“The Stowaway”, written by Clyde Edwards, is paranormal thriller that explores what happens when ones greatest dream becomes a living nightmare. The book features a unique plot that revolves around a classic adventure that quickly becomes supernatural horror.
The novel introduces the reader to a young man, Kit Cabot, who is being groomed to take over his family’s shipping fortune in 1808 Boston, Massachusetts. While Kit yearns for the approval of his father, he finds the day-to-day operations of the family business impossibly dull. Determined to do something more with his life, and attracted to the seafaring life of his uncle, Kit decides to stowaway on his uncles ship. Instead of being swept up in the life of adventure and romance he always imagined, Kit finds himself subjected to harsh 1800s maritime conditions and another stowaway with a sinister mission of its own.
Extremely well written, “The Stowaway” combines high sea adventure with dark horror. Combining a young man’s discovery of the realities of living at sea with the forced realization that inhuman entities exist and threaten the world, Edwards manages to create a world filled with both mundane and supernatural dangers. The characters in the story were all well-developed and, with the carefully crafted dialogue, kept the story moving at an even pace. However, while the story was well paced it was almost too short with the climax and conclusion occurring in rapid succession leaving one wanting to know what happens to Kit next.
Overall, “The Stowaway” by Clyde Edwards is an expertly crafted book that follows the tradition of maritime adventure and classic horror. Showing an excellent knowledge of life on the high seas during the 1800s, Edwards is able to build a claustrophobic sense of supernatural terror as the characters are forced to deal with the dangers of nature and an unknown horror possessing the ship. I highly recommend this book to any who love good horror with a supernatural flare and historical fiction.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in New Jersey, Clyde Edwards now resides in Philadelphia, PA. He has been writing thriller and horror fiction for nearly 15 years. He is currently working on his next horror novel Darkness Returns. Set in present-day Charleston, South Carolina, Darkness Returns tells the story of Lily, Nate, and Amelia, three childhood playmates who come together twenty years later to face a truth that no one wants to see. While living in a crumbling plantations, Lily Goodliffe is haunted by a murder victim from the past. Uncovering the truth about the ghost and even more recent murders, she must first deal with the strange occurrences that haunt her mind.
Reviewed by Damnetha Jules
Damnetha is a staff writer, horror book and movie critic.
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