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pjwhyman's review against another edition
2.0
I liked it to begin with but them gradually lost interest. Put it down and came back to it a couple of times (as often works for me - some times are the wrong times for some books). But no joy.
Not badly written. Not obvious in its material. Just didn't maintain my attention.
Not badly written. Not obvious in its material. Just didn't maintain my attention.
adamsfall's review against another edition
5.0
A horror book not for everyone. Some places a little rough around the edges, but damn it was a wild and fun ride. John Hornor Jacobs is one of the most underrated writers around and an absolute fantastic craftsman of horror.
thegoodmariner's review against another edition
1.0
I saw this book a few times across a couple bookstores. The plot sounded intriguing, and I'm trying to give small-press books more space on my shelf. So I picked it up.
It took me about 10 pages to realize I probably wasn't going to like it. And about 50 more to confirm my first impression. I forged ahead anyway.
This book tries to be Lovecraft and it tries to be Noir. However, the writing is so pedestrian that it ends up being a dollar-bin knock-off of both. And I can't count the number of cheap cliches sprinkled throughout the storyline, from the tough-guy with a morally questionable vocation turned hero to the magic artifacts that characters just 'sense' have power to a pretty condescending portrayal of late-Depression-era black blues culture.
Also, consider this a public service announcement: just saying "everything is connected" does not actually count as tying everything together. Don't do this anymore, people who write things.
It took me about 10 pages to realize I probably wasn't going to like it. And about 50 more to confirm my first impression. I forged ahead anyway.
This book tries to be Lovecraft and it tries to be Noir. However, the writing is so pedestrian that it ends up being a dollar-bin knock-off of both. And I can't count the number of cheap cliches sprinkled throughout the storyline, from the tough-guy with a morally questionable vocation turned hero to the magic artifacts that characters just 'sense' have power to a pretty condescending portrayal of late-Depression-era black blues culture.
Also, consider this a public service announcement: just saying "everything is connected" does not actually count as tying everything together. Don't do this anymore, people who write things.
the_weirdling's review against another edition
5.0
This is a first rate reinterpretation of the classic Weird Fiction trope of the Yellow King into the early 20th century rural South. With cosmic beings trying to break into our world and use us as fodder for their own means, the bones of this story are tried and true for the fan of Lovecraftian tales. What makes this book great is the flesh and skin draped on the skeleton.
This book is an example of why the Lovecraftian novel, as a sub genre of horror/fantasy/sci-fi only gets better with time. This novel shows a deep appreciations for early 20th century race dynamics, Southern culture, Blues music, and class issues which would not have been on the radar of previous generations. It allows for classic cosmic horror to be twisted and explored in different ways and trough different lenses than those allowed by early Weird Fiction authors.
If you like these sort of tales - and of course I hope you do - this book’s for you. It won’t disappoint.
This book is an example of why the Lovecraftian novel, as a sub genre of horror/fantasy/sci-fi only gets better with time. This novel shows a deep appreciations for early 20th century race dynamics, Southern culture, Blues music, and class issues which would not have been on the radar of previous generations. It allows for classic cosmic horror to be twisted and explored in different ways and trough different lenses than those allowed by early Weird Fiction authors.
If you like these sort of tales - and of course I hope you do - this book’s for you. It won’t disappoint.
snowbenton's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely gruesome from start to finish, but well-written and a great October read.
biblio_lore's review against another edition
3.0
If you follow me at all, you know that one of my absolute favorite kinds of horror is the slow burn. I love when a book can develop over time, bringing everything together and eventually unleashing all the horror payoff at the end in a way that satisfies the means to get there. When slow burn is done well, it leaves a lasting impression that haunts you for days after and a well done Southern Gothic horror might be the best of all. Its languid pace sets up for a kind of dread that just sticks you like humidity and the creep factor just sings. I will say that this book has all those ingredients to start. My heart was completely won over when I began this book and I even jumped the gun and recommended it to someone before the half way point, I was that invested.
