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kusine's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
theduchess93's review
5.0
I always love rural swamp horror (yes, it's a genre in my mind) and this one's got a well-written queer protag to boot! It was the perfect length, fleshing out the mythology without revealing too much and spoiling the mystery and terror of the unknown.
theduchess93's review against another edition
5.0
I always love rural swamp horror (yes, it's a genre in my mind) and this one's got a well-written queer protag to boot! It was the perfect length, fleshing out the mythology without revealing too much and spoiling the mystery and terror of the unknown.
simplyammee's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
gmctaggart's review
Not what I was expecting, I think the format threw me off. I have other books that are of more interest to me right now. I may revisit at some point.
nataliya_x's review
3.0
“Sometimes you have to be scarier than the monsters.”This 2019 Nebula Awards nominee is a horror fantasy little novella set in the rural American South, blending quasi Southern folklore with the apocalyptic horror.
“It was a snarling, wet sound. A scream that wasn’t animal nor human but both. Like the swamp itself had found a voice, and it was angry that something that belonged to it had been taken away.”As a biracial queer kid, Caleb has seen his share of unpleasantness in his small rural town. But one day he comes across something infinitely more evil than the everyday nastiness he’s accustomed to. In attempt to win generations-long feud with the local legendary swamp creature Catfish John, a local Royce family led by the horrible patriarch Archie will stop at nothing - not at rapes or murders or evil magic or bringing along the apocalypse - imprisoned in the form of young Cere Royce, a girl Caleb bonds with in his childhood, a girl who may have some connection to the legendary Catfish John. They have to fight evil as children and eventually come back to finish the job as adults.
“What exactly is your brother trying to do?” Kyle asked.
“Bring my father back from the dead. End the world. The usual.”
It’s quite decently done. It’s got a compelling plot, interesting characters, well-developed sense of the locale, and overall quite a traditional horror story feel that gives it strength. It feels firmly grounded in the traditions of the genre and uses them well. In addition to the supernatural evil, it touches upon the everyday ugliness with the subtleness that avoids the slide into didactic preachiness.
“She might have been a statue, a ghost, ash-smeared in the darkness. She was a young girl, all knobby knees and fresh from the burned remains of her home. She was the light of a star and the end of the world in the shape of a woman.“
Now, the supernatural elements are a bit vague, which detracts from the enjoyment of the story just a bit. I wish they were sharper, laid out a bit more clearly, focused on just a bit more - especially that promise of the apocalypse that felt a bit shoehorned, really. The swamp creature and the Royces and the apocalypse - the connections there were a bit too tenuous, and I wish the author chose to focus on just one of them (folklore over the apocalypse, please, for this reader) in order to develop it more fully in such a short piece. Catfish John seemed really like a cool concept that the story veered away from, but the author just didn’t have a heart to let go of him completely.
That said, still an entertaining read. And I loved the prominence of friendship and the strength of found family in this story.
3.5 stars.
“Family left, they died and disappeared, but sometimes they came home again too.”
——————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2020: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3295830569
stranger_sights's review against another edition
5.0
Catfish Lullaby is one of the most story-rich novellas that I’ve read in a long time. I don’t understand how A.C. Wise managed to cram so much into one little book! This book is ostensibly a southern folk tale, but it’s so much more than that.
The story follows Caleb, one of the very few non-white residents in the small southern bayou town of Lewis. Caleb is the only child of the town Sheriff, he’s biracial, and he’s gay. Basically, he’s the local prejudiced bullies’ wet dream. And he certainly does get picked on.
One night, his next door neighbor’s house can be seen burning through the trees. Only nobody is in a big rush to put the fire out. See, these neighbors have a reputation for being mean, for being weird, for possibly being cultists. They get up to a lot of unsavory business there, and have for as far back as anyone can remember. They’re rumored to have started their own doomsday sort of cult.
Well, Caleb’s father isn’t about to let them all burn. He may not like them, but he’s still the Sheriff, and with that comes certain responsibilities. So he and Caleb head over to check it out. As the house burns furiously, the only member of the family to be found is Cere – Archie Royce’s daughter. The girl is the same age as Caleb. And she’s standing too close to the fire. And she seems remarkably unafraid.
