Harper: A Collection of Horrors

A meager string of unconnected deadly incidents loses momentum in Spacepol publisher Njalsson’s unsatisfying horror tale. Middle-aged Gordon Groff recounts the harrowing events that traumatized his Southern California city of Harper between 1950 and 1980. The cause is superficially explained as a geological fissure under the town. Over the years, Harperites have encountered cleverly depicted sentient pieces of plastic that cut children to death, but also less satisfying monstrous phenomena: a child-size, fur-covered entity that terrorizes a carnival, a red mask that suffocates children, and a headless home intruder who burns and dismembers victims. These terrors are described in banal, sagging prose: “He was severely injured and ran for his life as the creature angrily tossed his severed forearm to the floor.” With events presented as Gordon recalls them, rather than chronologically, continuity and tension are sacrificed. Denial permeates the residents, parents, police, journalists, and government, so no one acknowledges the scope of torment and cost in human lives and grief. The setup promises more chills than Njalsson delivers. (Sept.)