Blurb:

Legends say a dead god is buried under the stone city of Ishcairn, protecting its inhabitants by dashing enemy fleets into the jagged coast of Craeburn. Adjunct professor Corrie Ecksley doesn’t believe any of that, but she knows from her work excavating nearby burial sites that the ancient Craeburn people believed it enough to name the city after their dead god, Ish.

When the ripples of a great war finally reach Craeburn’s shores, a terrifying new weapon is unleashed on the city that not even Ish can deter. A bomb that tears souls from bodies, driving anyone who witnessed the blast insane. But it is not the living that Corrie fears. Displaced spirits are hungry for a body, and care not if it already plays host to a soul.

No bullets can stop them, no walls are thick enough to keep them out.

No help is coming.

No one left but Corrie to stop the carnage, if she even can.

Review:

To state the obvious right off the bat, Cal Black’s Shattered Spirits: The Fall of Ishcairn is a masterclass in how to write gripping and tense horror fantasy. In the span of just under 80 pages, this novella provides chills and frights along with a mind-bending plot that excites right from the beginning and has left me wanting more from this world in all the best ways.

The people of Ishcairn believe there to be a dead god named Ish lying in wait beneath their city, protecting them from enemy fleets in their time of war. But not even the power of Ish can prevent a new weapon from being unleashed on their city. After surviving the bombs that rip a person’s soul from their body, adjunct professor Corrie Ecksley has but one goal: uproot the mystery behind the attacks. But more than that, she must survive. Because the bombs were only the first threat. The scattered spirits are much, much more dangerous.

Atmosphere is one of the key things in a good horror story, and Cal Black absolutely nailed it in this book. Everything feels claustrophobic, that no matter how small or wide a space is, something will be lurking, and no place is safe. There is never a feeling that anyone is safe, and the question in my mind was never, “How is Corrie going to get out of this?” but rather, “What is going to happen to her at the end?” Once the bombs dropped and the horrors erupted from there, I could not put the book down. 

I found Corrie to be a fascinating character, well-rounded and multi-dimensional. Seeing Ishcairn fall to madness through the eyes of an educator familiar with the city’s history added layers to the horrors, as not only do we see the lengths to which she will go to survive, but we also see the histories of Ishcairn both come alive and fall apart. It was an expert approach to worldbuilding to have the escape solutions be tied to the knowledge Corrie has as part of her research and profession. And beyond her intelligence and resourcefulness, we also see her be compassionate and protective and vindictive. That she has so much depth in such a short book is a testament to Black’s skills as an author.

The titular shattered spirits are just as memorable. It’s been over a week since I finished this book, and I’m still thinking about the displaced spirits in search for a new body. Whenever a tense sequence with the spirits concluded, I felt I had to stop and catch my breath. They’re such a simple horror creature, but how they’re depicted is impeccable. I have a strong feeling I’m going to continue thinking about these spirits years on in the same regard I hold the slakemoths from Perdido Street Station. They’re that good and memorable. And spooky. Really goddamn spooky.

If you’ve been looking for a new horror fantasy to read with all the lights on, then Shattered Spirits: The Fall of Ishcairn is the one for you. It’s scary and tense, and all the frights feel incredibly well-earned. Cal Black has written an absolute gem here.