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 December by Phil Rickman
reviewed by Underview
Original appearance: Albedo one issue ??, date?
Phil Rickman may have created his own sub-genre with his latest novel - that of Gothic Rock 'n Roll Horror. Not to mention the fantasy Druid/Celt/ Monk theme. Hell, you can even throw in haunted house and demonic possession, ESP and messages from beyond the grave. DECEMBER could be described as the horror novel with everything. And that includes brilliant characterisation and a superb plot.
So, what else does he need? Publicity, I guess. If enough people can get to hear about this novel, and read it, word of mouth alone will carry Phil Rickman all the way to stardom. If this book had been written by an acknowledged name such as Stephen King or Dean Koontz, it would be guaranteed to lodge in the upper reaches of the bestsellers list for months. The asking prices for their next manuscripts would soar to even more astronomical heights. And Phil?
If there's any justice in the world at all, Phil Rickman will become the next big thing in horror, at least on this side of the Atlantic. He may be just a little too British for Yankee tastes. There might be just too much of the wild Celtic magic about his work for them to relate to. But it does have rock 'n roll.
On the night John Lennon was murdered, in December 1980, an English band, put together by a record company specifically for the purpose, was recording an album based on Welsh legend in a studio that was converted from an ancient abbey. The hero of the legends on which the album was based, had reputedly died in the abbey. You can almost hear the sleazy record company executive say "Oh, by the way, the abbey's haunted, as well." Which is one of the main reasons why the band is comprised of these particular personalities. They have at least one thing in common: each of them is psychic.
The recording session breaks up in tragedy and the tapes of the session are destroyed. Or are they? Fourteen years later, someone digs up the tapes. If the band can be coerced into getting back together and finishing the recording - in the abbey of course- -there could be a lot of money to be made. Never mind the fact that the abbey is likely to kill them.
This is a story about the people as much as the events in which they become involved. A full two thirds of the novel is spent delineating the backgrounds of the musicians and the machinations of those around them to involve them in the project. Naturally, the record company execs are the bad guys and if I have one, albeit minor, crib it is that the main villain of the piece is kept very much in the background and given a very low profile. At the end he is the only main character whose motivation is not thoroughly explored and therefore convincing. But only because everyone else is so beautifully rounded.
I could not recommend this novel more highly. Five stars.
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