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spoopsmagoo's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bethtabler's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Hachette Book Group and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have returned with a new brand of exquisite horror for their readers in The Hollow Ones. The writing team has a way of using language and imagery that creeps into the marrow of your bones in their writing. Whether they are invoking psychological terror or writing about things that go bump in the night, they scare and scare well. Del Toro and Chuck Hogan are also authors of the New York Times bestselling series, The Strain trilogy, adapted to the hit tv show The Strain by FX that aired between 2014 - 2017. Del Toro is a director and writer with notable movies such as Mimic, Hellboy, and Pan's Labyrinth. Chuck Hogan, who is both a writer of screenplays and novels, has eight books of horror and mystery stories.
"To anyone other than a law enforcement professional, the classification of the crime matters little. The only truly important fact of the matter was that, for more than sixty years, Unruh's shooting spree stood as the worst rampage killing in New Jersey.
That is, until the night Walt Leppo ordered meatloaf."
The Hollow Ones follows FBI Agent Odessa Hardwicke as she tracks down who or more importantly what killed her partner. Because even though Odessa pulled the trigger, something happened to her partner before he went crazy. And, like a cat, Odessa is full of curiosity that might get her killed. She wants to know who or what is causing this string of murder and suicides in her city. A low-level desk assignment leads her to a senior FBI agent Earl Solomon, who is coming to the end of his life. Earl introduces her to the mysterious John Silence, a man who is so much more than he seems. The John Silence character is originally based on an Algernon Blackwood character written in the early 1900s about the 'psychic physician.' Between Silence's stoicism and mystery and Odessa's curiosity, the two follow a trail of demons, magic, and the occult that leads to the answer of what killed Odessa's partner.
The Hollow Ones are two dueling narratives. That of young and intrepid FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke. Who in the opening scenes of the story has to make a career-ending decision of killing her partner or watch him kill someone. It is unexplainable what happened to Odessa's partner, and the FBI is in the business of real data and evidence. This case is a career-ender for Odessa. She is put on a desk job that leads her to clean out former agent Solomon's office. Odessa brings Solomon his things in the hospital. We flash to the other narrative of a young and bold Solomon at the beginning of his career in the 1960s. He is the first African American agent in the FBI and is investigating the lynching of a white man in the south. Solomon crosses path with John Silence and with John Solomon investigates the death. There are parallels drawn between Solomon's and Odessa's career. Each follows a similar path with the commonality of John Silence.
"Odessa was riveted, reexperiencing her own trauma as she listened."
Solomon has aged and is now laying dying in the hospital, Odessa is a brand new agent being first introduced to the occult, yet John Silence is the same as ever. As the story progresses, the two distinct stories wind around each other until they eventually mesh into present times. Dek Toro and Hogan do this well. The pacing of the story is quick and exciting. I was as invested in Odessa's fate as I was Solomons. However, there is a sparseness to the writing that leads to a lack of character development. I wanted more from these characters, especially Silence. It is one thing to tell me that Silence has been around a long time, and it is another to demonstrate that. Same with Solomon. A reader could learn so much more from him. Instead, it felt like Solomon was a passing conduit to get Odessa to John Silence. Parts of this book almost felt like reading a screenplay without set descriptions; it perfectly played out in Del Toro's and Hogan's head but did not quite make the transition to the written page. And even though it was still a very entertaining story, the brusqueness of the dialog and story beats left me feeling disconnected from the characters.
"He remembered she recoiled from the taste, the flavor of solder lingering in his mouth. She said she woke the next morning with the burnt taste still upon her palate, the source of which he could not explain."
However, even though the story felt compressed, there is still enough meat for a great sequel. I feel like we are just starting on our journey with Odessa and John Silence, and The Hollow Ones was just a taste of the horrors to come. I hope so. If The Hollow Ones is anything like its predecessor, The Strain Trilogy, the craziness and depth of fear will only increase as the story develops.
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have returned with a new brand of exquisite horror for their readers in The Hollow Ones. The writing team has a way of using language and imagery that creeps into the marrow of your bones in their writing. Whether they are invoking psychological terror or writing about things that go bump in the night, they scare and scare well. Del Toro and Chuck Hogan are also authors of the New York Times bestselling series, The Strain trilogy, adapted to the hit tv show The Strain by FX that aired between 2014 - 2017. Del Toro is a director and writer with notable movies such as Mimic, Hellboy, and Pan's Labyrinth. Chuck Hogan, who is both a writer of screenplays and novels, has eight books of horror and mystery stories.
"To anyone other than a law enforcement professional, the classification of the crime matters little. The only truly important fact of the matter was that, for more than sixty years, Unruh's shooting spree stood as the worst rampage killing in New Jersey.
