Reviewed by Stephen K.
TITLE: Gothika
AUTHOR: Eli Easton
PUBLISHER: Independently Published
LENGTH: 302 Pages
RELEASE DATE: October 8th 2020
BLURB:
Immerse yourself in four tales of love and gothic horror in this anthology by Eli Easton. Each story is novella length.
“Reparation”
On the harsh planet of Kalan, weakness is not tolerated. When young spore farmer Edward suffers a carriage accident that kills his mail-order bride and his factory manager, Edward has little chance of survival, until Knox—an enormous “reconstitute” slave—plucks him from disaster.
Recons are part machine, part human remains from executed Federation prisoners. But Knox is different from other recons. He can read and has flashes of brilliance. With no one else to rely on over the bleak winter, Edward forms an alliance with Knox, and against social taboos, they become friends. Edward struggles against his growing lust for the large humanoid, and while Knox thrives in his new life, memories of his past torment him.
A twist of fate brought Knox and Edward together, but there will be a price to pay in blood when they learn how deeply their lives truly intersect
“The Bird”
Colin Hastings is sent to Jamaica in 1870 to save his father’s sugar cane plantation. If he succeeds, he can marry his fiancée back in London and take his place in proper English society. But Colin finds more than he bargained for on the island. His curiosity about Obeah, the native folk magic, leads him to agree to a dangerous ritual where he is offered his heart’s most secret desire—one he’s kept deeply buried all his life. What happens when a proper English gentleman has his true sensual nature revealed and freed by the Obeah spirits?
“Among the Dead”
Ever since his accident, Neil Gaven sees dead people. He’s isolated himself, unable to bear the constant barrage of sadness and grief. But a gentle ghost grabs his attention on the bus one day. He seems to understand, to have some secret to impart. Neil works to interpret the ghost’s clues. Then they lead him to Trist, a homeless young man who is also tormented by spirits. Are they two of a kind? Maybe together they can find a way to live among the dead.
“The Black Dog”
Constable Hayden MacLairty is used to life being dull around the tiny hamlet of Laide on the north Scottish coast. They get occasional tourists, “monster hunters” interested in the local legend of the Black Dog, but Hayden thinks that’s only a myth. A rash of sheep killings, a murdered hiker, huge footprints, and sightings of the Black Dog force Hayden to rethink the matter. With the help of Simon Corto, a writer from New York doing research for a book about the Black Dog, Hayden tries to figure out why the enormous hound is reappearing. Hayden finds himself strongly attracted to another person for the first time in his life. But between the danger stalking the hills, Simon’s inevitable return to New York, and Hayden’s mother’s illness, true love may be more of a phantom than the Black Dog.
REVIEW:
These tales will make the reader uncomfortable.
Reparation deals with Edward, a younger son ill-suited to taking over the family’s spore plantation on the harsh world of Kalan. But after the eldest son and Edward’s father are killed in a pirate raid, he must do just that.. Then, when the plantation manager and Edward’s mail-order bride are killed in a carriage accident, Edward is saved by Knox, a “Recon.” Recons are Frankenstein’s monster like. They’re slaves altered to live in the planet’s harsh conditions with the “reconditioned” minds of one condemned prisoner and the body of another. As Edward starts to treat Knox more humanely the “recon” starts to recover some of his pre-execution skills and memories. As those memories surface we are genuinely asked to consider just who the monsters are.
The Bird – when Jamaican island magic frees a repressed Englishman’s passion, can he finally live the kind of life he’s never been brave enough to dream of? This is kinder gentler tale of the mysterious, but then Jamaica with its gentler climate may just be ideal for some.
Among the Dead – Following a concussion Neil finds himself in a “Sixth Sense situation.” He sees dead people. He also sees a psychiatrist (living) His visions have turned him into a bit of an urban recluse. Then one of his ghosts leads him to someone else who seems to be having the same problem only more so. Can the these two get through life better together? Maybe it’s a match made in limbo.
The Black Dog – Hayden MacLairty is a constable in a small Scottish town. He’s the youngest of the MacLairty boys. He’s also the only one that stuck around the small town of Laide. Never all that interested in either boys or girls, he’s stuck living at home with his aging mum. And mom’s Alzheimer’s is getting worse by the day. Then NYC based author, Simon Corto comes to their small town to gather background material for a new novel. He’s interested in “the Black Dog,” a legendary local guardian that only appears at times of national troubles. When Hayden and Simon meet, both men are surprised by their mutual attraction. While the major plot-line is m/m, this tale is very evocative of it’s locale. Local color plays as much of a role as any of the characters. But remember Heathcliffe and Catherine ended up in side by side graves. There’s a certain chill to this tale beyond that conjured by the Black Dog…
These tales put a new twist (a gay bent?) on several old Gothic plots that have been used in more than a few movies. And in addition to these being m/m friendly, they all make you think a bit, or maybe allow you to fantasize a bit. Reparation raises several morale questions that weren’t even remote concerns when Frankenstein was originally penned. It’s by far the strongest of the tales in my estimation. But all four are just the thing for curling up with on a dark & stormy night. Each of the tales can stand alone. Other than their m/m focus and their “Night Gallery” feel, there’s not a lot tying them together. All four also bring their own peculiar sense of dread. Each tale is a bit m/m gothic but also a bit more. It got me really yearning for a day when a gay Rod Serling type could introduce tales like this in a regular weekly TV program. In the mean time, I’ll make do with these text versions.
RATING: 
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