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  • Writer's pictureAaron Channel

The Spectre of Springwell Forest: Don't Read it After Dark

Updated: Jul 17, 2019

It is a tried-and-true horror trope that no one wants to be the proverbial new kid on the block, particularly in a tight-knit rural community.  In “The Spectre of Springwell Forest,” Simon Dillon presents his audience with a refreshing new take on the dangers of relocating to an unfamiliar place.  Happy, if albeit somewhat bored and curious, homemaker Lily has moved to Springwell with her husband and young daughter. At surface value, Springwell is just another lovely hamlet where everybody knows each other on a first-name basis and there is no secret which can avoid quickly becoming well-known gossip.  But as sinister things start to occur and Lily becomes increasingly aware of the violent local history, she soon realizes that what the apparently-harmless community has chosen en mass to conceal may very well wind-up killing her whole family.  


From a literary perspective, what is perhaps most intriguing about this book is that, while Lily is indeed the main character, Dillon delves so deeply into Springwell that the town itself overshadows her voice as well as her importance.  Point of fact, to some degree, Lily is seen merely an observant piece of driftwood floating on the village’s dark cultural tide. Ultimately, because of this, Springwell is to Dillon as Gatlin (Children of the Corn) and Derry (It) are to Stephen King.  Indeed, if one were to focus on merely the plot and not pay notice to Dillon’s individualized writing style, one might mistake “The Spectre of Springwell Forest” for a Stephen King novel.  


Exceptionally noteworthy is Dillon’s flare for inserting small doses of macabre into the seemingly-mundane, as well as his exemplary ability to create tension and build long-term suspense.  The twist at the end of the book is truly not one which readers will see coming. The one criticism I would have is that the ending is so unexpected that one may question whether Dillon could have spent a bit more time on his foreshadowing.  Regardless of that quibble, overall, this book is so eerie and unsettling that one would be ill-advised to read it during the quiet, nighttime hours.



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