The Laws of the Skies by Grégoire Courtois

Maybe I’m a sick person. Maybe there is something wrong with me. Because when I read the book’s tagline, “Twelve six-year-olds and their three adult chaperones head into the woods on a camping trip. None of them make it out alive,” it skyrocketed to the top of my to-read pile. When I read the rest of the blurb that promised a child on a murderous rampage, I got even more excited to read it. “Part fairy tale, part horror story” – it seemed perfect for me.
 
Unfortunately, what I got instead was a bit of a mess. The book does deliver on its promises – everyone dies, it has a fairy-tale flavour, it’s definitely horror – but the way the deaths play out felt forced and even at times, ridiculous. The balance of the tale shifted widely. Some of the deaths were almost slapstick in their delivery, while others were quite gruesome. There is one death right near the end that is particularly disgusting and drawn out far too long. I think even hardened fans of gore may struggle with this one, and I ended up skipping most of it.
 
The novella is a short read at only 160 pages, far too short to get to know 15+ characters and care about their inevitable deaths. There were only a couple I cared about. My reaction to a lot of the deaths was “who?” Despite what drew me to the work originally, I think it might have been better had the book promised that one, or perhaps two, of them survive. At first, “everyone dies” sounds cool, but it takes away a lot of the suspense/mystery, especially when a good number of the deaths are random accidents.
 
Now, I must concede that even though a lot of the deaths felt random, there was creativity and variety in them. Most of the situations were unique and the author did work to provide characterization to each one. I still think it was too many for such a short page, but I can see what the author was trying to do. There is a sort of hazy, fairy-tale, almost dream-like quality to the narration that I do think fit this style of story well enough.
 
This story came highly recommended. It’s included in Sadie Hartmann’s 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered and she describes it as “an extremely well-written, unflinching story about stolen innocence.” I partially agree with this statement, especially the latter half. Both the children and the adults enter the woods with a sort of innocence about them that is brutally shattered. Hartmann also credits this book as part of the horror genre that engages with “something we would rather look away from.” And that part, I can agree with. I certainly had to look away.

In the end, although this book did not suit me, and I had complaints, it is still an intense, thought-provoking book whose controversial nature makes it worthy reading for any horror fan, if for no other reason than to see what the fuss is all about. I can see why Hartmann included it on her list.

This book is part of my self-imposed horror reading challenge.

Thanks for reading! 

Want to keep in touch? Sign up for my newsletter or Find me around the web

Want to support my writing? Buy my collection: Thin Slices: A Collection of Horror Flash Fiction

Or: Help me buy more books on Ko-fi