by Bentley
Little
ebook available from Amazon
Shorts
reviewed by Barbara Mulcahy
03.07.2008
“The Mall” is a short fiction piece in the horror genre. It centres on a derelict shopping mall, a
small boy and his missing father.
I must admit I prefer a full-length novel in a horror theme to build up
the excitement, but for such a short story, this has depth, which is very
unusual in this type of genre.
The story weaves itself around the boy’s fascination of the derelict
shopping mall and the sightings of his long lost father in it, much to the
mother’s horror and concern.
This is the first short fiction I have read by Bentley Little, and
whilst it is a superb read with a compelling social history element, he doesn’t
have the word capacity to actually get you gripping your seat in anticipation
as he leads you to the final chapter.
Saying that, the imagery he conjures up takes you into the depressing
world of today; with towns disappearing behind walls of graffiti and
bloodthirsty gangs which are now the norm.
Horror fans will enjoy this 10 – 15 minute read by the author who has
been called “The Master” by the master himself, Stephen King.