Joanna Corrance is a lawyer and author from the Highlands of Scotland, where she lives with her rescue dog, hens, and husband. She writes dark speculative fiction, gothic horror, and science fiction; her publications include the novella John's Eyes (Luna Press, 2021) and the horror novel The Gingerbread Men (Haunt Publishing, 2022).

The Hamlet by Joanna Corrance

In this extraordinary novella Joanna Corrance, who delivers a tale that dances between horror and science fiction with an added dash of weird.

Our cast of characters are all inhabitants of the Hamlet, including Eve, a businesswoman stranded when the planes are grounded; Robyn, an artist who accepts a commission to create a dollhouse to exacting specifications, with dire consequences; Helen, desperate to provide content for her online followers; Jeanie, for whom monsters may be more real than even she realises; Polly, a neglected child who has her own unique way of coping with reality... Together, the lives of these and others enable us to piece together what really happened in a very peculiar rural community when 'things got strange'.

CURATOR'S NOTE

Step into the haunted world of the Hamlet from this excellent new Scottish author! – Lavie Tidhar

 

REVIEWS

  • "The Hamlet takes the reader on a surreal tour of a small community as they get to know their true selves in the height of a national emergency. With vividly drawn characters, and a strange and compelling narrative, this part body horror, part fairy tale novella marks Joanna Corrance as a writer to watch. I can't wait to see what she does next."

    – Sarah Pinborough

  • "The Hamlet is a genre-bending masterpiece that delves deeply into humanity's reactions to the unknown… Its thought-provoking themes and beautiful prose resonate deeply, solidifying its place as one of my all-time favourite books."

    – Jim McLeod, The Ginger Nuts of Horror

  • "…the clever interlocking stories and the real characters combine to make a charming little read. Small, intricate, polished and nearly perfect. Recommended."

    – SFCrowsnest

  • "A quiet slide into terror with no answers, just a question around how people stand against it, if they can. From where I sat, the result was nothing short of enthralling… I'm so glad I came across The Hamlet and decided to give it a go."

    – Lord Sampler’s Library
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Eve

Eve sat in the business lounge at the airport with a large glass of wine from the open bar. Settling into one of the comfier armchairs, she took a deep breath and slipped her work phone and laptop back into her hand luggage. Her boss had left that morning on a flight for London where she was supposed to meet him later that afternoon, however her flight had been delayed. Instead of panicking, Eve took herself to the nicest airport lounge that the company expenses would allow. Eve had never been one to panic; after all, she was going to be late for the meeting whether she stressed or not. If she had no control over a situation, she refused to let stress or anxiety get the better of her; it was what made her so good at her job.

That was why it was so surprising when, suddenly, Eve felt an unfamiliar jolt of panic that clenched her stomach, just as her delayed flight appeared on the board with the gate number. Her eyes flickered around the lounge where the frequent fliers, harassed businessmen and wealthy holiday makers were either leisurely drinking or concentrating on paperwork and laptop screens. The young, bearded barman looked bored as he nodded his head to the beat of the music.

Without any explanation, Eve knew that none of the planes that took off that day would ever land and that none of the passengers would ever be seen or heard from again. Although, nobody else knew that yet.

Staring up at the screen that directed her to the gate, Eve tried to reason with herself. She wasn't prone to being irrational and she certainly didn't have any apprehensions when it came to flying since she was in the sky most weeks. Yet, every inch of her body was screaming at her not to board that flight and to get out. A strange pulling sensation in her gut tugged desperately, forcing her to rise to her feet. Slipping her phone back out of her bag, she decided to call her boss, Jeremy, an officious man who didn't like to be bothered unless it was absolutely necessary. He ought to have landed over an hour ago so she would call him to dispel her irrational panic.

The phone didn't ring.

"Shit." Eve breathed. Beads of perspiration had formed around her upper lip, salty and unpleasant. She glanced from side to side, finding something unnerving about the general air of calm in the lounge. None of them could sense that something terrible was happening.

She snatched her bag from the floor and marched out of the lounge, abandoning her suitcase that had already boarded the plane as she strode out the automatic doors of the airport with her stiletto heels clip-clopping at a slightly faster rate than usual. If she had stayed any longer, she would have noticed that the airport staff were starting to look anxious, whispering into their radios as they tried their best not to panic the passengers.

Getting into her car, she drove out of the airport carpark and called one final number.

"Hello?" Her assistant David always sounded nervous when she called him unexpectedly. She had hired him for his meticulous nature, but with it came excess angst.

"David, hi. It's Eve." Even in her panic, Eve managed to assume her authoritative business voice that had leaked into her personal life over the years. "Look, have you left the hotel yet?"

"Not yet." He replied uncertainly. "Why? I can leave now if you want –"

"No." Eve interrupted sharply. "Listen to me very carefully David, I don't want you going anywhere near the airport. I can't explain it right now, but I want you to book another night in your hotel – more if needs be, and if anyone questions it just say that I authorised it. Okay?"

"Okay, but –"

"And don't leave the hotel."

"Sure. Eve, is everything all right?" Behind his fraught nippiness, David had a wonderful warmth about him that manifested in a genuine concern for others. It was what Eve really liked about him, although she would never have admitted it.

"I don't know yet."