Into the Green Wild Yonder by Peter Crowther and Tim Lebbon
PS Publishing (August 2024)
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand
Acclaimed authors Peter Crowther and Tim Lebbon have joined forces to produce this nightmarishly surreal novella about a young couple, a rundown old garden, and an ancient evil.
Gordon and Sally Kenney are house hunting when they visit a rundown old home with a wildly overgrown garden. They find themselves both repulsed by, and strangely drawn to, the old-fashioned decor, the creepy old lady who shows them around, and the untamed thicket that bears a sign saying, “Beware of the Garden.”
Misgivings aside, the price is right and the Kenneys soon find themselves moving in. The massive renovation process causes some tension between the two, and one day Gordon decides to tackle something he can see immediate results with…so he ignores the sign, packs some tools and snacks, and disappears into the garden.
It might be a tired comparison at this point, but what follows feels like an especially twisted episode of The Twilight Zone. Time ceases to have any relatable meaning. The landscape shifts and stretches around Gordon, who is helpless to watch as his house moves further and further away. Something, or some things, are rustling around in the bushes, and off in the distance he can hear the sound of something massive striking the ground — and every time he hears it, it sounds a little bit closer.
The authors paint Gordon’s growing terror in precise strokes, taking him from confused to panicked to resilient to resigned over the middle portion of the book. Just when the story feels like it’s starting to meander a bit, Gordon arrives at a destination of sorts, and the truth of his situation is made clear. Seasoned horror readers will probably have a good idea of where things are going once they reach this part of the journey, but anticipating the conclusion doesn’t make its arrival any less effective.
Into the Green Wild Yonder is a great first read for the autumn season. Creepy, engaging, and engrossing, it pulls you in and tightens its grip until the last, heartbreaking page.
