EDITOR'S NOTE: Norman Rubenstein penned this review of on the eve of its publication by Humdrumming last year. Because of his enthusiasm for the project, I looked forward to running this along with my interview with co-author Michael Kelly. Then the unthinkable happened: at the very last minute, Humdrumming folded, leaving Ouroboros without a home. In a rare instance of a reviewer taking action into his own hands, Norman presented the material to Larry Roberts at Bloodletting Books. Roberts acquired the novel, which also led to a stint for Norman as an associate editor at Bloodletting. Because Norman had become involved in the book's publication, I decided to run his review - which I've sat on all this time - exactly as he originally submitted it, so as not to present a possible conflict of interest. Ouroboros is finally available, and Norman posts his final thoughts at the end of this review, his final Macabre Musings column for Fear Zone.

#

For those who might be unfamiliar, Humdrumming Ltd. is a relative newcomer to the horror genre specialty press. This U.K. based press is talented, ambitious, and relatively prolific, with a rapidly increasing catalogue of truly fine genre books from a growing stable of gifted writers. They have an interesting and informative website at http://www.humdrumming.co.uk, have their own blog and mailing list, and their titles are also readily available for purchase from many of our genre's notable online dealers, such as The Horror-Mall and Camelot Books. While I've been reading a number of their current available titles, and all have been quite good, and easily recommendable, I just finished reading one of their newest titles, a novel that completely blew me away, and is more than merely good or deserving of notice; Ouroboros by Michael Kelly and Carol Weekes.

Set in the small town of Chambers in the eastern Canadian Maritime region, and effectively utilizing the Atlantic Ocean and the harsh, wild, and erratic Maritime weather as a supporting character, Ouroboros is a "traditional" ghost story. It can equally be claimed as perhaps the finest twenty-first century contemporary ghost story written so far in our young new century. I am absolutely going to try and withhold any potential spoilers within this review, so as to neither diminish nor utterly spoil the effect of actually reading this fantastic novel, and so will keep discussion of the story to a safe but rather bare minimum.

Ouroboros centers upon the lives of four friends, two senior citizen married couples who are neighbors and close friends, Mick and Roberta (Robbie) Hamlin, and Tom and Dorothy (Dolly) Christiansen. Mick, a sixty-seven year old recently retied accountant, narrates the novel. He and Robbie have a grown daughter, Lillian, and remain very much in love with each other. The same can be said of their close friends and next-door neighbors Tom and Dolly, who are of similar age and temperaments. They have shared all that life has dealt to them over an approximately forty-year period, and have remained steadfast friends, always congratulating and/or consoling each other, as circumstances dictate. This remains true even when Dolly learns that she has inoperable breast cancer and only has months left to live. However, Dolly's unfortunate death seems to start an abrupt change in the relationship between Tom and the Hamlins. Tom believes he needs time alone to try and cope with the truly devastating loss of the love of his life and one true companion, just as Robby, and especially Mick, believing that Tom needs friendly company now more than ever, try to include him in their plans, and spend time with him.

Mick, worried about his old friend who appears to be grieving excessively, feels it is his duty to "check up" on his best friend, something that the increasingly irritated Tom views as meddling and spying - and even trespassing. Yet, Mick becomes just as concerned in his own right, as he views "poor' Tom engaging in what appears to be eccentric behavior: consistently setting the table and cooking for two and talking to the seemingly empty house, among other things. Yet, things over at the Christiansen house are far weirder than Mick initially realizes, and Mick's kindly meant intrusions become dangerous, both to himself and to others. The book pays attention to detail; even the novel's secondary characters are unique, interesting, and very well fleshed-out and real feeling.

Ouroboros deals with and deeply explores issues of love, loss, responsibility, life, and death. It is an exceptionally well-written novel. It is brilliantly atmospheric, subtly and expertly builds tension and fear, and contains numerous moments of true blood-curdling horror that will terrify even the most jaded horror aficionado. While in part eerily reminiscent of vintage Shirley Jackson, and also early King and Straub, with a soupcon of Barker, Machen, and Koontz for extra flavor, authors Kelly and Weekes have created their own original and immensely effective voice and style. I am certainly recommending this novel for consideration for a 2008 Stoker award. It is also a truly superior piece of literature and writing that transcends any mere genre classification, and by rights, should be atop all the general best seller lists at this point.

Yes, times are hard, and with the economy in its present condition, even the purchase of a book has suddenly become, for most of us, something far more serious than an impulse buy. However, Ouroboros is one of the few books that I can strongly recommend without reservation as being worthy of purchase and indeed as close to a "must read" as these uncertain times will allow. This book receives my highest endorsement. If you do read Ouroboros and do enjoy it, you should certainly check out the Humdrumming website, as they have a number of other books that are also very well written, and which you should also find similarly enjoyable and entertaining.

#

I originally wrote the above review back in November of 2008, after having read an ARC of the supposedly soon forthcoming novel for an assignment by Greg Lamberson for Fear Zone. I had little idea then that my involvement with the novel would be anything more than as a reader and reviewer for Fear Zone. However, fate intervened. I thought highly enough of Ouroboros to recommend it to a number of other people I knew who were always similarly interested in new, exceptional horror literature. Among these people were Larry Roberts, publisher of Bloodletting Press. Larry, and a number of others, went on to read the ARC of Ouroboros upon my suggestion and were all similarly impressed with it. Then late last year came the news that the novel's publisher, the U.K. based Humdrumming, had suffered financial difficulties in what was already a worsening economy, and would be unable to release the novel as planned. By this time, I'd been recently hired by Larry as an Associate Editor for Bloodletting Press. I was on the phone to Larry as soon as I heard that Ouroboros was not going to be released by Humdrumming, and that the publication rights might be available, and Larry shortly thereafter had a few chats with authors Michael Kelly and Carol Weekes, and the next thing I knew, I was editing the novel and deep into discussions with the authors concerning possible revisions that might improve an already outstanding novel.

As it turns out, Carol & Michael went back and thoroughly revised, rewrote, and improved their original publication draft so that the novel that is now about to be released by Bloodletting Press via its Arcane Wisdom imprint is substantially better than the ARC that I read and reviewed for Greg almost a year ago. The novel is now even tighter, more frightening, and simply an amazing read. Kudos to the two extremely talented authors, Michael Kelly and Carol Weekes, for collaborating on what is surely a contemporary masterpiece of "haunted house" horror fiction, and to Larry Roberts and Bloodletting Press for publishing a truly beautiful and refined book (the new artwork, cover and interior by Vincent Chong is among the finest I've seen in a novel of this type and is truly stunning.)

I am very proud to have played a very small role in bringing this amazing novel to print. As things happen, Larry subsequently laid off all three of the Bloodletting Press Associate Editors, including myself, back in July, and I'm now an Associate Editor for both Joe Morey and Dark Regions Press and for Brian Cartwright and Cargo Cult Press, as well as doing freelance work. I look back on the entire experience fondly. I can think of no higher praise than that even after the many times I read through all the various drafts and revisions of the novel and then after performing all the extensive copy editing work on the revised manuscript, I'm still looking forward to obtaining my own copy of the published novel so that I can just sit back and enjoy reading it yet again - Ouroboros is that good, that entertaining. I hope and believe that those of you who are able to purchase your own copies of the novel will agree.