'The Wife'

This story by Michael Eisele begins with a husband beating on the door of his wife's bedroom, demanding entry. It's an interesting start, not least because this an old-school Gothic/Romantic fantasy. It turns out that Moira, the wife of the title, got to marry the heir to the local lordship. She goes to a wise woman in the woods, and gets what she desires. But then Moira discovers that her husband is not the man she thought he was...

This is a nicely-crafted tale, though it does have one flaw. I guessed from the first page what the twist was going to be. It seemed very obvious to anyone who has read (or seen) a lot of horror stories. I'm not sure if this occupational hazard can be avoided, though, as true originality is rare. Suffice to say that it's a pleasant read, and reverses a common genre trope.

More from this running review soon! It's taking me a while but I'm getting there. In my defence, it is a big book...