A Spectre is Haunting Greentree, by Carson Winter

5 Jul 2024

The Book

A Spectre is Haunting Greentree
Pages: 150
Age Group: Adult
Published on 15 Aug 2024
Publisher: Tenebrous Press
Genres:
Folk Horror

Synopsis:

REAP WHAT YOU SOW

In the wake of a series of panic attacks, isolated and introverted Carina takes a friend up on an offer: go to Greentree, Oregon, escape her abusive ex, and start a new life.

But upon arrival, the town is stranger than Carina could have ever imagined.

For one, they still have a video store.

For two, everyone is rich.

For three, what’s up with all these scarecrows?

As Greentree’s secrets begin to unravel, as the autumn sun bends below the corn, as scythes sharpen in the night—a violent revolution stirs.  

My Review

A Spectre is Haunting Greentree is a clever and twisted horror novella written by Carson Winter, published by Tenebrous Press. Picking a classic horror icon such as the scarecrow, Winter not only has written an interesting piece which encloses a furious anticapitalist message, but also creating a multilayered horror that, outside of the main plot, explores another scary situation that sadly is too read nowadays.

Carina has arrived Greentree, an isolated town in Oregon, trying to start a new life far from her abusive husband after the invitation from a college friend; a way to recover and heal from the wounds. Moving into a creepy barn won't help deal with the paranoia and the fear she has developed; and the nights on Greentree are specially scary. Carina's arc is part of what introduces us to the secrets behind the incredible wealth associated with this place.
If all starts with a more intimate horror that explores the human nature, later Winter introduces us to the secrets behind those inexplicable wealth, going deep into some of the classic tropes associated with the folk horror genre including cults and nature spirits incarnated into inanimate objects; creating a multilayered horror that goes from the human to the supernatural, but returning to the human as the cause.

Winter makes an excellent job of using Carina's paranoia to play with the elements associated with fear; but later it goes even further, imbuing the story with an anticapitalism message that, despite overshadowing a bit Carina's arc, gifts us some of the best scenes of the novella.
In the style of what we could have seen in other Winter's books, he has a talent to write excellent gory and violent scenes, and once all is unleashed, I can assure you that you will absolutely love it.

A Spectre is Haunting Greentree is another example of how brilliant can be Carson Winter when he's given freedom, fitting perfectly that weird seal that defines Tenebrous Press. Folk horror fans, you will love this novel!

The Author/s

Carson Winter

Carson Winter

Carson Winter is an author, punker, and raw nerve. His fiction has been featured in Apex, Vastarien, and Tales to Terrify, among others. “The Guts of Myth” was published in volume one of Dread Stone Press’ Split Scream series. His novella, Soft Targets, is due out from Tenebrous Press in March 2023. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.