I’ve been a fan of Hunter Shea since he come onto the horror fiction scene with his debut novel, Forest of Shadows. I became a fan because he convinced me to give his novel a try and it turned out to be a horror gem. Shea gives us horror mixed in with fun, great characters, and his interests of ghost-hunting, comics, and writing.
Shea’s short, The Graveyard Speaks, is an intro to the character Jessica Backman, the main protagonist in his latest novel: Sinister Entity. Sinister Entity is the second in a series orbiting around this character. Backman was first introduced in Forest of Shadows, but only as a little girl with a special gift.
In this short, Backman is a college student while fulfilling her destiny as a ghost hunter. She picks up a mysterious case featuring a black mist. The story felt very episodic. Character discovers a mystery. Uses her friends to gain intel. Takes on the problem. Uses her gift to solve said problem.
Like an episode in a paranormal TV series, the short was used to establish the character of Jessica Backman. Considering readers last knew her as a small girl, this was a great way for Shea to show us where he was going to take this character.
What I liked best and worst about the story was the ending. Shea teases us with Backman’s next case about a Poltergeist (my fave kind of paranormal story). I expect you to follow through on this one, Mr. Shea.
