Writer review – Michael Frost – Horror

I often find myself returning to the blog of a particular writer. I feel it highly unfair, since I am enjoying his short stories so much, that the joy, (or should I say bone chilling horror?), I experience reading his work should go unmentioned. This writer is Michael Frost and his work can be found here Michael Frost’s page

I think Mr Frost has a very distinctive writing style, for me it conjures a very particular feeling and image. Imagine, if you will, all those Christmas movies which start, or are introduced, by a well known author sat before an open log fire, imagine the warmth and comfort you feel from that image, from that person. Then as the story begins you find not the merriment of Christmas cheer, but a deeply disturbing tale which sends goose bumps chasing up and down your skin as the images conjured with such mastery of words as that some of the images leave you feeling chilled to the very depths of your soul.

I personally prefer reading horror when the dark nights are closing in, I love creating an atmosphere, especially for reading horror. If I don’t go to bed concerned about what horrors conjured by the tales may find me then, although I could praise a story’s merits, I wouldn’t sing it’s praises. So far this writer’s work has indeed plagued my rather active imagination, and in broad daylight no less.  Just this morning I read ‘The Attic’ and thus far it has been the most horrifying yet, although I am not reading his work in any particular order. After reading it I had to visit the the hospital, and as I walked the long empty corridor, carrying my son, I heard a strange scraping sound from above. It didn’t take much for my mind to return to the story and wonder what horrors lay within the crawl spaces above, waiting for the right opportunity to lore their prey into their trap, pulling them into their own version of this story as below, people walked by unaware, or even dismissive, of what may be causing the strange noises heard from above.

One thing is for certain, Michael Frost is certainly a master of his craft, some of his stories go beyond what is expected from them, surprising the reader and taking them to whole new levels of terror as they are forced to imagine themselves in that position, in that place. Of course, he possesses many different styles of story, psychological, horrific, terrible, and sometimes haunting. Each tale differs so greatly to the last, not only in story, but in atmosphere and the emotions it invokes in the reader. Sometimes the horror is obvious, sometimes it is written with gentle subtlety. His style adapting to the needs of the story effortlessly.

I sincerely hope you will take the time to visit Michael Frost’s website and see for yourself the many faces of horror this writer has not only captured, but shows such proficiency in.