The Black Shuck Shadows series continues to impress. These single-author micro-collections showcase a selection of peculiar tales. They share a similar aesthetic, an image, often repeated, within a circle. The use of an archaeological tool here, alongside the colour scheme perfectly represents what holds these stories together: archaeology. What a wonderful concept for a series of tales. And what really impressed me about Dirt Upon My Skin was that within this sphere of archaeology, there’s such a range of different subject genres of horror that it touches upon. The 10 tales in here contain a variety of horrors, and pre-existing knowledge of archaeology is not required! As someone with only base knowledge, I felt drawn into the world enough without ever feeling like it was being explained to me.
The collection opens with ‘The Ercildoun Accord’ – a dark fantasy story about the agreement between two worlds – one Faery – about how archaeological activities can be carried out. I found it really fitting genre-wise, and a great introduction to the collection. It suggests this idea that archaeology is an encroachment into another world, which feels incredibly fitting.
I loved the ever-growing strangeness of ‘To Rectify in Silver’. Every time Marissa studies a particular photograph, it somehow changes, something which becomes an obsession until she returns to the site. A very satisfying conclusion to this one.
‘God in a Box’ is by far the shortest story in the collection, a piece of flash fiction which brought a smile.
‘Dirt Upon my Skin’ contains some pretty gruesome imagery. Sally and Campbell work a site together. Campbell goes wandering. In seeking him, Sally finds ever more strange things as she Garstang Estate which is set to be cleared. The tension ramps up throughout this very enjoyable story.
This collection also features stories with unconventional narrative structures. ‘The Ercildoun Accord’ had extracts from the accord and other documents to help inform the story. ‘Traverse’ uses a mix of site diary entries and personal diary entries telling the story of a strange occurrence during a failed project. It’s foreshadowed early on, and only grows, leaning into a folk tale on the site heavily.
‘Tuppence a Bag’ again shows the variety in this collection with a tale about zombie pigeons. Yes, it works – far better than it is entitled to. It could almost be a precursor to and explanation for ‘The Birds’.
‘Breach’ has a fantastic premise, with archaeologists under control in a highly authoritarian dystopian society. There’s much more going on in this world that we ever see on the page, but it feels like it’s fleshed out behind the scenes. The concept of their being ‘ghosts’ hidden within the earth, and there being things that could be dangerous is very well handled. It has a very satisfying conclusion.
‘Horn and Hoof’ presents some of the challenges of those whose projects are held up due to archaeological discoveries. Mr French is presented as an awful human being with no respect for the past. His refusal to allow for a discovery to be properly unearthed proves to have an unexpected but deserved consequence.
Again, in ‘Terminus Post Quem’ Toase uses a series of documents to reveal the story. It’s very well handled. The oddities in each entry in the trench records start to build, and we’re left with another sinister and worrying outcome.
The final story Zaun König takes place on a wet and miserable dig. The cold and the damp and the misery come across strongly here. It’s a story which grows increasingly weirder as something is unearthed on the site. It again lives within the world of archaeology and the world of folklore, with a discovery relating to the Zaunkönig, the Lord of Barriers. What fate will those who have broken this barrier suffer?
I really enjoyed the collection, and thought the archaeological connection to each story was fascinating. The range of different forms and sub-genres made for a fascinating read. A great collection.