We’re delighted to be sharing Laura’s thoughts about Eerie Exhibits: Five Macabre Museum Tales by Victoria Williamson.
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- Category : Supernatural Fiction
- Publisher : Silver Thistle Press (8 Mar. 2025)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 225 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1738436411
- ISBN-13 : 978-1738436415
Five unnerving tales of the weird and uncanny from award-winning author Victoria Williamson.
A room full of screaming butterflies.
An unsettling smile on the face of a carved sarcophagus.
A painting that draws its viewer into the disturbing past.
A stuffed bear that growls in the dead of night.
And a shell that whispers more sinister sounds than the sigh of the sea…
Dare you cross the threshold of the old Museum and view its eerie exhibits?
Review Eerie Exhibits: Five Macabre Museum Tales
I raced through these thrilling short stories as I felt they were well written with mystery and intrigue. They were fast-paced and I loved how they centred around one museum.
The five short stories (The Screaming Room, The Grinning Man, El in Arcadia Ego, The Shape of the Beast and The Whispering Shell) all displayed the positive and negative aspects of human nature, emphasising heavily on the negative aspects.
My favourite of the stories was The Grinning Man as I felt for young Amy on her 7th birthday and sadly being neglected by her work- obsessed father. On another trip to the museum without a slice of chocolate cake, Amy realises that her father is never going to change and at such an age accepts this. Being intrigued by the Egyptians (I owned a similar bookmark, sent through with my book, when I was a child), I loved the ending of this story as it was unexpected.
These stories allow the reader to linger and ponder of the outcome as not all reached a conclusion. The endings could therefore be more or less macabre, depending on your mood.
I loved the short stories in Eerie Exhibits as I love museums and I felt thrilled by the magical element behind some of the exhibits.
About the Author
A lifelong storyteller and daydreamer, Victoria Williamson is an author and teacher who has lived and worked in Africa, China, America and the UK.
Victoria grew up in Kirkintilloch, north Glasgow, surrounded by hills on the edge of a forest estate where many of her early ghost stories and fantasy tales were born amid the magical trees and spooky old ruined buildings.
After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real life adventures, which included teaching Maths and Science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with special needs in the UK.
A qualified primary school teacher with a degree in Mandarin Chinese from Yunnan University and a Master’s degree in Special Needs Education, Victoria is passionate about creating inclusive worlds in her novels where all children can see a reflection of themselves in a heroic role.
Victoria’s experiences of teaching young children in a deprived area of Glasgow, many of whom were asylum seekers, inspired her debut novel, The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, an uplifting tale of friendship between Glasgow girl Caylin and Syrian refugee Reema.
Victoria writes fantasy, adventure, science fiction and contemporary issue novels for Middle Grade (9-12), Teen, and Young Adult readers. Many of her books have been inspired by children she has met on her travels, both abroad and in the UK. She is currently working on a Middle Grade novel exploring the issues faced by a boy with ADHD who is struggling to fit in with his new step-family, and a spooky adventure novel for Teens, centred around a cast of characters with special needs including deafness, Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy.
Twenty percent of her author royalties for The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle are donated to the Scottish Refugee Council.
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and upcoming events on her website: www.strangelymagical.com