Sidney Williams' newest novel, a fairly short one titled A Disturbance of Shadows, begins on an intriguing note: Bryn and Reyes, on a trip to investigate a ghostly legend for their paranormal podcast, end up with their vehicle disabled, are found by a man who appears genuinely helpful, and are led to Lovegrove Farm, where help appears imminent. However, the house itself has a haunted history, which involves Aleister Crowley, so they turn their efforts from their original story to the house. As things begin to turn truly weird, it becomes clear they may have bitten off more than they can chew.
Sidney Williams has an engaging authorial voice, and I loved following the
characters as they make their way down increasingly intriguing—and
menacing—corridors. We have some quirky (and a few dangerous) characters, a
smattering of genuine surprises, and a powerful climax.
A Disturbance of Shadows is a solid, well-crafted story, and I
quite enjoyed it. My only real caveat is that the text is typo-heavy,
occasionally enough to distract me from the narrative. Cleaning those up would
help the reading flow.
