Blog Tour Review – That Which Stands Outside by Mark Morris

Welcome back to Dark Reads, today is my stop on the Random Things Tour for That Which Stands Outside by Mark Morris. Many thanks to Anne and Flame Tree Press for sending me the ARC.

About The Book

After Todd Kingston recuses Yrsa Helgerson from muggers one rainy night in London, their resulting friendship quickly develops into a romance.

When Yrsa’s mother dies, Todd accompanies her back to her childhood home, an isolated Nordic island. The reception they receive there is one of suspicion and hostility.

The islanders believe Yrsa to be a child of a mythic race called the Jötnarm, a claim which Yrsa dismisses as superstitious nonsense.

But as the island is rocked by a series of devastating events, Todd finds himself caught up in a terrifying battle, one which possibly threatens the future of the world itself

Dark Reads Review

This was a brilliant read, a perfect example of isolation horror done very well indeed! I don’t want to go too much further into the plot from the above synopsis as I think this is best read with he mystery intact.

As soon as I heard about this book I knew it would be right up my street. I’m a big fan of Nordic Folklore and mythology and the whole atmosphere that comes with that. Morris did not dissapoint. The imagery created was brilliant you really feel like you are treading the paths and forests of this isolated island with is fiercly superstitious and unwelcoming residents. I felt an outcast on the characters behalfs.

This Which Stands Ouside is a relatively chunky read at 368 pages but this really does allow for the slow burn to be done properly, the mystery and suspense builds and builds with every chapter. The characters are interseting, individual and beleivable.

Every time I put this book down I was thinking about it and wanting to know what was going to happen next!

For me this was a book of two halfs, in the beginning it is an eerie and creepy mystery which then finishes as suspensful, classic horror.

I really enjoyed this book, if you like The Ritual by Adam Nevill, isolation and expadition horror or folklore horror in general this is a must read.

4.5 ⭐️’s from me!

About The Author

Morris has written and edited over fifty novels, novellas, short story collections and anthologies.

His script work includes audio dramas for Doctor Who, Jago & Litefoot and the Hammer Chillers series.

His most recent work includes the Obsidian Heart trilogy (The Wolves of London, The Society of Blood and The Wraiths of War), the original Predator novel Stalking Shadows (co-written with James A. Moore), the official novelization of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special Wild Blue Yonder, new audio adaptations of the classic 1971 horror movie Blood on Satan’s Claw and the M.R. James ghost story A View From a Hill, a 30th anniversary short story collection Warts And All, and, as editor, the anthologies After Sundown, Beyond the Veil, Close to Midnight and Darkness Beckons.

Blood on Satan’s Claw won the New York Festival Radio Award for Best Drama Special, and A View From a Hill won the New York Festival Radio Award for Best Digital Drama Program, and was also awarded Silver at the 2020 Audio & Radio Industry Awards.

Mark has won two British Fantasy Awards, and has also been nominated for several Stokers and Shirley Jackson Awards.

markmorrisfiction.com / X: MarkMorris10