The Respectable Face of Tyranny

What monsters used to achieve with claws, they now manage with pens . . . Three years ago, Josh lost a lot of money on the unforgiving stock market. Now he's divorced and living with his teenage daughter in a seaside caravan. Sally wants a tattoo; Josh just needs work. For solace, he explores Saltwick Bay, a secluded stretch of beach whose cliff-side rock runs back to the ruthless Jurassic periods. There's also a rotting boat there, leftover from the violent Second World War. But when eerie creatures appear at night, dancing in the silent bay, Josh's mind starts turning along unfathomable tracks, which may lead right back to the birth of tyranny . . . Gary Fry's new novella channels the spirit of Algernon Blackwood and other great masters of the weird tale, summoning forces from this world and others in a relentless symphony of unease.