• Author: Joe Hill
• Publisher: Amazon Publishing
• Publishing year: 2024
• Pages: 29
• Cover design: Brian Lemus
• ISBN: 978-1662527944

https://a.co/d/e1iwgbL

Review:

Joe Hill has mastered the art of short stories, just like his father, where in only a limited amount of pages he brings a terrifying and creepy tale. ‘Ushers’ provides all that in only just 29 pages!

Martin Lorensen is a twenty-three year old counselor for disturbed teenagers, who has escaped death twice now. The last time he warned a mother and a child about their imminent death and this worries the police. Special agents Oates and Duvall interview Martin about this only to not get real answers. They both believe something darker is at play, something where Martin fits in. It’s only when Special Agent Duvall is by himself for a second interview that Martin starts to tell the truth behind his survival skills. But sharing this has certain repercussions. Luck has nothing to do with escaping death, because death always has a back-up plan!

This may sound a bit like a ‘Final Destination’ story but it’s not. It could be, but it’s not! (I should put a smiley face here but I won’t). Joe Hill takes the image of death and angels to a whole new level. Somehow it also reminds me a little of the creatures, bodachs, from Dean Koontz’ Odd Thomas series (although those are really malevolent).

“They weren’t alone. None of them. When you die, you aren’t alone. They’re always there, at the end, to collect you.”

This little short story is Hill at his best. During these two interviews in the story we are thrown from doubt to amazement to ‘hell, no!’ and even though you see the end coming, you’re still shivering with goosebumps by how he knows how to surprise us! City of Angels meets Joe Hill!