The Doors Of Chamberlain: Steve L. Clarke
Reviewed By Simon Paul Wilson
2021 May have been crap for a lot of reasons, but it was a good year for me when it came to reading short story collections. One of my favourites of last year was Steve L. Clark’s The Collapse of Ordinary. If you haven’t read it yet, then I certainly recommend you do so, as it’s a brilliant book.
So, when he unleashed his first novella, I had to go get a copy, as I was very excited to see what Steve had come up with.
What follows is a spoiler-free review of said book.
Are you ready to open the door?
Here’s the blurb:
When Janie’s boyfriend Mark goes missing while filming a ghost-hunting documentary, she spirals into a deep depression. Three months pass with no leads or answers.
With all hope fading and facing the reality of a future without him, Janie receives a package in the mail with no return address. It contains a flash drive and a simple note…
Mark is not dead. I need your help. Watch the videos.
The truth is more sinister than she imagined. She shares the videos with Mark’s sister Leslie, and together they are pulled into a mystery that changes everything.
Sometimes the missing should not be found.
The Doors of Chamberlain is a mix of found footage frights, a haunted house tale, and a cosmic horror yarn. It is also a love story. Quite a mix, right? Let me tell you, Mr. Clark mixes these four ingredients together expertly and creates something that will keep you turning those pages.
I particularly enjoyed the found footage element of this book. It was extremely well done and had some very creepy set pieces. The introduction of Lovecraftian horror was also really well written. To be honest, my only gripe would be that I wish this novella was longer, as I could have easily read another hundred pages or so! Please take that as a compliment, Steve, and a gentle elbow in the ribs to start working on a novel.
In closing. I would like to say I really enjoyed Doors. It was an exciting mystery, with creepy goings-on, and an ending I didn’t see coming. I’d really be interested in reading a sequel, as I think there is definitely scope to return to this story.
Anyway, this book gets two thumbs up and comes recommended for fans of found footage and cosmic oddness.
Now, where the hell did that door come from?
The Doors Of Chamberlain
Something lives behind the door.
When Janie’s boyfriend Mark goes missing while filming a ghost-hunting documentary, she spirals into a deep depression. Three months pass with no leads or answers.
With all hope fading and facing the reality of a future without him, Janie receives a package in the mail with no return address. It contains a flash drive and a simple note…
Mark is not dead. I need your help. Watch the videos.
The truth is more sinister than she imagined. She shares the videos with Mark’s sister Leslie, and together they are pulled into a mystery that changes everything.
Sometimes the missing should not be found.
You can buy The Doors Of Chamberlain from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Simon Paul Wilson
Simon Paul Wilson is a U.K. based writer of horror and science fiction.
He is currently writing a cyberpunk horror trilogy, the first of which is GhostCityGirl and was published by Not A Pipe publishing in 2020.
Click this link for more info: Ghost City Girl
There now follows a list of writers who have influenced his reading tastes and writing style:
James Herbert. Stephen King, Shaun Hutson, Clive Barker, China Mieville, Haruki Murakami, Carlton Mellick III, Brian Keene, and Adam Nevill.
Simon lives somewhere in the middle of England with his wonderful family. He likes to listen to post-rock and progressive rock at loud volumes. He also plays a mean air bass.
Follow him on Twitter: @spwzen
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