Book Review: Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic by Catherine Lundoff
Per the author’s introduction, the style of stories in this volume were inspired by her love for the artwork of Edward Gorey and Victorian ghost stories. And so we have a dozen short stories of horror and dark fantasy.
“The Mask and the Amontillado” is a riff on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic story, which is more specific about Montresor’s motive. It’s an okay opener.
“A Splash of Crimson” is–perhaps–a ghost story. Or perhaps the governess is simply hallucinating the shade of her dead mistress, with whom she shared secrets. And perhaps more.
“Bluebeard’s Wife” examines the domestic arrangements of Jack the Ripper. Have you ever wondered why the Ripper crimes suddenly stopped? A prime example of a man’s blind spots. Among other things, has domestic abuse.
“Duchess” is told in second person as “you” are sent to discuss contracts with a Duke whose wife has passed away. There’s something creepy about the portrait of her, but the Duke’s insistence on finding a new bride seems creepier.
“Medium Mechanique” is edging towards the steampunk, as a seance is held by a woman with a mechanical eye. The spirits she summons are fearsome, but are they more fearsome than Madame LaFarge’s clients?
“Miss Lucy’s Glass” is parts of Dracula told from the perspective of Lucy Westenra’s maid. She’s very close to her mistress, and as you might imagine, it does not go well with her.
“Cherubim” has an abused young woman lash out against her father with a spell she has learned behind his back. But she has summoned up something she cannot send back, so what are her next steps?
“Preserves” takes us into science fiction, as a woman prepares the last batch of blood orange marmalade on Earth. There is a generation ship leaving soon, but who will be on it?
“Haunted” is set in a nursing home where one of the residents is hearing a voice long dead.
“Home Staging, with Phantasm” is a twist on exorcising a haunted house, using the ghost’s prejudices against it.
“Firebird” concerns the last prima ballerina in the last ballet company. Will this be her last leap?
“The Temporary” closes out the volume with an office worker discovering that she’s turned invisible. But the changes don’t end there.
The stories range from slight to quite good; my favorites are “Preserves” and “Bluebeard’s Wife.” This volume is slim, and some of the stories, like “Firebird” are short-shorts that are barely there. Modern attitudes about sexual attraction and gender are present, which leavens the Victorian settings of some of the tales.
Recommended to dark fantasy fans, and you may want to purchase it directly from Queen of Swords Press.
