Book Review - The Dunfield Terror by William Meikle

I'm a huge fan of Lovecraft and cosmological horror stories in general and this is a fine take on the genre. The story is told in two threads - the more immediate of which is set in the present day with a small Canadian town tormented by an otherworldly fog during a heavy snow storm.This forms the meat of the story, but the bones comes from the second thread set in the past about how this fog came to be.

Of the two threads the present day is the stronger and epitomises everything that a decent horror story should be. It's more immediate and has some wonderfully tense and scary moments. The main character is well drawn and you feel for him as he tries to survive through the night and rescue his fellow townspeople.

The historical thread isn't as strong, but not bad by any means. It has a different feel that sets it apart from the more chaotic present day story. I enjoyed the slower, more considered build up of the historical journal. The how and the why of the tale is told here and that adds some depth.

The only real issue I have with the story is the ending - the actual ending is fine, but the final sequence feels a tad abrupt and I think deserved to be expanded. I would also have liked to discover more about the phenomena itself as the glimpses of what it contained were astounding.

The quality of the writing is superb and the story is well placed. A definite recommendation for any fans of the genre.

Click on image to buy from Amazon

It starts with a strange glowing fog that arrives at the height of a snowstorm.

A terror from the past has returned, bringing with it death and destruction that threatens to overrun the town. The old stories tell of a post-war experiment gone wrong, one that opened the way for the fog—or whatever was behind it—to begin its reign of terror.

A small team of workmen are the last hope to keep their town alive through the long, storm-filled night. But the many horrors that await them are beyond anyone’s worst nightmares.


Click here to buy The Dunfield Terror from Amazon (and it's a tense horror read)