You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It’s a cosmic horror book and let’s be real if that’s your genre of horror this is definitely going to be your genre of book. A lush and seething hell is a book with 2 different stories within it and with both stories I was sucked in. The writing is a slow building of horror that ends with an absolute bang. I have not stopped thinking about the second story since I finished the book and its been about 2 months here now…
You can read my full review on my blog, The Writerly Way, here.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
This book was a bit of a roller coaster ride for me, because as disappointed as I was with the first story, I was just as in love with the second one.
I mean, I guess they say life is all about balance, right? So for this review, I’m really going to have to separate the stories in this into two, because I had wildly different experiences with each.
The one thing I can say about both is that when it’s creepy, it’s creepy—there’s no two ways about that. Jacobs does an amazing job of building a dark, insidious atmosphere that builds slowly and will have you checking for shadows in your peripheral vision.
In that aspect, this book was everything I had hoped for going in, even if the first story didn’t quite deliver plot-wise for me.
The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky (★★☆☆☆)
Listen. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but everyone seems to have loved this story … except for me. I went in with such high expectations, considering how highly rated it was and people seemed to love it. After I got a ways in and realized, wow, this story was going nowhere fast, I lowered my expectations a bit.
- Avendano’s manuscripts deliver all the slow-build horror, existential dread, and paranormal darkness that one might expect from the summary. For me, this was the real pleasure of this story. The manuscripts were a joy to read, because there’s this slow devolution and breakdown of what seemed like a perfectly satisfying life to … something else.
- When it felt like it was finally getting going and getting good, something always undermined that feeling. Sometimes it was long, tedious descriptions of quotidian life, long passages of travel, or just some sort of randomness. I felt like the dark, creepy atmosphere it was building never had a chance to fully coalesce, because it was constantly bogged down by these slow, meandering sections that yanked me out of the creepiness and action.
- The story just … ended. I don’t even know what happened. This story was so hard for me to get through, but I felt like there would be such a payoff that of course it would be worth it, and there just … wasn’t. I don’t necessarily need things spelled out, but I felt like this ending was too abrupt and abstract to feel satisfactory for me.
- There’s just too much in this story that’s left open and unexplained that by the end of it, I just felt confused and like there was something missing. Other people seemed to have loved it, so I guess this is just me? But I just didn’t get it. Even now, I can’t actually tell you what this story was really about or the point of it. I for sure can’t tell you anything about how it ended or the meaning of the ending, because I just … I don’t know, guys. I’m still so confused.
My Heart Struck Sorrow (★★★★★)
This story is everything the first one wasn’t and everything I’d hoped for going in, and I just loved it. Okay, end review, now go read this. If you’re looking for some seriously delicious creepy, sinister, and sometimes downright surreal vibes … read this story.
- I’m totally biased in that I already love unreliable narrators, but Jacobs takes it one step further by giving us an actual reliable narrator who becomes unreliable … only the reader doesn’t know exactly when it happens. Maybe he was unreliable from the start? I suppose it could very well be. you’ll have to decide that for yourself.
- I’m usually a little hesitant with split storylines, but here, I thought it was super effective, especially given that Cromwell’s situation is so relatable. Whereas Harlan’s timeline is one fueled by selfish obsession, Cromwell’s struggle is one of a highly relatable inner turmoil, where he’s on the brink of becoming like Harlan but still has a choice to make. While I thought Harlan’s story was, by far, the most thrilling and creepy, Cromwell’s was the most emotional and made it so easy to see how someone can be led astray.
- This is more of a psychological horror/thriller, so while there are no real big scary moments, there are quite a few WTF moments where things just don’t seem quite right. Mostly, because they’re not, but you sort of just have to wait and see. If you’re going in expecting all the answers, you’ll be sorely disappointed, because this story leaves a lot open-ended and up to the imagination of the reader to fill in the gaps. It draws the overall picture, and it’s your job to color it in. I know I sort of complained about the first one being too open-ended to where I just didn’t get it, but that was so not a problem with this, and I ended up loving how it played out in this story.
- There’s not a whole lot I can say about this story, because the beauty is in the build-up. Even though it may sound a bit like a cop-out (and okay, maybe it is), this is one of those stories that you just have to experience for yourselves. I honestly don’t know what else I can say about this without spoiling something, because everything has to come together just so, and the reader discovers things as Cromwell discovers them, which is the wonderful thing about this piece. I’d hate to ruin that.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
This book was a bit of a roller coaster ride for me, because as disappointed as I was with the first story, I was just as in love with the second one.