By this point, you already know that I only gave this three stars and there are a few reasons for that. First of all, I was completely sold on the Lovecraft meets Faustian Robert Johnson story. I wanted more than anything to get to that because that's basically everything I love rolled into one amazing package. (It's just sprinkles of extra fairy dust if you can include historical race relations into Lovecraftian mythos for me because seeing something that was so xenophobic integrating black history into it gives it so much more depth and makes it so much better.) That was the book I wanted to read. That was not the book I read. There are aspects of Lovecraft in here and the use of the blues records to integrate that into the mythos are a stroke of brilliance. I genuinely would recommend this book for that alone because that is a great idea. What wasn't was having to ride around with a man named Bull who was interesting to start but not as interesting as finding out who the mystery musician was. What was even less interesting was also having to ride along with Sara and her kidlet who started off having a very interesting story about her escaping an abusive husband who was ruined by a wicked case of PTSD only to have her basically reduced to doing things in a creepy house. I saw where her storyline was going a while before it got there and honestly, this part of the book was where my interest began to wane. I didn't actually want to know about these characters as much as I wanted to know more about the blues musician whose music drove people insane and how it related to that absolutely explosive prologue that sets the book off with an amazing high note.
There is also mention of gore in other reviews. This book doesn't shy away and sometimes is graphic but in truth, I would expect nothing less of something inspired by Lovecraft. Personally, I felt like the visceral imagery really fit well with the creep factor and the Southern Gothic vibe. For me this isn't a deal breaker but if you aren't one for squicky things, maybe skip it. I'm still saying that it's worth a look for people who like the genre because it really isn't a horrible book but I was disappointed in the end that it wasn't quite what I thought I was getting into.
By this point, you already know that I only gave this three stars and there are a few reasons for that. First of all, I was completely sold on the Lovecraft meets Faustian Robert Johnson story. I wanted more than anything to get to that because that's basically everything I love rolled into one amazing package. (It's just sprinkles of extra fairy dust if you can include historical race relations into Lovecraftian mythos for me because seeing something that was so xenophobic integrating black history into it gives it so much more depth and makes it so much better.) That was the book I wanted to read. That was not the book I read. There are aspects of Lovecraft in here and the use of the blues records to integrate that into the mythos are a stroke of brilliance. I genuinely would recommend this book for that alone because that is a great idea. What wasn't was having to ride around with a man named Bull who was interesting to start but not as interesting as finding out who the mystery musician was. What was even less interesting was also having to ride along with Sara and her kidlet who started off having a very interesting story about her escaping an abusive husband who was ruined by a wicked case of PTSD only to have her basically reduced to doing things in a creepy house. I saw where her storyline was going a while before it got there and honestly, this part of the book was where my interest began to wane. I didn't actually want to know about these characters as much as I wanted to know more about the blues musician whose music drove people insane and how it related to that absolutely explosive prologue that sets the book off with an amazing high note.
There is also mention of gore in other reviews. This book doesn't shy away and sometimes is graphic but in truth, I would expect nothing less of something inspired by Lovecraft. Personally, I felt like the visceral imagery really fit well with the creep factor and the Southern Gothic vibe. For me this isn't a deal breaker but if you aren't one for squicky things, maybe skip it. I'm still saying that it's worth a look for people who like the genre because it really isn't a horrible book but I was disappointed in the end that it wasn't quite what I thought I was getting into.
mferrante83's review against another edition
5.0
John Hornor Jacobs’ Southern Gods blends blues culture with Lovecraftian horror to create an entertaining brew. Bull Ingram, a giant former marine is hired by a shady record producer to track down a missing employee and find the source of a mysterious pirate radio station that plays the eerie and otherworldly music of a blues musician known as John Hastur. The blues is not stranger to the supernatural and Jacobs’ story is influenced just as much by Robert Johnson’s Cross Road Blues as it is by H. P. Lovecraft. The myth about Robert Johnson (a myth later fictionalized/sensationalized by Walter Hill in 1986′s Crossroads) selling his soul to the devil for mastery of the guitar is one endemic to blues culture and one of the more well known American myths of the 20th Century. In a clever twist Jacobs’ take on the myth of a blues man selling his soul ditches the Judeo-Chrisitan binaries (in part, more on that in a bit) in favor for the mythos of Lovecraft’s cosmic horrors. It’s a combination that wins me over on concept alone.
Thankfully Jacobs’ writing chops are up to the task and he weaves a convincing and well fleshed out tapestry of invented and borrowed mythology to create a chilling and wholly entertaining novel of cosmic horror. While Jacobs keeps the horror elements and violence fairly light at the start of the novel (at least by horror standards) he really cranks things up in the novel’s climax. It might be a bit too much for the faint of heart but Jacobs careful work early in the novel lends this shockingly violent climax the appropriate level of emotional heft and segues into an interesting ending that leaves room for future stories. I’m being deliberately vague here I known but while it would have been easy to feel slightly cheated by the novel’s ending Jacobs manages to avoid that in a fairly clever way.
