'The Water' – Brian O' Gorman

After reading Brian O'Gorman's 'Spiders' books and having the best time in the process (seriously, read my reviews for 'Dawn', 'Day' and 'Night of the Spiders'), my week was absolutely made when Brian O'Gorman offered me a copy of 'Water' to feature here. Funnily enough, I'd had my eye on 'Water' for my next read; I love zombies and the blurb promised a different spin that sounded intriguing. Of course I said yes, of course I did :o)

I settled down for a read last night and since I finished, having been trying to think of what to say other than 'fucking hell that was bleak'... Because it was, it really was, but it was a brilliant bit of sci-fi horror all at the same time. I'll try and be a bit clearer, bear with me...

Hurndell. A small village in the middle of the High Peak. The ideal place for holiday makers because of its old-fashioned look and the amazing, picturesque Barrington Reservoir.

But that peace is about to be shattered. The village is about to be invaded by the Black Rock, a small meteorite that crashes into the middle of the reservoir. Now everyone that comes into contact with the compromised water has their life taken from them and replaced by the invader. They become shambling, mindless zombies that try and spread the Black Rock as far as it will go.
June Dobson is a retired psychic, dogged by the dementia that is robbing her of her senses, she resides in the Sunnybank nursing home and she is the only one that saw the Black Rock arrive. Now the clouds sitting across June's mind are beginning to clear. The thing in the water is reaching out to her and her gift begins to grow again. Soon, very soon, she will know what the Black Rock wants, what it needs, and the town of Hurndell will never be the same again. Nor will the rest of the human race, if the Black Rock has its way....

Before I get started, I don't normally dish out content warnings but 'Water' is brutal enough that I think I'd be remiss if I didn't give one here. And that's the thing, horror should be brutal and uncompromising (that's kind of the whole point) and I'll stand firmly behind any horror writer expressing their vision with that intensity, fair play to them. Does the reader get a choice though in what they face? Absolutely and that's why I'll say that O'Gorman is totally uncompromising here. Anyone can be taken, from the very old to the very young. If you're a new parent, you will want to bear that in mind. Read the 'Spiders' books instead, they're horror and fun. 'Water' is just pure horror the whole way through.

O'Gorman isn't going for cheap shocks though and I think that's key here. There's a definite vision behind what the water does and he's staying true to that. And it is horrifying , especially when you realise that there's a long term plan behind the actions of the Black Rock...

I couldn't put 'Water' down with its compelling mix of alien invasion and totally relatable characters who are unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place and have to deal with what is coming out of the reservoir. O'Gorman borrows a trick from James Herbert here, giving us a few pages to get inside a character's head before before subjecting them to terror and undeath, but not always... And that's where 'Water' very much becomes it's own thing. While you always knew that a supporting character, with a chapter's worth of backstory, was being lined up for a horrible death; O'Gorman uses our expectations against us and is quite happy to give someone a reprieve when we're all geared up for them to die. It keeps the plot fresh and like anything could happen and it does, just on O'Gorman's terms, not ours.

It's also interesting to see that anyone with a bit of backstory has more often than not had a shitty life. It's almost as if O'Gorman wants us to wonder if being taken over by the water is actually a bad thing...

O'Gorman cranks up the pressure so slowly that I didn't even notice how tense I was getting (apart from that one bit where I swore out loud and was all, 'He didn't... did he? Fucking hell he did...') as I kept going. Just like the best zombie apocalypses and alien invasions, things build up slowly in the shadows and by the time our police officers catch on to what is happening... And that's the beauty of 'Water', the only person who knows what is happening (in the reservoir) has dementia and is ruled out as a reliable witness straight away. You know all those zombie outbreaks that could have been contained by people working together...? This is another one of those and it's beautifully handled with the final assault feeling like an organic thing rather than just being shoehorned into the plot.

And that ending... By the end of today, my kids will be sick of me telling them that I love them and if you're walking your dog and are approached by a stranger asking to say hello to it... That's me and I'm sorry, I'm just a bit broken right now and dogs cheer me up (okay, I'm not going to approach random strangers and pet their dogs... I just really want to). It's a brilliant ending though, the only way 'Water' could possibly end in fact and it is going to be in my head for a long time. Dammit...

'Water' is a harder, bleaker work of horror, than the previous O'Gorman books I have read, but is well worth your time if you stick with it. A little bit of 'The Thing' and a touch of your favourite zombie movie all come together to form a novel that has me listening out for that dripping tap in my kitchen...

(And as per usual, a link to the Kindle edition of 'Water', I'm making nothing out of this, just pointing you all at good horror fiction)