I recently undertook a Mark Wesk Fest, starting with his Novella, The Mill, before progressing onto his Ill At Ease collection, written alongside Stephen Bacon and Neil Williams. Below is a little opinion of the two (not exactly a review because who am I to say what is right and what is wrong? I’m no expert. I just know what I like and what I don’t like)

THE MILL:

Firstly, don’t read this if you’re recently bereaved. That is not a joke. There is so much heartache in this little ditty that it will not do you any good. THE MILL is a haunting tale about loss and grief and the lengths people might go to just to spend one more minute with their dearly departed. A ghost story in the Susan Hill mould, THE MILL is gentle in its writing, offering respect for the subject matter as opposed to continuosly heading for the gullet. It veers away from sensationalism, even in the protagonist’s cussing (saying ‘bugger’ instead of ‘shit’ when he dreams of his lost wife but wakes up alone), so that when the harsh language is called upon, it’s so unexpected it hits you like a Klitschko left hook. Highly recommend this – but as I say, not if you’re grieving for whatever reason

ILL AT EASE

These stories are great. Great in style, great in humour, great in darkness and great in content. Opening with Steve’s story about a man dealing with the sins of an old friend (reminded me somewhat of Iain Banks’ COMPLICITY) before moving onto Mark’s story about a reunion in a small town (very WICKER MAN), the collection ends with what I feel is the most disturbing story as it involves a child (more DON’T LOOK NOW than THE GRUDGE). Though there are no plot surprises in any of the stories, they are all so well written that you don’t care. You know where you’re being led and you don’t mind. A normal person might turn away; might say, ‘no, I know where this leading and it’s wrong, just plain sick in the head’ but me? I loved it. Loved the journey, loved the destination. Personal favourite would be Mark’s because it appealed to my sense of humour but that doesn’t means it’s better than the other two. It just means I get Mark’s twisted comedy. If you want redemption, you’ll love Steve’s. If you want classic ghost story, you’ll adore Neil’s. An easy and cracking read.