“A Man Totally Alone” by Robert Hood
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories (2018) edited by Stephen Jones
Readers unfamiliar with The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories may prefer to read these notes only after reading the anthology.
Detective Salinger investigates the discovery of an ancient corpse in the Australian desert, only to find himself drawn into a world of loneliness, ancient mysteries, and the power of history.
Setting: The Australian outback, with a focus on a mine and a desert landscape.
Characters: Salinger, a police detective; Doogan, a mine manager; Jen, a pathologist; Leslie and Nat, Salinger's deceased wife and daughter.
Halloween seen as: A time when the past resurfaces and the dead walk among us, with a focus on loneliness and grief.
Style: Supernatural horror, with elements of mystery and psychological exploration.
Point of view: Third person, primarily from Salinger's perspective.
Jay
