http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a2/Joel-Lane_OnTarget.jpg
Here seems to be another tale in the vein of Ramsey Campbell’s urban horror style, and while its full of beautiful imagery, it just doesn’t pack enough of a punch.
Geoff comes home for the first time in a while to discover his parents’ home is a burned out hulk. No surprise, considering how the city has been having some problems of late. (Perhaps an allusion to Ireland’s Troubles?) He goes about the business of finding his family out of hopes that they survived whatever happened. In the course of his explorations, he comes upon an orphaned kid named Mark, who lives by himself in his old flat and sleeps on his family’s boat to avoid being immolated in another bombing.
They seem to get on pretty well until Mark mentions something called the Wheel. After some reluctance, he shows Geoff what he means. The townsfolk gather together and attach someone—a stranger—to a metal cross at a crossroads. They then spin the cross at an inhuman speed until sparks fly. When the cross comes to a stop, the person is no longer recognizable. This completely fucks with Geoff to the point where he can no longer accompany his child companion.
Sure, it’s a beautiful tale (and the Wheel certainly adds for a lot of horror), but there really doesn’t seem to be a point here. Lane goes nowhere with this except to fill the characters with an indefinable sense of loss. Once he reaches this state, he doesn’t really do anything with it. There is no conclusion, and therefore no spoilers. It’s really kind of a blah story.
Is it good? Sure. It’s not a waste of time. But is it good enough for this anthology? No. Not by a long shot.
[This story first appeared in THE YEAR'S BEST HORROR STORIES XVIII, and it cannot be read online at this time.]
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