Dissonant Harmonies by Bev Vincent and Brian Keene is a combination of two novellas jam packed with horror – with an accompanying playlist to die for!
I had the opportunity to review this book for Cemetery Dance, and was able to also write an article for the music magazine I edit for! This was a great project and I really enjoyed it. Dissonant Harmonies features two novellas, one written by each of the authors. The Dead of Winter is written by Bev Vincent, and The Motel at the End of the World is written by Brian Keene. The two authors, after having discovered they enjoy writing to music, devised a plan to choose a playlist for the other – the challenge being to write a horror novella while listening exclusively to that playlist.
The Dead of Winter takes place in Rhode Island, during a particuarly brutal winter. Written to a playlist chosen for him by Brian Keene featuring a wide array of artists including Ice-T, Johnny Cash, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson – this tale evokes the isolation of a brutal winter and the horrors that occur in a small town cut off from the rest of the world during a storm.
The Motel at the End of the World is written by Brian Keene to a playlist chosen for him by Bev Vincent. This playlist has some interesting artists we don’t hear from too often, including Shpongle, Scissor Sisters, Electric Light Orchestra, and also some more familar artists such as Elton John, Pink Floyd, and Supertramp. Written in the first person, The Motel at the End of the World starts out with what seems to be an apocolyptic scenario that can only be described as the “ramblings of a mad man.” In the letter he writes before the end of days.. he details some widespread occasions of “The Mandela Effect” that are entirely too relatable. In fact, these “ramblings” become so convincing, that by the end of this short story you will be sure to be questioning everything you know about the world you live in.
Both stories were fantastic reads – and apparently we can look forward to a sequel! You can check out my full book review for this title at The Forgotten Fiction, and my dive into the playlist at An Empty Bliss Music Magazine.