They Live meets Chronicle

Horror newcomers Wesley Southard and Somer Canon’s first collaboration is a welcome addition to their growing body of work. A weird tale of monsters who live among us, Slaves to Gravity is a unique take on the classic genre themes of the outsider, or the unseen enemy within.

The story opens with Charlie, who wakes up in hospital after a horrific accident at work. Her doctors tell her that, while she will live, she will never walk again. Devasted by the news, Charlie begins a spiral into depression and darkness that threatens to consume her, until she realises the accident has had some unimagined consequences.  She can fly. She soon finds others who share her gift, but there is more to her new world than meets the eye. Charlie and her newfound friends are being hunted by unseen creatures determined to exterminate her and any others who defy gravity.

Fans of either author will recognise their own unique styles present in Slaves to Gravity. Wesley Southard’s penchant for the bizarre and strong character work is all present, as is Somer Canon’s knack for creating tension and taking stories in unexpected directions. They are a great pairing whose styles complement each other well.

While both are excellent writers, Slaves to Gravity is neither’s strongest work (I would suggest One for the Road and Killer Chronicles for anyone who is yet to discover Southard or Canon respectively). The story starts out well, and Charlie is certainly an interesting lead, but the writers are too keen to get to the meat, and there is no time given for Charlie’s diagnosis to have the impact that it deserves, and her newfound abilities come into play a little too quickly. Once the more supernatural elements do come into play, things get pretty crazy pretty fast and the pace is frantic until the final page. Unexpected twists are revealed, and new elements are introduced at a rapid pace and it makes for a grippingly readable book, but one that can frustrate as characters move on as quickly as they are introduced, or story points get lost along the way as the story pushes forward.

If you are looking for a straight horror story, you may leave frustrated by the direction the book ultimately takes but, if you are content to let yourself in for an anything goes experience, then Slaves to Gravity is nothing if not unpredictable.

While your mileage out of this book will depend on how far you are willing to suspend your disbelief, any reader who likes their horror with a dash of bizarro will find a lot to love about Slaves to Gravity. A fun, suspenseful, albeit odd book, the end result may not be to everyone’s tastes but it is a unique ride from two exciting new voices in horror.