One of the most important aspect of Lovecraft’s fiction is the New England setting. Lovecraft’s fiction is absolutely steeped in the flavor and smell of sleepy New England towns whether its the dilapidated failing seaside village of Innsmouth or the immaculate streets of Providence there is always a distinct sense of place. That sense of place is an integral part of fiction and in the hands of the right writer an important tool of setting the tone of a novel. Jacobs takes his setting and really makes the most of it; particularly when it comes to individual set pieces. The blues bar where Bull has his first face-to-face with Hastur to the idyllic mansion home of Sarah there is a well realized sense of place that lends the novel a certain feel of authenticity.
The introduction of Father Andrez somewhere towards the middle of the novel is where I really sat up to take notice. The disenfranchised Catholic priest lays down a bit of heavy exposition but in a way that really sets a particular atmosphere of dread. The novel had some horrific moments earlier but once Father Andrez tears away the veil hiding the truth the world (and the novel) becomes a much darker place. Jacobs’ take on the mythology here, and the role of the church in this world, is wonderfully inventive and absolutely fascinating; so much so I’d love to see to novel just about this. Jacobs’ weaves an interesting story regarding Sarah’s Uncle Gregor and I feel like the surface was barely scratched with regards to her family history. There is some absolutely fantastic world and character building with Father Andrez and Sarah’s family and I desperately want more.
As a fan of the blues and a fan of horror Southern Gods is a wholly unexpected fusion of two things that on first glance shouldn’t go together. It is difficult to believe that Southern Gods is Jacobs’ first published novel (though he has some short fiction under his belt). Anyone who enjoys horror and dark fantasy looking for something new and exciting need look no further the John Hornor Jacobs’ Southern Gods. This is definitely one of my favorite novels of 2011 and I will be look forward to seeing what Jacobs has to offer in the future.
Thankfully Jacobs’ writing chops are up to the task and he weaves a convincing and well fleshed out tapestry of invented and borrowed mythology to create a chilling and wholly entertaining novel of cosmic horror. While Jacobs keeps the horror elements and violence fairly light at the start of the novel (at least by horror standards) he really cranks things up in the novel’s climax. It might be a bit too much for the faint of heart but Jacobs careful work early in the novel lends this shockingly violent climax the appropriate level of emotional heft and segues into an interesting ending that leaves room for future stories. I’m being deliberately vague here I known but while it would have been easy to feel slightly cheated by the novel’s ending Jacobs manages to avoid that in a fairly clever way.
One of the most important aspect of Lovecraft’s fiction is the New England setting. Lovecraft’s fiction is absolutely steeped in the flavor and smell of sleepy New England towns whether its the dilapidated failing seaside village of Innsmouth or the immaculate streets of Providence there is always a distinct sense of place. That sense of place is an integral part of fiction and in the hands of the right writer an important tool of setting the tone of a novel. Jacobs takes his setting and really makes the most of it; particularly when it comes to individual set pieces. The blues bar where Bull has his first face-to-face with Hastur to the idyllic mansion home of Sarah there is a well realized sense of place that lends the novel a certain feel of authenticity.
The introduction of Father Andrez somewhere towards the middle of the novel is where I really sat up to take notice. The disenfranchised Catholic priest lays down a bit of heavy exposition but in a way that really sets a particular atmosphere of dread. The novel had some horrific moments earlier but once Father Andrez tears away the veil hiding the truth the world (and the novel) becomes a much darker place. Jacobs’ take on the mythology here, and the role of the church in this world, is wonderfully inventive and absolutely fascinating; so much so I’d love to see to novel just about this. Jacobs’ weaves an interesting story regarding Sarah’s Uncle Gregor and I feel like the surface was barely scratched with regards to her family history. There is some absolutely fantastic world and character building with Father Andrez and Sarah’s family and I desperately want more.
As a fan of the blues and a fan of horror Southern Gods is a wholly unexpected fusion of two things that on first glance shouldn’t go together. It is difficult to believe that Southern Gods is Jacobs’ first published novel (though he has some short fiction under his belt). Anyone who enjoys horror and dark fantasy looking for something new and exciting need look no further the John Hornor Jacobs’ Southern Gods. This is definitely one of my favorite novels of 2011 and I will be look forward to seeing what Jacobs has to offer in the future.