That is, until the night Walt Leppo ordered meatloaf."
The Hollow Ones follows FBI Agent Odessa Hardwicke as she tracks down who or more importantly what killed her partner. Because even though Odessa pulled the trigger, something happened to her partner before he went crazy. And, like a cat, Odessa is full of curiosity that might get her killed. She wants to know who or what is causing this string of murder and suicides in her city. A low-level desk assignment leads her to a senior FBI agent Earl Solomon, who is coming to the end of his life. Earl introduces her to the mysterious John Silence, a man who is so much more than he seems. The John Silence character is originally based on an Algernon Blackwood character written in the early 1900s about the 'psychic physician.' Between Silence's stoicism and mystery and Odessa's curiosity, the two follow a trail of demons, magic, and the occult that leads to the answer of what killed Odessa's partner.
The Hollow Ones are two dueling narratives. That of young and intrepid FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke. Who in the opening scenes of the story has to make a career-ending decision of killing her partner or watch him kill someone. It is unexplainable what happened to Odessa's partner, and the FBI is in the business of real data and evidence. This case is a career-ender for Odessa. She is put on a desk job that leads her to clean out former agent Solomon's office. Odessa brings Solomon his things in the hospital. We flash to the other narrative of a young and bold Solomon at the beginning of his career in the 1960s. He is the first African American agent in the FBI and is investigating the lynching of a white man in the south. Solomon crosses path with John Silence and with John Solomon investigates the death. There are parallels drawn between Solomon's and Odessa's career. Each follows a similar path with the commonality of John Silence.
"Odessa was riveted, reexperiencing her own trauma as she listened."
Solomon has aged and is now laying dying in the hospital, Odessa is a brand new agent being first introduced to the occult, yet John Silence is the same as ever. As the story progresses, the two distinct stories wind around each other until they eventually mesh into present times. Dek Toro and Hogan do this well. The pacing of the story is quick and exciting. I was as invested in Odessa's fate as I was Solomons. However, there is a sparseness to the writing that leads to a lack of character development. I wanted more from these characters, especially Silence. It is one thing to tell me that Silence has been around a long time, and it is another to demonstrate that. Same with Solomon. A reader could learn so much more from him. Instead, it felt like Solomon was a passing conduit to get Odessa to John Silence. Parts of this book almost felt like reading a screenplay without set descriptions; it perfectly played out in Del Toro's and Hogan's head but did not quite make the transition to the written page. And even though it was still a very entertaining story, the brusqueness of the dialog and story beats left me feeling disconnected from the characters.
"He remembered she recoiled from the taste, the flavor of solder lingering in his mouth. She said she woke the next morning with the burnt taste still upon her palate, the source of which he could not explain."
However, even though the story felt compressed, there is still enough meat for a great sequel. I feel like we are just starting on our journey with Odessa and John Silence, and The Hollow Ones was just a taste of the horrors to come. I hope so. If The Hollow Ones is anything like its predecessor, The Strain Trilogy, the craziness and depth of fear will only increase as the story develops.
bethtabler's review
4.0
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have returned with a new brand of exquisite horror for their readers in The Hollow Ones. The writing team has a way of using language and imagery that creeps into the marrow of your bones in their writing. Whether they are invoking psychological terror or writing about things that go bump in the night, they scare and scare well. Del Toro and Chuck Hogan are also authors of the New York Times bestselling series, The Strain trilogy, adapted to the hit tv show The Strain by FX that aired between 2014 – 2017. Del Toro is a director and writer with notable movies such as Mimic, Hellboy, and Pan’s Labyrinth. Chuck Hogan, who is both a writer of screenplays and novels, has eight books of horror and mystery stories.
“To anyone other than a law enforcement professional, the classification of the crime matters little. The only truly important fact of the matter was that, for more than sixty years, Unruh’s shooting spree stood as the worst rampage killing in New Jersey.
That is, until the night Walt Leppo ordered meatloaf.”
52594581The Hollow Ones follows FBI Agent Odessa Hardwicke as she tracks down who or more importantly what killed her partner. Because even though Odessa pulled the trigger, something happened to her partner before he went crazy. And, like a cat, Odessa is full of curiosity that might get her killed. She wants to know who or what is causing this string of murder and suicides in her city. A low-level desk assignment leads her to a senior FBI agent Earl Solomon, who is coming to the end of his life. Earl introduces her to the mysterious John Silence, a man who is so much more than he seems. The John Silence character is originally based on an Algernon Blackwood character written in the early 1900s about the ‘psychic physician.’ Between Silence’s stoicism and mystery and Odessa’s curiosity, the two follow a trail of demons, magic, and the occult that leads to the answer of what killed Odessa’s partner.
