Sow by Tim Curran is a novella depicts the worst kind of nightmare for expectant parents. Most parents-to-be are obsessed about morning sickness, fetal development, prenatal care, and comfort of the expectant mother. Richard and Holly, expecting their first child, are faced with something not covered in any how-to books on pregnancy. Holly becomes possessed by something unfathomable (a demon, a spirit of a witch from the 1600s?), and descends into the inescapable grasp of the monster. Richard, of course, is at his wits end trying to figure out exactly what is going on and what to do about it. Holly, who transforms into an old hag, taunts Richard unmercifully, but that image is nothing compared to the next transformation when the old hag/Holly transforms into a pig-like creature of primal origins - the stuff of pagan ritual. Richard’s efforts to deal with this madness and his fears about what exactly this “sow” is breeding comprise the bulk of the novella.

The novella is very well written (I only noticed two minor continuity errors). Mr. Curran has a strong grasp of his narrative and does not hold back on his description of the impact of this nightmare on Richard and a few other minor characters. Much of the story is pretty disgusting stuff: their bedroom takes on the appearance of a pigsty with rancid conditions, mud and fecal matter are everywhere, maggots and other revolting life forms permeate the story… feelings of revulsion are ever present. The author has Richard do some investigative work in an effort to understand the origins of this haunting, and succeeds in presenting an interesting historical backdrop. Much of the human backdrop is also revolting and dovetails well with the events Richard is experiencing.

The disgusting features of the story are the driving horror components in the work. This makes for unsettling storytelling, and certainly kept me reading to the ultimate conclusion. There were times when I was hoping for a little more than revulsion to propel the story forward, which did happen to some extend towards the end. While revulsion can be a supportive factor in a good horror tale, wallowing in gross-out descriptions (and we’re not talking about blood and guts here, but fetid conditions) carries you only so far. Nonetheless, Sow is a gribbing novella and another good release from Darkfuse.