Although the story begins when Caleb and Cere are young people, it follows them into adulthood. Their paths diverged sharply not too terribly long after the fire, but they’re destined to come together once more to fight off something terrible – the end of everything.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
The story follows Caleb, one of the very few non-white residents in the small southern bayou town of Lewis. Caleb is the only child of the town Sheriff, he’s biracial, and he’s gay. Basically, he’s the local prejudiced bullies’ wet dream. And he certainly does get picked on.
One night, his next door neighbor’s house can be seen burning through the trees. Only nobody is in a big rush to put the fire out. See, these neighbors have a reputation for being mean, for being weird, for possibly being cultists. They get up to a lot of unsavory business there, and have for as far back as anyone can remember. They’re rumored to have started their own doomsday sort of cult.
Well, Caleb’s father isn’t about to let them all burn. He may not like them, but he’s still the Sheriff, and with that comes certain responsibilities. So he and Caleb head over to check it out. As the house burns furiously, the only member of the family to be found is Cere – Archie Royce’s daughter. The girl is the same age as Caleb. And she’s standing too close to the fire. And she seems remarkably unafraid.
Although the story begins when Caleb and Cere are young people, it follows them into adulthood. Their paths diverged sharply not too terribly long after the fire, but they’re destined to come together once more to fight off something terrible – the end of everything.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
suncani's review
4.0
Strongly rooted in its setting and a good mix of elrich horror and family links, I really enjoyed this novella. But then A.C Wise is one of my go-to writers for short fiction. For someone who doesn't really "see" visual details in writing the imagery was really strong in this one, as well as the feeling of creeping unease but also the importance of connections with people and the strange hold blood family can continue to have long after love or feeling is gone.
barb4ry1's review
3.0
3.5/5
Caleb, a young black boy, lives in the small town of Lewis. Other boys bully him because of his race and sexual orientation. Things change for him when his father, a local sheriff, takes him to check a fire on the property of Archie Royce. They save Archie’s daughter, Cera, who becomes Caleb’s friend. She is strange and scary. Not surprising as she leads a supernatural fight with her family.
I found the horror elements of the story disturbing but also vaguely described. As a result, they seemed far-fetched, and I had a hard time making sense of parts of the story, especially of Cera’s involvement in the potential end of the world scenario. That said, I enjoyed how AC Wise blended swamp and Louisiana myths, including the folkloric bogeyman known as Catfish John, into horror and coming-of-age drama.
The book, divided into three parts, makes time-jumps between Caleb’s childhood and adulthood. I found the first part stronger and more emotionally engaging. Caleb’s struggles with his homophobic peers and surreal experience of the cosmic horrors lurking in the swamps impressed me with their vivid imagery. The second part lacks tension and focuses on the power of the family of choice.
Wise’s writing is economical and efficient in creating an oppressive, disturbing atmosphere. I can’t say I loved all similes but consider me impressed. I’m not surprised Catfish Lullaby was announced as a finalist for the Nebula Award. Well worth a read.
ARC through NetGalley
Caleb, a young black boy, lives in the small town of Lewis. Other boys bully him because of his race and sexual orientation. Things change for him when his father, a local sheriff, takes him to check a fire on the property of Archie Royce. They save Archie’s daughter, Cera, who becomes Caleb’s friend. She is strange and scary. Not surprising as she leads a supernatural fight with her family.
I found the horror elements of the story disturbing but also vaguely described. As a result, they seemed far-fetched, and I had a hard time making sense of parts of the story, especially of Cera’s involvement in the potential end of the world scenario. That said, I enjoyed how AC Wise blended swamp and Louisiana myths, including the folkloric bogeyman known as Catfish John, into horror and coming-of-age drama.
The book, divided into three parts, makes time-jumps between Caleb’s childhood and adulthood. I found the first part stronger and more emotionally engaging. Caleb’s struggles with his homophobic peers and surreal experience of the cosmic horrors lurking in the swamps impressed me with their vivid imagery. The second part lacks tension and focuses on the power of the family of choice.
Wise’s writing is economical and efficient in creating an oppressive, disturbing atmosphere. I can’t say I loved all similes but consider me impressed. I’m not surprised Catfish Lullaby was announced as a finalist for the Nebula Award. Well worth a read.
ARC through NetGalley
evavroslin's review
5.0
This is a high quality novel that is like a combination of Joe Lansdale and True Detective season 1. The descriptions throughout are very evocative, and the novel is strong on the crime/mystery aspects. It's a slow burn, coming-of-age novel that features racism and homophobia in the Deep South. There are hints of the supernatural as well, and the book has a high creep factor.