Synopsis:
SOME LEGENDS ARE TRUE… EVEN IF YOU PRAY THEY AREN’T
In a forgotten English coastal town, a sinister fairy tale lies in wait beneath the dunes. When an estranged father and son return to sell the family home, an ancient magical pact between their family and elemental powers of nature is set in motion. Father and son must try to find each other as they confront the lethal curse that has plagued their family through the ages. In so doing, they will learn that happily ever after comes at a high price, but only if they are brave enough to cross the dunes.
For fans of Graham Joyce’s The Tooth Fairy and Stephen King’s Fairy Tale comes an addictive novel uniquely blending fantasy and horror. Across the Dunes is a heart-stopping tale of ancient curses and family bonds that will haunt you long after the final page.
Review:
A weird rural village. A heart-breaking familial curse. Dan Soule mixes folk horror and fantasy in this exciting, terrifying, and emotional tour de force.
Michael Lorimer didn’t know he had a son until 16-year-old Sam arrived on his doorstep. Unaware his recently deceased ex-girlfriend was pregnant when they broke up, the knowledge that he is a father comes as a shock. Much harder is the news for teenage Sam. He has just lost his mother and is forced to live with his father who is a stranger.
Michael, with Sam in tow, returns to the sleepy English village of Hernshore to sell his family home. Once there, strange memories of his childhood resurface. An ancient pact must be renewed. And the dunes start to reclaim the village as two deities from folklore once again clash horns.
My favorite character was Sam. He is a film nerd. Kind and soft spoken. His memories with his mother are so sweet. It is hard not to feel for a teenager who has just lost his mother and been introduced to a father he didn’t even know he had. Let alone a father who doesn’t seem to want him and grew up in a weird little village by the sea.
He is the perfect viewpoint character for the reader, as both are introduced to Hernshore for the first time. He also brings a new perspective to the age-old dilemma that hangs over the village and its people.
Michael is another excellent character, if not exactly likable. His childhood was very strange indeed. Something he doesn’t remember until he returns to his family estate. His odd memories and his once almost miraculous luck are intriguing. He’s arrogant and selfish, but he is human and well rounded, so it is interesting to journey with him as he rediscovers his family legacy and remembers the horrible events of his teen years before he left the village.
Tink, a local Hernshore teen, introduces Sam to the village. She’s a believable young woman and a good companion for Sam in the adventures that follow.
The considerable cast of supporting characters, both pleasant and repulsive, are all suitably relatable. Soule knows how to write human characters with heart. Nat, one of Michael’s former best friends stood out in particular. As did Ma Tunstall, who manages to provide a lot of information about the world building without falling into info-dumping territory.
The writing is rich and immersive. It draws you into the world and the characters like a spell. At times horrible, at times poetic, it is mesmerizing.
Soule creates a tense atmosphere from the very first chapter, when a little dog and his owner got sucked into the sands.
The central theme is whether we are doomed to perpetrate the traditional errors of our forefathers. Do the sins of the fathers have to fall onto the sons? Must we comply or die? Is there a way to change a corrupt system without leading to chaos and destruction?
This theme is very well explored throughout the book. While the deal made with the deities is immediately repulsive, the characters set out good reasons for why it was struck in the first place, how people benefited from it, and why continuing the cycle may be desired. The moral dilemma of keeping with a tradition that is morally bankrupt on so many levels, or sacrificing the many in order to refuse, opens up a lot of questions and gets you thinking. Kudos to Soule for creating such a complex world.
There is also a cinema theme running through the book, especially with Sam and all the references to such great movies.
The setting of Hernshore is integral to the narrative. Soule has covered this type of folk horror in his novel, “Witchhopper”, but he has perfected it in “Across the Dunes”. It is a unique type of English setting which is equally both idyllic and devastatingly horrific. The juxtaposition the quaint English seaside village and the claustrophobic weirdness reminded me of “Hot Fuzz” and “She Wolf of London”, but without being a comedy horror like those stories.
The pacing is spot on. It starts with a great hook, and each reveal – both character information as well as the broader story – is given at just the right time.
Each chapter focuses on a different character. Usually the main characters, but often side characters from the village. The timeline also changes between the present and the past, as Michael and Sam’s childhoods are both revealed.
This is a book that’s hard to put down. It is lovely to have a book where you keep saying “Just one more chapter”.
This book packs a hefty emotional wallop. While I felt most for Sam, and his relationship with his mother particularly pulled at my heartstrings, I was worried for Michael and I really was afraid for the characters as I awaited their grisly fate. The last third of the book has a huge emotional payoff. I love a horror book that makes you feel such deep emotions about lost loved ones and family connections. You expect fear and disgust and what you would do in that situation in a horror novel, but to also have grief and healing is wonderful.
The horror elements are suitably disgusting. The descriptions are so vivid. I made the mistake of eating while reading this book. I didn’t do it twice!
The creepy rural setting, the moral dilemma of the curse, the strong, emotional family bonds, the imaginative fantasy elements such as the moonthread and gnars, all fired my imagination and inspired me. The rich tapestry of the lore of the snakes and the stags combined with the modern-day setting made for a darkly magical tale.
The only character who didn’t work for me was Nush, Michael’s real estate agent. While I found her story tense and at times terrifying, I felt that the character was played too much for comic relief. As with all humor, it is very reliant on personal taste, and this didn’t land with me.
Much as I love zombies, I found the progression of the zombiefied locals paled somewhat in comparison to the much more frightening encroachment of the sand as it slowly buried the town.
Readers who enjoy this book should check out Dan Soule’s back catalogue. I recommend “Savage” or “Neolithica” as a good follow on to “Across the Dunes”.
Adult fans of horror, especially folk horror, and people who like genre defying or slip stream works, will devour this book with delight.
As with most of Soule’s work, it contains a great dog character. I loved little Eddie the terrier. Be warned, this book is at times gross, with lots of peril, and an ending that might squeeze a tear out of the hardest of hearts.
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