Horror Book Review: Swine and Other Tales (Connor Glaze)

Having thrilled us with his excellent horror novel ‘Stoneberry’ last year, author Connor Glaze is back with a new release. This time, a collection of short stories entitled ‘Swine and Other Tales’.

There are a total of 15 stories, some just a few pages long, others long and deep enough to find yourself really immersed in the Glaze’s dark mind. It was officially released on the 29th February 2020 and can be ordered here.

Like a sketch show, a book of short stories will inevitably have hits and misses. That’s no different here but happily Swine and Other Tales has way more hits then misses.

Opening the book is the title story, Swine. It sees a man collecting on a debt before he crashes his car on his way back to his boss. Hurt and lost, he stumbles across a farmhouse where an elderly man is more than willing to help him out. An excellent first story, Swine really goes dark and Connor Glaze’s ability to paint horrifying and painful imagery with his words is at its best here. The ending is gleefully twisted.

Following that we get The Grown-Up’s Knife, a story told from the perspective of a young child, one showing signs of being a psychopath. This is one of the misses unfortunately as it’s written from the mind of the child making it a little irritating to read.

The hits then just keep coming as Civilization introduces us to a survivor of the end times. Travelling alone, he moves from deserted and destroyed place to place trying to survive. His priorities change though when he meets a young, starving and near feral boy. This story seems fairly predictable at first but in its final pages delivers an unexpected ending that makes it a highlight of the book.

The same goes for Untitled, where a man makes a shocking discovery in his tent, the morning after a wild night at a music festival. Whereas The Brood tells a tension-covered and intriguing horror story. A man steals something, something that he really shouldn’t have and its owners want it back.

Lucy is the only ‘non-horror’ story of the bunch, instead leaning towards sci-fi and seemingly inspired by Blade Runner 2049. It’s then followed by The Masochist, a story that disturbs more than anything as a man leads a secret life online pretending to be people who have suffered tremendous family tragedies.

An Execution of a Witch is so short it’s barely worth mentioning, detailing exactly what the title says. Before we get a horrid kind of alternating paths with a woman’s Monday morning replaying over and over again with minor changes giving different results.

One of the best stories comes next in White Noise, and sees a Russian air force officer escape a mutiny by his subordinates in the Arctic Circle and arrive at a research station. Inside, he finds the place deserted but with clear signs of life. As if everyone just got up one day and walked out into the snow never to be seen again. Safe, for now, he sets about uncovering the mystery of what occurred at this station.

The shortest story of the lot comes in the form of Excerpt from a Fever Dream, something to make you sit a little less uncomfortable and if you have young children asleep nearby, maybe go check on them.

Nearing the end, Lechery is a sharp and bloody reminder of the dangers of random hook-ups before The Sleeper takes us on a unique and initially interesting trip into the past. The issue with this one being the disappointing ending.

Finally we get The Guest and A Closing Sentence, the former a really clever and thought-provoking look at one man who is filled with regret. While the latter will bring a wry smile to the face.

With a writing style that is uncomplicated yet detailed, Connor Glaze really delivers with Swine and Other Tales. So much so, it’s a book that can be devoured in a matter of hours such is the punchy nature of his stories. Even the ones that run a bit longer never overstay their welcome and almost always wrap up satisfyingly.

With so many areas covered, personal taste will be key to what stories each person will enjoy. If you’re more of a paranormal person, then the likes of Untitled, White Noise and The Guest will surely please. Whereas if you’re a fan of the Clive Barker-esque gory, twisted and violent imagery then Swine, Civilization and Lechery will sate your blood-thirst.

Overall, it’s a fantastic modern collection of horror stories from a bright prospect of a writer.