Phillip Fracassi has emerged as a force in horror over the past few years, as his Boys in the Valley rocked the genre, and rightfully so. After a pair of solid follow ups (Gothic and A Child Alone with Strangers), he’s hit another home run with Sarafina.
Fans might struggle to categorize this one, which lends to the magic poured between the covers. As part of the Earthling Publications mystique, this one resonates long after the final page. It’s part horror and part fairy tale, but holds elements of other genres within. Read it and decide if a label fits — but does it even matter with a story this enthralling?
It begins during one of the worst battles in the Civil War, Shiloh, and the south is bleeding out. Three brothers, Ethan, Mason, and Archie, decide that living is much more preferable than getting blown to pieces for a war that doesn’t care about them. They take off running, knowing that the confederate army will have a bounty on their heads before they even get close to home in Mississippi.
The brothers aren’t angels, yet it’s unclear whether it’s a product of nature or nurture, as war can turn a man into a monster in a heartbeat.
As death reaches for them, they stumble upon a house in the woods. An odd creek surrounds the land, adding to the Grimm Brothers vibe that grows with each chapter. A beautiful woman greets them with her son, explaining her husband is off fighting in the senseless war as well. She invites them in and helps save Archie, bleeding out and on death’s doorstep, using herbs and natural remedies to stop the poison of the bullet in his gut. Something is a bit off, though, as she has massive dogs ready to protect her — and they do, in vicious fashion. Over the next several days, the brothers are eased back to health, and Ethan explores the fantasy-riddled property. Titus, the woman’s son, tells him how he should leave and points the way. But why?
Sarafina works her magic, figuratively and literally, on the trio of brothers, striking up a different tact with each. Who is she and why does she want them to stay? Her mystery unfolds along with the horrors, not dissimilar to a certain few characters in Homer’s Odyssey. It’s a dazzling story that begins with the horrors of war and builds to terrors not of this world, examining the human condition with brutally flawed characters, growing and withering as the plot unfolds in a tale readers will likely wish to take their time with.
Fracassi isn’t afraid to burrow into man’s ugliness in his stories and Sarafina takes this notion to a new level. The authenticity of the time period resonates as an ironclad base for the supernatural layer that he builds like a skilled mason.
Highly recommended reading.
