It’s Hallowe’en, a perfect time to settle down with a spooky book about witches. Promising Sergeant John Benton of UNIT investigating a mysterious coven in Whitby, The Benton Files V fits the bill, but things quickly shift and venture into unexpected territory.
This fifth volume of the short story collection, published by Candy Jar Books, is unusual as it’s one complete story, as opposed to the two shorter ones seen in the previous three instalments. I wrote one of the stories for The Benton Files III, so I know how difficult it can be to write a full tale in such a tight word count; saying that, this is as unbiased a review as possible, slightly coloured by the fact I know the people behind the range, of course, but still striving to point out if something isn’t up to scratch. Fortunately, The Chimes of Whitby, as this book is called, is an excellent read, so I don’t feel conflicted anyway.
Matt Barber writes the lion’s share of this story, with interjections by range editor, Tim Gambrell, who’s responsible for the “Ted Talks” sections. For anyone unfamiliar, this is essentially a framing device that establishes Benton as chatting to Ted, a local at his pub, recounting tales of his time at UNIT (and possibly making a mockery of the Official Secrets Act!). Ted is a something of a stereotype, but there’s nothing wrong with that — it means you feel you know him almost immediately, whether you’ve read previous volumes of The Benton Files or not, and he appropriately feels like an old friend.
These Ted Talks are unusual for this book too, as they don’t take place in the pub. They seem to come in more frequently here than in other Benton Files too, but they add a nice pace to things, as more people are drawn into listening to the story than just Ted.
It certainly is a compelling tale too. Benton is asked to investigate this coven of witches, and, seeing as he’s previously spent time with Miss Hawthorne from The Dæmons (The Chimes of Whitby was released a few short months before Benton and Hawthorne Investigate was published, so these fit in nicely together), he’s a strong fit for this type of story; it means he’s receptive to the idea of witches and is more understanding and empathetic than a few other UNIT members might otherwise be.
If it weren’t for the blurb, which promises an encounter with Count Dracula, the inclusion of a vampire would be a considerable surprise. As it is, you know that these horror legends are going to converge, and Barber handles it really well. It feels natural and the plot unfolds beautifully.
Barber’s prose is engaging and stripped back: while this is likely due to the tight word count, he’s descriptive enough to fully immerse you in the narrative, and it comes across as Benton talking to an old friend. He also paints some decidedly grim and unexpected images, namely Dracula himself. In fact, the book is full of fantastic imagery, and revels in the gothic nature of the season. It’s a perfect book for Hallowe’en.
I’m always a little nervous about spin-off media definitively claiming a part of culture as its own in case things are contradicted on TV — see Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, established as one version of events for Big Finish and another in The Haunting of Villa Diodati. So yes, I was unsure about Candy Jar using Dracula here, but actually, there’s plenty of wriggle room and nothing is set in stone. What The Chimes of Whitby gives us is a very different Count, not what you expect at all, and that works wonders.
It’s a slim read, but that means you can curl up on the settee on a dark night and get properly stuck in. Something to sink your teeth into, indeed…
The Benton Files V: The Chimes of Whitby is available now from Candy Jar Books.
