The Bloodwind

An Oxrun Station Novel

By: Charles L. Grant

Narrated by: Kathy Bell Denton

Pat Shavers was an artist and a teacher. She'd had a rough life: a divorce and the loss of her child. But now things seemed to be in order. Except for the strange force riding in the daily movements of her life: a threat rising in the envy of her colleagues, the jealousies of her new lover, the hidden enmity of those who seemed to be her friends. It was a dangerous fury gathering itself against her. The wind rose and swirled, threatening to destroy her.

©1989 Estate of Charles Grant - Kathryn Ptacek (P)2012 David N. Wilson

80s Horror Curiosity Gets A Bit Silly

Bloodwind is 80% weird little alienated thriller about an almost-forty female college professor whose life is a wreck because she can’t fully process the death of her daughter a few years earlier (and 20% eighties horror monster/wizard gibberish). But the main part is the good stuff here after the story begins with the protagonist having driven home drunk with a new dent in her car, students seem to be going missing, and someone keeps coming into her house when she’s not there. Her world is unraveling as she tries not to think about her daughter’s birthday. It’s a well-written story about unresolved trauma and madness but then it’s like, werewolves, a red cloud, cultists… make the third act a monster movie, why not?

Not Grant's best, but still decent 'quiet' horror

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Not sure. This tale is a variation on M.R. James' "Casting the Runes," which may or may not be a spoiler depending on your familiarity with the horror genre. Because of this, I could see where the story was headed fairly early in the game although, to be fair, Grant was a good enough writer that a certain predictability isn't the major flaw it might be for a lesser craftsman.

If you’ve listened to books by Charles L. Grant before, how does this one compare?

None of Grant's stuff has been available on audio until very recently (thank you, Crossroads Press!), so this is the first I've heard. That said, I've been a big fan of his stuff since my days as a wee lad in the '80s and will definitely be downloading the others that just came out as well.

What does Kathy Bell Denton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ms. Denton does an admirable job here. She has a very pleasant voice and does a great job bringing the main character to life.

My only real complaint would be that her voicing of pretty much all of the male characters is a little... odd. She gives them all a strange, slow, almost stoned-sounding monotone that's a little distracting. She just doesn't seem comfortable "acting" the male parts. In cases like this I prefer the reader to simply narrate rather than perform -- much less annoying. Luckily, the story is told from the main (female) character's POV, so it's not that big of a deal.

Was The Bloodwind worth the listening time?

Definitely. Anyone who enjoys "quiet" horror tales that rely on mounting dread and suspense rather than gory monster attacks will appreciate the works of Charles L. Grant. If you haven't read/heard anything by him before, I'd recommend starting with is short stories (the man was an absolute MASTER of the modern short horror story). Here's hoping some industrious soul records some (or all) of those soon.