Synopsis
She’s impetuous, imperfect and impulsive, and he’s fearless, focused and furry. These traits propel Argana Zeit and her ghost-hunting dog Max into every mystery the town of Trotterwell has to offer. Unquiet phantoms, mischievous pranksters, restless hordes of fae, keepers of the dead and, naturally, a tribe descending from the ancient pre-Celtic Britons … they’re all here. Because this is the haunted heart of the Peak District, and what you’ve heard is true: There’s horror in the hills.
Put on the kettle, and dive into this spine-tickling collection of Cosy Paranormal Novellas & Novelettes.
Review
Let me start off this review with a small rant. How is it possible that a collection of stories this good, with a brilliantly conceived protagonist, can languish on Goodreads without a single rating or review until I came along? It’s a little better over on Amazon, with four ratings (all of them five stars) and a single, glowing (in a non-spooky way) review. It doesn’t matter how good a book is – if people haven’t heard about it then they’re not going to find it and buy it. The main reason why I write reviews is because recommendations, reviews and ratings all help readers find new authors. The key takeaway here is more people need to be reading Owain Oakwood, because his books are brilliant.
The Horror in the Hills is Oakwood’s third collection of cosy paranormal short stories, featuring Argana Zeit, Trotterwell’s finest (OK – only) paranormal investigator. Her faithful dog Max and her wider gang of friends and acquaintances all return, some of whom are stranger than others. The town of Trotterwell isn’t real, but everywhere else is mentioned is the Peak District is, although it’s viewed through Oakwood’s literary lens:
“Personally, I think it’s the wilder places that draw the paranormal. There’s something about cities and technologies that represses it. So, it makes sense that out here in the Peaks is a good place to look for it.”
That beautifully conjured sense of place has always been one of the big selling points for me with these stories. The descriptions are always spot on. For example, in the ‘Monster of Minninglow’ the city of Sheffield, its university, Weston Park and the museum that sits in its grounds are all brought to life on the page. I recognise those descriptions instantly, so even if you haven’t visited a particular location, you can be assured Oakwood is painting an accurate picture.
There are certainly strange goings on aplenty in these tales, where we encounter ghostherds, boggarts, druidic ceremonies, a mystery at Halloween and an adventure involving a missing scientist, who might have ventured too far into the quantum realm. As ever, Oakwood’s style ensures this is a relaxing, enjoyable read. The darker scenes don’t last long before the mood lightens, and each story displays Oakwood’s sharp wit:
“The loan car was a Daewoo Matiz, a vehicle so small she could have turned it upside down and called it a lunchbox, and there still wouldn’t have been enough room to fit in a yoghurt for pudding.”
In this third volume the length of the tales is more variable, with some of these short stories long enough to warrant individual chapters, as they get close to novella length. You can see Oakwood was experimenting more with the format before giving Argana Zeit the novel-length treatment in his 2024 release No Fae Back Now. I put off reading that book for far too long, and I’ll be posting my review of the novel in the coming weeks.
If you’ve not read Owain Oakwood then you really should give his stories a try. If you do and you enjoy them, then please don’t forget to help spread the word. This is one author I strongly believe deserves to have have many more readers.
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