I mean, I guess they say life is all about balance, right? So for this review, I’m really going to have to separate the stories in this into two, because I had wildly different experiences with each.
The one thing I can say about both is that when it’s creepy, it’s creepy—there’s no two ways about that. Jacobs does an amazing job of building a dark, insidious atmosphere that builds slowly and will have you checking for shadows in your peripheral vision.
In that aspect, this book was everything I had hoped for going in, even if the first story didn’t quite deliver plot-wise for me.
The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky (★★☆☆☆)
Listen. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but everyone seems to have loved this story … except for me. I went in with such high expectations, considering how highly rated it was and people seemed to love it. After I got a ways in and realized, wow, this story was going nowhere fast, I lowered my expectations a bit.
- Avendano’s manuscripts deliver all the slow-build horror, existential dread, and paranormal darkness that one might expect from the summary. For me, this was the real pleasure of this story. The manuscripts were a joy to read, because there’s this slow devolution and breakdown of what seemed like a perfectly satisfying life to … something else.
- When it felt like it was finally getting going and getting good, something always undermined that feeling. Sometimes it was long, tedious descriptions of quotidian life, long passages of travel, or just some sort of randomness. I felt like the dark, creepy atmosphere it was building never had a chance to fully coalesce, because it was constantly bogged down by these slow, meandering sections that yanked me out of the creepiness and action.
- The story just … ended. I don’t even know what happened. This story was so hard for me to get through, but I felt like there would be such a payoff that of course it would be worth it, and there just … wasn’t. I don’t necessarily need things spelled out, but I felt like this ending was too abrupt and abstract to feel satisfactory for me.
- There’s just too much in this story that’s left open and unexplained that by the end of it, I just felt confused and like there was something missing. Other people seemed to have loved it, so I guess this is just me? But I just didn’t get it. Even now, I can’t actually tell you what this story was really about or the point of it. I for sure can’t tell you anything about how it ended or the meaning of the ending, because I just … I don’t know, guys. I’m still so confused.
My Heart Struck Sorrow (★★★★★)
This story is everything the first one wasn’t and everything I’d hoped for going in, and I just loved it. Okay, end review, now go read this. If you’re looking for some seriously delicious creepy, sinister, and sometimes downright surreal vibes … read this story.
- I’m totally biased in that I already love unreliable narrators, but Jacobs takes it one step further by giving us an actual reliable narrator who becomes unreliable … only the reader doesn’t know exactly when it happens. Maybe he was unreliable from the start? I suppose it could very well be. you’ll have to decide that for yourself.
- I’m usually a little hesitant with split storylines, but here, I thought it was super effective, especially given that Cromwell’s situation is so relatable. Whereas Harlan’s timeline is one fueled by selfish obsession, Cromwell’s struggle is one of a highly relatable inner turmoil, where he’s on the brink of becoming like Harlan but still has a choice to make. While I thought Harlan’s story was, by far, the most thrilling and creepy, Cromwell’s was the most emotional and made it so easy to see how someone can be led astray.
- This is more of a psychological horror/thriller, so while there are no real big scary moments, there are quite a few WTF moments where things just don’t seem quite right. Mostly, because they’re not, but you sort of just have to wait and see. If you’re going in expecting all the answers, you’ll be sorely disappointed, because this story leaves a lot open-ended and up to the imagination of the reader to fill in the gaps. It draws the overall picture, and it’s your job to color it in. I know I sort of complained about the first one being too open-ended to where I just didn’t get it, but that was so not a problem with this, and I ended up loving how it played out in this story.
