Epeolatry Book Review: Once More Round the Sun by Dave Musson
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Title: Once More Round the Sun: A Year of Dark Stories
Author: Dave Musson
Genre: horror
Publisher: Always Darkest Media
Publication Date: 13th August, 2024
Synopsis: Welcome to Kingsworth, why not stay a while?
The sleepy Warwickshire town of Kingsworth in the middle of England is, without doubt, a nice place to visit. There’s a castle, great schools, and lots of green space to enjoy.
But, like most nice places to visit, if you scratch the surface, you’ll find something a little darker. You know the kind of thing; unsettling stories that locals love to tell outsiders with the sole purpose of getting under their skin. Kingsworth is no different…there’s plenty to discover among its streets and homes that the local tourist board wouldn’t want you to hear about.
Whether it’s the mystery of the supernatural podcaster who vanished without a trace, the tragic tale of the local girl who got lost in the woods one Halloween, or the horrible fate that was waiting for a widow who just wanted to visit her husband’s grave, there’s more to Kingsworth than meets the eye. Oh, and what exactly happened to all those preschoolers that chilly afternoon?
Come along to Kingsworth and find out for yourself. In fact, why not spend a year here? There’s lots for you to uncover, a story for every month of the year in act, so join your tour guide Dave Musson and go Once More Round the Sun with him.
Well, Reader, we have passed the Summer Solstice with shorter days and longer nights. Among you are those longing for colder temperatures, while others don’t want to lose the sun’s warmth. Those of you who look forward to later months might do so because that’s the true horror season. While, still others, know horror doesn’t come once a year, but is present all year long!
From Dave Musson comes Once More Round The Sun: A year of dark stories, with horrifying tales for any time of the year. This collection is thirteen of Musson’s stories from multiple publications and several never before published works. Included is a wide range of horror subgenres, from supernatural to psychological to good old slasher.
My favorite story is “The Strange Phenomenon of Epping Manor”. I’m a big fan of found footage stories. Typically, authors use found media via letters, journals, or newspaper articles since detailing an audible piece of media can be difficult. In this case, Musson has found a clear way to deliver the output of a recording. Along with the actions of investigators trying to solve a missing persons case, the story transitions back and forth for a well-constructed story.
Environment is key to many of the stories and Musson does a great job building atmosphere throughout. Choosing to set stories in more commonly light or dark places helps to enforce the time of year. While reading Litha during one of the hottest summers on record (I reside in the northern hemisphere), it took very little for me to feel like I was at a June midsummer celebration. I did, however, find myself feeling noticeably cooler as the stories slipped into the later part of the year.
When readers think of stories that are set over the course of a year, most would assume they are linked to holidays. Musson doesn’t limit his stories to such confines save for major holidays. It’s likely that you’ll ask yourself, “What makes this a [insert month here] story?” Perhaps, it’ll only be a passing reference to the month or time of year, but don’t let that take away from this solid collection.
As a quick aside, to all my fellow American readers, Musson’s book is set in the United Kingdom. I understood that it was set in the UK, but when I got to November and the story had no reference to American Thanksgiving, it finally sunk in.
For fans of horror with lots of variety, I highly recommend Dave Musson’s Once More Round the Sun: A year of dark stories.
/5
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Joseph Pietris is a member of the United States Coast Guard by day and heavily involved in the horror community by night. His work has appeared in several anthologies. When not writing, he’s produced reviews and interviews preferring those works generally lost in the cracks. As an associate editor, Joseph has weeding through the submission piles of horror podcasts.
Joseph’s work can be found at Amazon.com: Joseph P. Pietris: books, biography, latest update
