Corridor to Nightmare

Corridor to Nightmare
by Dave Duncan
Published by Shadowpaw Press
Review by Toby A. Welch  
$26.99 ISBN 9781989398937

Why is it that tales that involve portals to other worlds are fascinating? Corridor to Nightmare falls firmly into that category. It starts off with a bang and jumps into a world of sorcerers, gatekeepers, and beasts that are half-man, half-Krendel. To keep things spicy, unexpected nasty people and things also go through the portal.

When I crack open a book and find a list of characters before chapter one starts, I appreciate it so much. (I wish more authors did that.) The list is only nine characters long, but I referred to it often as I couldn’t always keep people straight. Such a bonus! 

The premise of Corridor to Nightmare is an interesting one. An elderly lady, Agatha, is looking forward to retiring from her job as a village schoolteacher. But that doesn’t happen as she is sent through a portal and lands in another world. What comes next is a roller coaster journey! Agatha’s adventure could’ve been fun and lighthearted – but it wasn’t. (I love books with a tinge of darkness and this one delivers!)

When it comes to names, Duncan gets huge kudos for creativity, both for people as well as places. A few location names that stand out are Orange Keep, Otopia, Kabkala Keep, Bottomlands, Palace of the Immortals, Greenbottom, Court of the White Fire, and Target 34. Inventive names of people include Pharena Violet, Dapple, Kardunias Gold, and Lady Agamar Green. Entertaining names add delicious flavour to a book. 

Duncan excels at the details. Ian didn’t just eat a slice of bread; he ate a “three-finger slice of bread thickly doused with honey.” Father Comforts’ “tufted white eyebrows made Agatha think of swans’ wings in summer and snow drifts in winter.” When Agatha sat down to eat, “the probable omelette was deliciously spiced, the bread was warm, and the tea pleasantly tart, if unfamiliar.” You get the picture!

Even if the author’s name hadn’t been plastered on the book’s cover, I would’ve known that Dave Duncan wrote this work of fiction. Duncan is one of Canada’s most loved science fiction and fantasy authors. And he is one of the most published with more than sixty-five published novels to his credit, some of them written under pseudonyms. (That is even more astonishing considering he published his first novel at the age of fifty-three.) Duncan was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in 2015. Sadly, Duncan passed away in 2018, making this never-before-published novel a truly special gift to his fans. 

If you like fantastical stories about adventures in other realms, Corridor to Nightmare is a must-read. The tale will stay with you even after you’ve polished off more books about portals to other worlds. 

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM