Walker Kane dies while fighting a centuries-old blood thirsty monster hiding in the dark catacomb of Edinburgh who was about to sacrifice his daughter, Emily. A military by training, he is the most active character of the thrilling new horror novella by J.F.Penn, an author I love to feature regularly on my blog.
Catacomb is short, yet a very elaborated atmosferic novel, built on old legends and urban myths. The monster wandering the catacombs of Edinburgh needs a feminine sacrifice in order to allow the inhabitants to continue their lives. A ´cabal´ - if there is something I may dislike about this book is this unhappy use of this word - of city´s dark minds - among which the university rector, the father of Emily´s boyfriend - is aimed at guaranteeing the local peace, but instead of fighting the monster, they just accept the situation trying to appease him.
A librarian, Laurel, who ´loved to follow breadcrumbs of knowledge to new discovery´ and an Urbexer, Maxine Mbaye - my favorite character for her curious spirit - together with Walker, are starting the terrifying adventure to save the life of the young girl, running against the sacrifice clock.
J.F.Penn does not disappoint, with her perfect measure of including myths and legends into the daily life of contemporary characters, fighting for their life or other people´s better life. Each chapter ends announcing a major twist to follow, and both the action scenes and ambiance descriptions are well crafted. The descriptions of places and times do announce dramatic developments in the story, with a strong visual impact. Actually, I can imagine this story as a movie, as in the case of many other books by this author.
Catacomb is a recommended short yet eventful read for lovers of urban horror and thriller stories, with some ancient touch and legendary references.
Rating: 4 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered by the author in exchange for an honest review
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