The Hollow Ones are two dueling narratives. That of young and intrepid FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke. Who in the opening scenes of the story has to make a career-ending decision of killing her partner or watch him kill someone. It is unexplainable what happened to Odessa’s partner, and the FBI is in the business of real data and evidence. This case is a career-ender for Odessa. She is put on a desk job that leads her to clean out former agent Solomon’s office. Odessa brings Solomon his things in the hospital. We flash to the other narrative of a young and bold Solomon at the beginning of his career in the 1960s. He is the first African American agent in the FBI and is investigating the lynching of a white man in the south. Solomon crosses path with John Silence and with John Solomon investigates the death. There are parallels drawn between Solomon’s and Odessa’s career. Each follows a similar path with the commonality of John Silence.
“Odessa was riveted, reexperiencing her own trauma as she listened.”
The Hollow Ones: Amazon.co.uk: Toro, Guillermo del, Hogan, Chuck ...Solomon has aged and is now laying dying in the hospital, Odessa is a brand new agent being first introduced to the occult, yet John Silence is the same as ever. As the story progresses, the two distinct stories wind around each other until they eventually mesh into present times. Dek Toro and Hogan do this well. The pacing of the story is quick and exciting. I was as invested in Odessa’s fate as I was Solomons. However, there is a sparseness to the writing that leads to a lack of character development. I wanted more from these characters, especially Silence. It is one thing to tell me that Silence has been around a long time, and it is another to demonstrate that. Same with Solomon. A reader could learn so much more from him. Instead, it felt like Solomon was a passing conduit to get Odessa to John Silence. Parts of this book almost felt like reading a screenplay without set descriptions; it perfectly played out in Del Toro’s and Hogan’s head but did not quite make the transition to the written page. And even though it was still a very entertaining story, the brusqueness of the dialog and story beats left me feeling disconnected from the characters.
“He remembered she recoiled from the taste, the flavor of solder lingering in his mouth. She said she woke the next morning with the burnt taste still upon her palate, the source of which he could not explain.”
However, even though the story felt compressed, there is still enough meat for a great trilogy. We are just starting on our journey with Odessa and John Silence, but if this story is any indication of the thrills in the upcoming books, we are in for a treat.
“To anyone other than a law enforcement professional, the classification of the crime matters little. The only truly important fact of the matter was that, for more than sixty years, Unruh’s shooting spree stood as the worst rampage killing in New Jersey.
That is, until the night Walt Leppo ordered meatloaf.”
52594581The Hollow Ones follows FBI Agent Odessa Hardwicke as she tracks down who or more importantly what killed her partner. Because even though Odessa pulled the trigger, something happened to her partner before he went crazy. And, like a cat, Odessa is full of curiosity that might get her killed. She wants to know who or what is causing this string of murder and suicides in her city. A low-level desk assignment leads her to a senior FBI agent Earl Solomon, who is coming to the end of his life. Earl introduces her to the mysterious John Silence, a man who is so much more than he seems. The John Silence character is originally based on an Algernon Blackwood character written in the early 1900s about the ‘psychic physician.’ Between Silence’s stoicism and mystery and Odessa’s curiosity, the two follow a trail of demons, magic, and the occult that leads to the answer of what killed Odessa’s partner.
The Hollow Ones are two dueling narratives. That of young and intrepid FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke. Who in the opening scenes of the story has to make a career-ending decision of killing her partner or watch him kill someone. It is unexplainable what happened to Odessa’s partner, and the FBI is in the business of real data and evidence. This case is a career-ender for Odessa. She is put on a desk job that leads her to clean out former agent Solomon’s office. Odessa brings Solomon his things in the hospital. We flash to the other narrative of a young and bold Solomon at the beginning of his career in the 1960s. He is the first African American agent in the FBI and is investigating the lynching of a white man in the south. Solomon crosses path with John Silence and with John Solomon investigates the death. There are parallels drawn between Solomon’s and Odessa’s career. Each follows a similar path with the commonality of John Silence.
“Odessa was riveted, reexperiencing her own trauma as she listened.”
The Hollow Ones: Amazon.co.uk: Toro, Guillermo del, Hogan, Chuck ...Solomon has aged and is now laying dying in the hospital, Odessa is a brand new agent being first introduced to the occult, yet John Silence is the same as ever. As the story progresses, the two distinct stories wind around each other until they eventually mesh into present times. Dek Toro and Hogan do this well. The pacing of the story is quick and exciting. I was as invested in Odessa’s fate as I was Solomons. However, there is a sparseness to the writing that leads to a lack of character development. I wanted more from these characters, especially Silence. It is one thing to tell me that Silence has been around a long time, and it is another to demonstrate that. Same with Solomon. A reader could learn so much more from him. Instead, it felt like Solomon was a passing conduit to get Odessa to John Silence. Parts of this book almost felt like reading a screenplay without set descriptions; it perfectly played out in Del Toro’s and Hogan’s head but did not quite make the transition to the written page. And even though it was still a very entertaining story, the brusqueness of the dialog and story beats left me feeling disconnected from the characters.
