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On the opening night of Luke’s art exhibition at a local gallery, a stranger arrives with a lucrative proposition. Flat broke, and on the verge of being thrown out of his apartment, Luke eagerly accepts the challenge and discovers, rather than paint on canvas, the task involves the restoration of an antique carousel horse. It is a precursor to a much bigger project and inspired by the money offered, Luke takes the commission, becomes enraptured by his subject, and in a matter of weeks he sinks deep into his art and becomes withdrawn and obsessed, much to the dismay of his girlfriend Emma, and his elder brother John.
John in particular has cause for alarm, for the brothers share a dangerous heritage, one that Luke has been kept willfully ignorant of in a desperate attempt to protect his sanity. For Luke possesses a rare and much coveted gift, a latent talent that will open doors - to strange, ravenous forests, the soulless corridors of the dead, and perhaps even Hell.
Suspicious of his wealthy patron and fully aware of Luke’s potential, John seeks to protect his younger brother from being exploited. But, as spring turns into summer, Luke’s supernatural abilities begin to awaken and he and Emma are drawn into deadly realms they never knew existed, and for John it becomes a desperate fight to protect the world from the growing threat of Luke’s art, and to stop his brother from descending into madness.
John in particular has cause for alarm, for the brothers share a dangerous heritage, one that Luke has been kept willfully ignorant of in a desperate attempt to protect his sanity. For Luke possesses a rare and much coveted gift, a latent talent that will open doors - to strange, ravenous forests, the soulless corridors of the dead, and perhaps even Hell.
Suspicious of his wealthy patron and fully aware of Luke’s potential, John seeks to protect his younger brother from being exploited. But, as spring turns into summer, Luke’s supernatural abilities begin to awaken and he and Emma are drawn into deadly realms they never knew existed, and for John it becomes a desperate fight to protect the world from the growing threat of Luke’s art, and to stop his brother from descending into madness.
338 pages, Paperback
First published December 17, 2012
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253 people want to read
About the author
Janet Joyce Holden
28 books13 followersJanet Joyce Holden is a writer of contemporary dark fiction. Her novels include Blood Paternal, Carousel, and The Only Red Is Blood. She also has a number of short stories in various speculative anthologies.
She is originally from the North of England, and has lived in Southern California for the last nineteen years.
She is originally from the North of England, and has lived in Southern California for the last nineteen years.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 10, 2017
This book has a lot of potential. We have ghosts, otherworldly monsters, supernatural powers, and a secret society. I like stories were art is the catalyst for horror, and this one does it with the restoration of an antique carousel, an idea I just love. There are some beautifully nightmarish descriptions, especially of another world of terrible alien beings.
Unfortunately, the novel was hampered by its structure. Writer Janet Joyce Holden chose to have each chapter focus squarely on one of the three leading characters, moving from Luke to Emma to John to back to Luke and so on. It's a frustratingly mechanical form of storytelling that slowed everything to a crawl and really hurt my enjoyment of the book. The characters themselves weren't very memorable either, and a twist at the end came out of nowhere for me. It's a very erased book too; there were no people of color or LGBT people that I can remember. I hope the seque improves upon this one.
Unfortunately, the novel was hampered by its structure. Writer Janet Joyce Holden chose to have each chapter focus squarely on one of the three leading characters, moving from Luke to Emma to John to back to Luke and so on. It's a frustratingly mechanical form of storytelling that slowed everything to a crawl and really hurt my enjoyment of the book. The characters themselves weren't very memorable either, and a twist at the end came out of nowhere for me. It's a very erased book too; there were no people of color or LGBT people that I can remember. I hope the seque improves upon this one.
Displaying 1 of 1 review