“There Will Never Be A Rainbow” by Rod Gilley

I have always thought about the horror genre as something that is focused on making readers’ spines go cold with terror and their stomachs churn with nausea. Zombies chewing on the entrails of innocent passers-by. The more gore, the better. A multi-genre reader as I am, I seldom choose horror. I do venture into the ‘yuck’ realm at times, but there is always a solid reason for that. In the case of a fantasy horror short story collection, “There Will Never Be A Rainbow” by Rod Gilley, I came across an excerpt from one of the stories that he posted on social media, and my curiosity was piqued. I had to know what Bellino was up to and what secrets he was hiding. I am glad that my reservations about the genre did not stop me from reading this collection.

I could never imagine that horror can be uplifting. And it certainly never crossed my mind that a horror story could make me feel good about life. Feel the optimism about it. Feel the urge to jump, punch the air and exclaim: “Go, girl, it’ll be alright!”

Rod Gilley has overturned all that I thought I knew about horror. The way he handles the genre has changed my perception of it, and, if a book can do that, alter someone’s views, set solid by time and experience, it means that it belongs among the true literature.

The collection consists of ten short stories. All of them are different. Not all of them are filled with hope. Some are more daunting than others. ‘Fate & Karma’ caught me off guard by its most unexpected ending. I was scowling while reading it, thinking that I knew for sure where the plot was leading. Every single character in that story was despicable, some in a lesser degree than others, but all causing no sympathy whatsoever. Nevertheless, the author taught me a valuable lesson by ending the story the way he did. Even when you think you have an ocean of compassion inside of you, sometimes you don’t notice how you’ve plodded into the shallow waters.

My personal favourites are ‘My Beloved Haunt,’ ‘Serenity,’ and ‘Little Bird.’ And among those, the last one is number one for me. Having seen Arizona’s magnificent but undeniably harsh rocky landscapes, I could tread the paths the characters were treading. And having seen too many women trapped like birds in cages – true, under the circumstances different from the ones depicted in the short story – I felt for Angie with all my heart.

My mother’s heart was touched by the predicament the characters of ‘Serenity’ had to go through. And as a wife, I felt strongly for Emily in ‘My Beloved Haunt’ and her loss and gain.

“There Will Never Be A Rainbow” by Rod Gilley is for those who seek depth beyond gore and bone-chilling and blood-curdling scenes. Through the elements of fantasy and horror, of the things that cannot be and the worlds that don’t exist, the author shows us a masterful reflection of life: the way we don’t want to see it, but are compelled to look at. And if we don’t only look but watch it closely and learn, we might find how to escape from the darkness.