Title: The Orphan Bird
Author: Alison Littlewood
In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 22nd February 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd.
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: The water no longer felt cold; it was warming against his skin, running down his face and into his eyes.

Birds and orphans intertwine to create a horrifying tale of revenge.

This story gave me the heeby jeebies. Which most of the stories in the Black Feathers collection do. The watching of birds and flashbacks to a past of bullying and abuse gave this story a very disjointed feel. But it isn’t until the end that I start to feel truly uncomfortable. After all, that is kind of horrifying. And it did leave me with some very not-okay dreams.

I think one of the reasons that I find this story so horrifying is that I like the idea of adopting in my future. And this child, the orphan bird, is a terrifying idea. He thinks nothing at murder, and even finds himself a young child to train in his place. There is such a sense of horror at the calm and assured way in which he follows the birds and commits his acts. Just. Terrifying.

<- The Season of the Raptors Review

The Murmurations of Vienna Von Drome Review ->

Image source: Amazon