Posthaste Manor, by Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter
The Book
Synopsis:
NEVER TRUST A HOUSE WITH A NAME.
Everyone has a story about Posthaste Manor.
None of the stories end well, but that doesn’t stop the hopeful from hoping and the desperate from trying.
This composite novel stands as both history and eulogy of one very haunted house, as recounted by artists, real estate agents, and beloved family pets; by the debauched, the dead and the dying, and anyone looking for one last chance.
Raise a glass in celebration. Just don't linger within its walls for long.
My Review
Posthaste Manor is a collaborative horror novella, co-written by Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter, published by Tenebrous Press. At this point, you might be not surprised that this is a quite weird novella, blending elements from cosmic and gothic horror, with an innovative narrative style; and that goes from really tense moments to even get a laugh from you.
Everybody has a story with Posthaste Manor, a house with a name and a long history of darkness; and effectively, we will soon understand that the characters are just pieces used to create an aura over the real main character: the Manor, in a really cosmic way.
We have a book divided into two sections, with different natures; a first one following at the same time the personal stories of two people, bouncing between timelines in each chapter, creating the horrific atmosphere around the Manor, and a second one telling us the different stories people have lived in relationship with the Manor (and let me tell you, with wildly varying styles).
While the style is really weird, due to the unique nature of this novella, it shows how a collaborative work can bring so much creativity into the table; it's simply mind-blowing (but be aware of reading the content warnings before diving into it, because it gets really dark).
It's true that this structure might not click for everybody, but in my particular case, I felt it increased the impact it caused over me; the two complementary stories in the first half establish the house's figure, preparing you for the absolute madness that is unleashed in the second one.
Posthaste Manor is, simply, a marvelous horror novella, a delightful experience if you are looking for a different kind of horror. Well done, Joolie Tomajan and Carson Winter!
The Author/s
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.