“He remembered she recoiled from the taste, the flavor of solder lingering in his mouth. She said she woke the next morning with the burnt taste still upon her palate, the source of which he could not explain.”
However, even though the story felt compressed, there is still enough meat for a great trilogy. We are just starting on our journey with Odessa and John Silence, but if this story is any indication of the thrills in the upcoming books, we are in for a treat.
glitterkitter's review against another edition
3.0
del Toro makes such great movies, I cannot understand why his books are so mediocre. Paranormal investigation is one of my favourite horror subgenres, so I'm extra generous with how I feel about most things in that genre, but this is just a forgettable horror thriller.
erinld2005's review
*Update upon finishing*
I am so glad that I won The Hollow Ones in a Goodreads giveaway! I enjoyed (most) of The Strain trilogy, but I was slightly hesitant about this one. I was intrigued, but just not sure exactly if I was intrigued enough. However, after finishing this one I absolutely can't wait for the next book in this series!!! This one was like Guillermo del Toro meets something like The Dresden Files. It was a fast-paced read and DIFFERENT. I loved this one and I can't wait for the next one. I highly recommend it if it sounds intriguing to you at all, because this was a way better read than the blurb would have you thinking. :D
*Yay! I haven’t won a goodreads giveaway in ages! Well, I haven’t really done a good review in ages either to be fair.
I am so glad that I won The Hollow Ones in a Goodreads giveaway! I enjoyed (most) of The Strain trilogy, but I was slightly hesitant about this one. I was intrigued, but just not sure exactly if I was intrigued enough. However, after finishing this one I absolutely can't wait for the next book in this series!!! This one was like Guillermo del Toro meets something like The Dresden Files. It was a fast-paced read and DIFFERENT. I loved this one and I can't wait for the next one. I highly recommend it if it sounds intriguing to you at all, because this was a way better read than the blurb would have you thinking. :D
*Yay! I haven’t won a goodreads giveaway in ages! Well, I haven’t really done a good review in ages either to be fair.
bmg20's review
3.0
Thoughts: I will forever be a fan of Guillermo del Toro. He’s created some of the most fascinating yet horrific worlds but I don’t think I can ever get past how every single one of his books seems to be written in the hopes of them someday being turned into a film. The summary of this gave me the idea it could be like an old X-Files episode: a young FBI agent investigating a terrible crime turns to a man of the occult after being unable to rationalize the supernatural aspects of the case. No, we’re not talking aliens, but the supernatural aspect actually reminded me far too much of another book which I had only recently read. I’m not sure the close comparisons were what ultimately left me unimpressed or if it was the considerable amounts of gratuitous violence and the fact that I didn’t realize this wasn’t a standalone novel until the final page.
Verdict: I just realized that every single Guillermo del Toro book I’ve read has been him paired up with someone else. Makes me want to give Hogan’s individually written books a shot. In regards to [b:The Hollow Ones|52594581|The Hollow Ones|Guillermo del Toro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571698404l/52594581._SY75_.jpg|73674603], while I can see where the authors plan to take this series, I’m not sure the first installment left me feeling invested enough to continue.
In a nutshell, GIF style:
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Verdict: I just realized that every single Guillermo del Toro book I’ve read has been him paired up with someone else. Makes me want to give Hogan’s individually written books a shot. In regards to [b:The Hollow Ones|52594581|The Hollow Ones|Guillermo del Toro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571698404l/52594581._SY75_.jpg|73674603], while I can see where the authors plan to take this series, I’m not sure the first installment left me feeling invested enough to continue.
In a nutshell, GIF style:
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
jennitheghost's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book I did find some things a little predictable but it didn't detracf from the fun I had reading it I hope they make a movie of it because I picture Blackwood as being a total hottie
jen286's review
DNF - I really tried with this one. I loved The Strain so much so I was excited to start another book by these authors...but this one was not good.
julie_gee's review
4.0
Enjoyable. This had the flavor of a Charlie Parker mystery, but not quite as good.
jennwendy's review
5.0
i am surprised how much i enjoyed this book! the whole story was fantastic, the characters were interesting, and i cannot wait for the next book. Blackwood may be my new favourite Sherlock. the story reads like Criminal Minds meets Sherlock Holmes meets Supernatural and i'm here for it!