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justinkhchen's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars
Atmospheric buildup leading to underwhelming resolution. I do love what Josh Malerman is attempting here: a collection of distinct stories set in the same fictional location with interconnecting details. Judging solely from this aspect, Goblin is flawlessly executed; painting a vivid picture of this always-rainy town named Goblin, and casting a deep web of its troubled history. I don't particularly mind there are lingering mysteries remaining unresolved—leaving plenty of room for a second installment. (Goblin was first published back in 2017, this is a 2021 re-release.)
So it's quite disappointing to say all the stories here are plagued by one common shortcoming: subpar ending. Either they are extremely predictable (A Mix-Up at the Zoo, A Man in Slices), or completely out of left field, dissipating narrative momentum and adding even more unresolved questions (Presto, The Hedges). Even the more cohesive ones (Kamp, Happy Birthday, Hunter!) kind of peter out, leaving readers with a sense of 'that's it?' rather than a sharp, clean finish.
Usually within a short stories collection there are identifiable highs and lows, but Goblin is a case of unrewarding uniformity; even though the tales all contain immersive environment, unique creepy element, and lore bleeding with potential, they are all bogged down by their misaligned closures. I do, however, still wish there will be a round two with the town of Goblin in the future—fingers crossed for better endings!
***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
Atmospheric buildup leading to underwhelming resolution. I do love what Josh Malerman is attempting here: a collection of distinct stories set in the same fictional location with interconnecting details. Judging solely from this aspect, Goblin is flawlessly executed; painting a vivid picture of this always-rainy town named Goblin, and casting a deep web of its troubled history. I don't particularly mind there are lingering mysteries remaining unresolved—leaving plenty of room for a second installment. (Goblin was first published back in 2017, this is a 2021 re-release.)
So it's quite disappointing to say all the stories here are plagued by one common shortcoming: subpar ending. Either they are extremely predictable (A Mix-Up at the Zoo, A Man in Slices), or completely out of left field, dissipating narrative momentum and adding even more unresolved questions (Presto, The Hedges). Even the more cohesive ones (Kamp, Happy Birthday, Hunter!) kind of peter out, leaving readers with a sense of 'that's it?' rather than a sharp, clean finish.
Usually within a short stories collection there are identifiable highs and lows, but Goblin is a case of unrewarding uniformity; even though the tales all contain immersive environment, unique creepy element, and lore bleeding with potential, they are all bogged down by their misaligned closures. I do, however, still wish there will be a round two with the town of Goblin in the future—fingers crossed for better endings!
***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
njdarkish's review against another edition
3.0
A fun collection of novellas with thin connective tissue. Some stories were stronger than others, but overall I had fun. Ultimately Goblin failed to feel real enough to really sell me on some of the stories, unfortunately.
garrity23's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
thepurplepages's review against another edition
3.0
I flew through the first half of this book. It was elusive and intriguing and gave the reader just enough to keep me interested. However, I totally lost interest halfway through, as the storyline no longer really made sense. I was hoping to have an answer to the many mysteries of the book but I closed it feeling disappointed.
nicolamb's review against another edition
2.0
Borrowed this one from the library to see if I liked it before I sank money into buying a hardback edition just because I love the cover...glad I did. My second Josh Malerman book and I've just been so bored by both...I haven't read Bird Box yet so hoping that changes my mind but it's looking like I just don't gel with this author, which is okay because some people don't but many people do! Fwiw I also don't gel with Stephen Graham Jones and he's a big name in horror too...different tastes and all that
lmags15's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
3.0
badseedgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Josh Malerman may be my 2021 new found discovery author. I read [b:Bird Box|18498558|Bird Box (Bird Box, #1)|Josh Malerman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1383949470l/18498558._SY75_.jpg|26186624] prior to the movies release, which came out in 2018, but either I never posted that I read it here on Goodreads, or my review was "lost;" but anyway I (re) read and reviewed it here in 2021. I also read [b:Malorie|44510181|Malorie (Bird Box, #2)|Josh Malerman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585099104l/44510181._SY75_.jpg|69096295] this year, which I enjoyed, but not as much as Bird Box. Turns out, my library has several of Josh Malerman's books, so I have been dipping my toes in his catalog. This is my favorite book of his so far!
This book consists of 6 short stories, and an intro/outro story. All the stories are about member (or former members) of the community of Goblin, a town I am very intrigued with. In Goblin, everyone is scared of the Goblin police. And there is definitely something sinister about them. The people are buried standing up. There is a hedge maze no one has been able to solve, and a forest that people are scared to walk in, inhabited by black owl, no one ever sees. Goblin has a bloody history.
There is so much meat in the book which could be made into a series of books, and I would read them. The six stories included in Goblin are all connected, not only in location, but with other small links which added immensely to my enjoyment.
Seriously Mr. Malerman, write another book about Goblin.
This book consists of 6 short stories, and an intro/outro story. All the stories are about member (or former members) of the community of Goblin, a town I am very intrigued with. In Goblin, everyone is scared of the Goblin police. And there is definitely something sinister about them. The people are buried standing up. There is a hedge maze no one has been able to solve, and a forest that people are scared to walk in, inhabited by black owl, no one ever sees. Goblin has a bloody history.
There is so much meat in the book which could be made into a series of books, and I would read them. The six stories included in Goblin are all connected, not only in location, but with other small links which added immensely to my enjoyment.
Seriously Mr. Malerman, write another book about Goblin.
justdanreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5