assumed this was going to be some crazy dark fantasy story about spiders. *eek! Jumps up on the dining room table*

Well…I was wrong.
Sort of.
Ish.
That’s it! No spoilers!

There is very little f’n around here and the story gets right to it. I think this would have worked as a longer effort too, but Jason does a very good job keeping it in a shorter format – lean and mean. I already said, no spoilers here, so you will just have to give it a go for yourself.

I received a complimentary copy of this work from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't normally read horror stories, but after reading a blog post about another book by the author, I was persuaded to give this novella a go.

It was a fun read with a good pace and plot that kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen. There was a bit of swearing though, so if you don't like the use of the 'F' word it's not for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Corpus Press for my digital arc.

A short novella with a great premise. Reminded me of a modern day episode of The Outer Limits. Great atmosphere and imagery in this one.

We meet Peter when he is doing a job he hates for money he needs, his ex-wife is bleeding him dry and when he gets a message from Dervish (his boss) to meet him as he seems to have found the Fae.
Peter knows there is no such thing but as Dervish pays well he sets off with him to find out what he has found. The short story is a little slow at first but well worth the wait as the second half, I really wasn't expecting the outcome at all and do faeries exist well you will have to decide for yourself.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Red Adept for my copy of the book.

I decided to take another trip into the unknown when I picked up “Unseemly” by Jason Parent. I was not familiar with Parent’s work but the novella promised to be a horror/fantasy story and had a suitably creepy cover so I decided to settle in and give the book a read.

Peter liked to think of himself as an archeologist but knew that he was little more than a grave robber looking for one big score. He was tired of the life, however, and ready to retire when he is tempted to travel to a small island in Scotland by a shady friend. The friend, Dervish, promises him that this could be the one find that could give Peter the financial freedom that he has been searching for his entire adult life. All Peter would have to do is delve into the ancient folklore of the island at a site that the locals dared not touch. Unfortunately for Peter, he is soon to learn that that is truth in the legends and that sometimes those ancient evils should not be disturbed.

“Unseemly” is a short novella and it does take the story a little bit of time to take off. Parent spends a lot of time, given the length of the story, to set up Peter’s character and maneuver him into position for the final act of the tale. This made the beginning of the story slow to develop and had me wondering if the payoff would eventually match the setup. It did take a bit of work to get through the first half of the book but the book then the action comes fast and furious to close out the book. Readers need to be aware that the first half might take some time to get through and I wonder if this is meant to eventually be a part of a larger work given the amount of time spent on developing the character and story. The effort put in the beginning, however, does eventually pay off in the end.

The novella is a fairy tale but not like any fairy tale that I have read before. There are monsters in this book that seemed ripped straight from the mind of H.P. Lovecraft and Parent breaths fresh and horrific life into them as the story progresses. This is not a great story and takes too long to develop but Parent pulls it all together at the end to make it well worth the short time that it takes to read. The second half of the story is terrifying and has some unexpected twists and turns that peaked my interest and salvaged the book just when it threatened to lose me. A slow beginning leads to a bloody (and squishy) ending that fans of Lovecraftian horror are sure to enjoy and left me wanting for more. Parent has not crafted the perfect novella here but one that was ultimately entertaining and has me looking forward to reading more from him in the future.

I would like to thank Corpus Press and NetGalley for this review copy. “Unseemly” is available now.

Perfectly creepy. This is exactly the type of novella that true horror fans will read over and over again.

Peter Callum is an archaeologist (grave robber) who is lured out to Dungarradh by Dervish (his former business partner). Dungarradh is a small Scottish island with a huge secret. Peter Callum finds himself over his head in the local folklore. What he finds in Dungarradh is more than he bargained for. His teammate goes missing. Is the legendary fae the cause of the disappearance, or is something more wicked going on?

This novella is excellent. It made my skin crawl! It also made me want to drink a beer (read the story and you will know why). I was hooked from the first page. I guess I'm a sucker for archaeologist stories. I didn't know how they story was going to play out, but it unfolded perfectly. I am never going near any Scottish islands. Even the cover makes my skin crawl! The pit scene was gut wrenching. Jason Parent writes is a great author. I could literally smell the bar, the ocean, and the awful tunnel. Jason Parent has written a story that reads like a movie. I didn't see that ending coming! It was crazy! I am a fan of Jason Parent and I will definitely read his other work.

I highly recommend this book to fans of horror!

5/5 stars!

Unseemly can be described as an in your face horror story with a fantasy twist. It painted a very dark, evil story on an island off the coast of Scotland where a group of men are out hunting fae from legends. Their little hunt leads them to unimaginable evils. This was my first time reading a book by this author. I found the pace very enjoyable and was impressed with how much punch was packed into this short piece of work. Found myself wanting more from it in terms of the story and the characters. This had more to do with the fact that it was a novella as opposed to the actual storytelling. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.