I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Titan Books | Tantor Audio (July 18, 2023)
Length: 384 pages | 9 hrs and 59 mins
Author Information: Website
As you might know, while I’m not really one to pick up short story collections, I do try to make the odd exception for my favorite authors like Ronald Malfi. This is also not the first collection that I’ve read by him. Last year, I read Ghostwritten, a collection containing four separate and self-contained stories which were set in the same world and united by a common theme—the written word—and it was so enjoyable that I felt pretty good about picking up a second volume of his collected novellas.
But this one, called They Lurk, features five stories with tenuous links that don’t feel as though they share that same kind of cohesiveness, likely because most of them were curated from Malfi’s older work with only one new for this collection. I also didn’t enjoy the selection as much. A couple of the offerings were on the more forgettable side, failing to make a lasting impression. For me, only the first and last one really stood out.
Skullbelly
A private detective has been hired to investigate the case of three teenagers who disappeared into the woods, while a fourth emerged in shock and covered in blood. Naturally, suspicion has fallen upon the survivor, but our detective knows there has to be more to the story. Like I said, this tale was one of the better ones, and it was good that the book started on a strong note. “Skullbelly” positively gave me the creeps, and I do love myself a bloody mystery. The only downside was that it ended rather abruptly, an underwhelming conclusion to a story that had so much promise in its mood and atmosphere.
The Separation
A therapist named Marcus is called to Germany to help his newly divorced friend Charlie who has fallen into a deep depression. But can his condition really be blamed on the failed marriage, or is something more bizarre and sinister going on? This one was more on the strange and abstract side, admittedly not my style at all. Not going to lie, I was pretty happy to see the back of this one, but your mileage may vary as this was probably more of a case of “it’s me, not the story.”
The Stranger
David and Rhonda had only been together for a short time when they decided to go on a road trip and ended up in the parking lot of a rural Florida motel. Upon his return to his car, David finds a stranger inside—with the doors locked, a gun on the dashboard—refusing to come out even after the police have been called. Another really weird story, this one could have been better if there had been a more powerful build-up considering we’re really just working with one scene. For me, the most memorable aspects of “The Stranger” were the graphic details and the insufferable nature of the characters. Nothing to write home about.
After the Fade
A woman walks into a bar and promptly drops dead, revealing an icky bug-like creature attached to the base of her skull. The rest of the patrons are left horrified and trapped inside the pub, forced to watch as the apocalypse unfolds outside. Kind of like Alien meets The Mist, this was a very “throwaway” type of horror story, but it was also all kinds of awesome and fun.
Fierce
The newest story of the bunch and presumably written for this collection, “Fierce” is about a teenage girl named Connie and her mother desperately fighting for survival after their car crashes in snowy weather. But the elements turn out to be the least of their worries. A dangerous killer is hunting them, and Connie is reminded of another time when she and her mom had to escape a monster. Ronald Malfi has gotten better as time goes on, and it really shows. Of all the stories here, this last one was the most complex, featuring flashbacks and character growth. It was also the most well put together and cohesive, with a proper ending that was actually quite touching, while leaving just the right amount of ambiguity.
I wish all the stories had been of the same high caliber. I also think that the publication of They Lurk may have been a hasty decision following the success of Ghostwritten. While I know it is somewhat unfair to compare the two, the common theme behind all the novellas in Ghostwritten was a highlight and main selling point, in stark contrast with They Lurk where the stories have the feel of being thrown haphazardly together.
As such, I can only recommend this for Ronald Malfi fans who need something to tide them over until his next book. For newcomers to his work, his more recent novels are more indicative of his amazing talent for telling horror and mystery stories, and even novella and short fiction format readers would find Ghostwritten to be a better collection.
