Name: The Weight of Words
ISBN: 9781596068254

William Schafer

Dave McKean

Ten authors have created a series of narratives, each inspired by one of McKean's paintings.

The Weight of Words

Maggie Gordon

Thank you Netgalley and Subterranean Press for an ARC for review purposes!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Subterranean Press Mira Grant novella? (Dies of happiness)

I can only imagine that Mira Grant was cackling in delight as she wrote this book. It's a novella that relies heavily on themes from horror movies, and the power of fear to draw people together. In Final Girls, Dr. Jennifer Webb has created an incredibly innovative and groundbreaking therapy. Using a combination of VR and psychotropic drugs, she helps create intensely realistic dreams for people, designed to help them overcome emotional problems in their lives. The catch is that these scenarios are all frightening experiences based on common horror stories. Though despite how weird and scary it sounds, the process seems to work. 

Not everyone buys these claims though, and Esther Hoffman, a science journalist, has been invited to write a story about the Webb's new therapy. Esther's past has made her into a perfect skeptic, and Webb thinks that if she can convince Esther that the therapy is legitimate, the publicity will help her expand her operations. So Esther comes for a visit, agrees to try a scenario, and then everything goes to hell as one would expect in this type of story!

Grant was created a fascinating science fiction world in Final Girls with seemingly endless possibilities. You can also tell that she's quite familiar with the tropes of horror as she uses a variety of different tools from this genre to make this story successful and wonderfully dreadful. It's thought-provoking, horrifying, and deliciously uncomfortable! 

I was also pleased that the story fit the novella format. Sure, I think with the addition of some subplots, this could have made a good novel, but it certainly wouldn't be the same story. As a novella, it's satisfying and uses its length effectively. 

I should note that Subterranean Press books are worth every penny. Sure, this novella is $40 if you buy it, but it's a limited edition, signed copy that's is probably as beautifully bound as the other books I have gotten from Subterranean. Plus, they tend to sell out and become VERY hard to find if you don't jump on them fast! Don't let the cost dissuade you. Subterranean produces amazing books, and if you like have extra stories from your favourite SFF authors, you should buy their stuff!