Prolific horror author Mark Morris digs deep into the dark corners of Norse mythology for his latest novel, That Which Stands Outside, a story of dark forces twisting and manipulating people for their own dark ends – dark ends that could have terrible repercussions for the human race. Ragnarok is at hand…
Struggling actor Todd Kingston is eking out a living working in London bars but his life seems to change for the better when he rescues Yrsa Helgerson from muggers one rainy night. The two quickly form a passionate relationship, and when Yrsa’s mother dies unexpectedly, Todd feels obliged to join her as she returns to her ancestral home, a remote Nordic island called Eldfjallaeyja (bless you), to arrange and attend the funeral. But all’s not well on the tiny, insular island. Yrsa is treated with, at best, distrust and, at worst, absolute hatred and even an element of fear by the colourful cast of locals. Yrsa takes Todd across the island to a cluster of caves known as the Devil’s Throat, where, as a child, she becomes briefly trapped and in fear for her life. She tells Todd that she saw something deep in the caves, something that could be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the modern age. Todd calls for help from his building engineer brother Robin, who arrives with drilling equipment and a group of burly riggers. But Yrsa is behaving increasingly erratically, and the hostility from the islanders is growing…
That Which Stands Outside is a brisk, crisp, no-nonsense read. The mystery of who – or what – Yrsa really is powers the narrative and keeps the pages turning, helped by the fact that Morris writes zippy, believable dialogue and populates the story with well-crafted characters. Todd, in particular, is a hapless and rather naïve innocent caught in the eye of the maelstrom (quite literally towards the end of the book), captivated by the dazzling allure of the magnetic, persuasive Yrsa. Morris’ use of Norse mythology does seem a bit random – Ragnarok and Yggdrasil (the tree at the end of the world) – are thrown into the mix without much explanation of their relevance or what they mean, and the explosion of incident and action (and some gruesome body horror when the grotesque and mythical Jötnar appear) in the book’s third act threatens to turn it into another routine zombie yarn. But this is a gripping and generally well-paced horror story that makes good use of its bleak, claustrophobic location and delivers some intriguing plot twists and proper old-school chills.
THAT WHICH STANDS OUTSIDE is available now from Flame Tree Press.
