First published back in 1985, Janet Lorimer’s short tale ‘Tomb Of Horror’ was released as a stand-alone story for the Fearon Education ‘Fastback’ series. The Fastback series were designed to encourage reluctant readers to take up reading, keeping the stories short, sharp and thrilling. This one was published within the ‘Horror’ series.
The story was later reprinted within the ‘Chamber Of Horrors’ (1991) Fastback Anthology.
DLS Synopsis:
The short vacation had come about because of a handwritten journal Randy had found in a second-hand bookstore. The book contained a map pertaining to the supposed location of an old abandoned and pretty much forgotten mine.
It was said Kroeger had discovered the mine back during the gold rush. However, there’d been an accident, and the main tunnel caved in. A lot of good men had died that day. Kroeger was the sole survivor of the tragedy. Since then, folks had left the mine alone, fearing a terrible curse.
Now Randy and his sister, Toni, had come to the mountain location for a week of camping. However, what Toni didn’t know was that Randy planned to explore the old mine. Explore the caverns which had been left untouched for countless decades. A mine that had been abandoned for a very good reason…
Hawaiian author Janet Lorimer’s offering is a fast-paced story about an abandoned old mine and a dark curse. In fact, it’s not so much a curse, but rather a vampire story, with modest nods towards the likes of ‘Dracula’ (1897).
The story’s split into four short chapters, however, for the most part it simply sets down the intriguing premise, establishing the foundations for the mystery of the mine and what could be within. Only in the latter stages does the vampiric horror reveal itself. The result is a gloriously dark finale, far bleaker than you would have expected for a piece of teen fiction.
All in all, for a short, sharp stab at horror it’s not a bad little tale at all. Solid pacing, plenty of intrigue and mounting suspense. However, it’s that dark and sinister ending where the story really surprises you with a sudden grimness.
The Fastback runs for a total of 28 pages (which are just 4” x 5.5” with an average word count of around 100 words per page).
© DLS Reviews
