Name - Wolf Worm
Written by - T. Kingfisher
Narrated by - Mary Robinette Kowal
Published by - Tor Nightfire
Audiobook by - Macmillan Audio
T. Kingfisher has done it again, making a story focused mostly on disgusting insects enjoyable is a tough task indeed, but she managed to create one of the best horror stories out of it and literally knocked the ball clear out of the part with this one. Despite my limited exposure to her writing, based on what I have read so far and what the general opinion about her is on the internet, Kingfisher has certainly become one of the big names in horror fiction these days.
The story is set in 1899, with the narrator Sonia Wilson who thinks of herself as a scientific illustrator due to her experiences working with her deceased father. She was working on a dead end job as an art teacher when the reclusive Dr. Halder offers her a position illustrating his vast collection of insects. Sonia jumps at the chance and moves to North Carolina, into his manor house to start drawing for scientific research again. But soon enough she finds that the job is not as straightforward as she though, nor the woods around the house as friendly.
The story gets quite gross at times, especially if you don't like to get into depth into parasitic insects and their lifecycles. But, the progression is quite engaging and the author in her characteristic style even makes her musings about mundane things very interesting and entertaining. Any fan of historical fiction would love the portrayal of the time period something to chew on, as her points regarding the condition of a woman without any make relatives to take care of and the overbearing sense of racism as an everyday fact of those days was neatly done.
But once again, the main strength of T. Kingfisher lies in her ability to create compelling characters and their thoughtful stories that make readers delve into the depths by becoming totally invested in their plights. Sonia is a smart, capable, and curious woman with a keen sense of humor and her own unique brand of morality. Her inquisitive nature and obsession with getting to the bottom of the mysterious stuff around her is clearly apparent in this passage, “Some thoughts burrow into your mind as thoroughly as a wasp larva burrows into an unsuspecting caterpillar. The trick, which I am still learning, is how to live without being devoured by them.” And once she has seen into the facade and found out about she goes on to decide, “It is terrible to be helpless, but it can be equally terrible to be the one who is supposed to be able to help.”
The other characters are also quite skillfully fleshed out, getting their own nuances and motives to make them stand out as believable and relatable participants of the overall narrative. Ma Kersey was a wonderful inclusion, who needed more time to develop in my opinion. Rose and Saul are both strong characters, with their unique personalities and moral codes shine among the rest. I would have liked if the negative characters had more time to shine and given more personality, instead of the black and white wash of being evil.
Another angle I liked is how much the author seemed to have researched to put everything based upon authentic facts before giving them the supernatural twist. I learned that the botflies and screwworms really did exist and wreaked havoc upon their hosts, and that made me even more queasy, making the horror element more palpable. And then there were some memorable lines like when Sonia was thinking about Ku Klux Klan, “God knows hatred is more resilient than wildlife.” Or her interesting perspective on dead bodies, “The history of the world is written in dying bodies and those who have to pick up afterwards.”
The prose is teeming with witty remarks and thoughtful observations making the reading flow like a breeze despite occasional uncomfortable topics. And the ending was quite satisfying to be able to give everyone the required closure, leaving the readers reminiscing on some aspects of the story, keeping them wondering who actually was the real monster and whether the end justified everything.
I will give this one 4 out of 5 stars.
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