- There’s not a whole lot I can say about this story, because the beauty is in the build-up. Even though it may sound a bit like a cop-out (and okay, maybe it is), this is one of those stories that you just have to experience for yourselves. I honestly don’t know what else I can say about this without spoiling something, because everything has to come together just so, and the reader discovers things as Cromwell discovers them, which is the wonderful thing about this piece. I’d hate to ruin that.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual content
The best cosmic horror stories I have read in years. 2019 has been an amazing year for horror fiction. This book should be the #1 entry on your TBR.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found both stories to be outstanding in terms of the storylines and some incredible characters. But what put this book over the top for me was the execution. I really enjoyed the writing and the way these two stories were told. The storytelling here is exceptional and unforgettable.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Horror is many different things to different people. What scares one person isn’t the same as what frightens another. For me, the best horror is a deep examination of our negative emotions; those thoughts and fears that disquiet in the depth of the night: moments left undone, words unsaid, the strange, the weird, the obscene brought to light. Done well, it is a cerebral exploration of the darkness that lies within everyone.
If that is your vibe, too, then here are two stories done exceptionally well and collected in a single volume entitled A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacobs:
THE SEA DREAMS IT IS THE SKY
I read this story as Word document last year. It immediately reminded me of the Jorge Luis Borges story, “The Gospel According to Mark,” which I read many years ago. Stylistically, both works begin in the most mundane of ways and make a slow, steady progression, first into the surreal and then into horror. Jacobs takes the unsettling imagery of a country at war with itself and gives us, what I like to call, Borges meets Lovecraft.
Refugees from the fictional Latin American country of Magera chance upon one another in their self-imposed exile in Málaga, Spain. One is the poet, Rafael Avendaño, and the other is a teacher, Isabel, who is our narrator. Avendaño is thought by most to be dead, murdered by the fascists who now rule Magera, but instead, he escaped with his life, but not with his art. Since his exile in Spain, he no longer writes poetry.
Isabel, on the other hand, doesn’t approach her friendship with Avendaño with any sense of reverence. She finds his poetry to be misogynistic and puerile, nor does she teach his works in her classes. He invites her to a movie. She goes. Their strange friendship begins.
When Avendaño leaves Spain to return to Magera, he gives Isabel the key to his apartment and asks her to look after his place. There, she finds a book authored by Avendaño entitled Below, Between, Beneath, and Beyond. Here, she finds the story of Avendaño’s days before, during, and after the fascist takeover of Magera, where Avendaño is required to translate a book, Opusculus Noctis, which he titles A Little Night Work.
As she reads Avendaño’s autobiography and discovers his notes on A Little Night Work, Isabel decides to return to Magera to find Avendaño. Here, their stories converge, and the Lovecraftian aspects of the story emerge in full bloom.
Lovecraftian stories can be hit or miss for me, primarily because the endings can swerve into the obscure with the ending so ambiguous or arcane that the reader is left foundering for a solid landing. Jacobs avoids that pitfall here. He keeps the narrative tight, and as the story seeps into the surreal, leading the reader to a logical ending that seems neither too real, nor too opaque.
It’s a hard balance to write, but Jacobs handles it like a virtuoso, drawing the reader into his world and unveiling the strange, the weird, the obscene, to bring the true horror of evil into the light. This is the kind of dark fiction I love to read, and I offer it to you, highly recommended.
MY HEART STRUCK SORROW<\b>
My Heart Struck Sorrow is my favorite of the two. While Lovecraftian stories have their allure, southern stories with the devil are some of my personal favorites. Primarily because the devil and his kin are often stand-ins for those aforementioned emotions. Stories that entwine music and madness are also some of my favorites, so with My Heart Struck Sorrow, I got the best of both worlds.
This is one of those stories that the less you know going in will enhance how the story works for you, so I’ll only give a very basic overview of the plot.
Cromwell is a music librarian in the Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. His wife and son have recently died, leaving Cromwell in a state of grief even as he returns to work. There, he finds that the grandniece of Harlan Parker has died and bequeathed their rather massive collection to the Library of Congress.
A war hero, Harlan Parker once worked for the Library of Congress, travelling across the south to collect and index folk music on a commission of ethnomusicology, but something strange happened during Parker’s travels, causing him to abandon the commission and simply disappear into his sister’s Springfield home, where he remained until the end of his days.
Cromwell and his co-worker, Hattie, go to the Parker estate to catalog and preserve the estate’s records. In doing so, they find a secret room, because all horror stories should have at least one secret room, and in this small chamber Cromwell and Hattie find acetates of folk music that Parker recorded during his travels, along with Parker’s diary from the late thirties.
Soon Cromwell is immersed in Parker’s writings and infatuation with a song known interchangeably as “Stagolee,” “Stackalee,” or “Stagger Lee.” As Cromwell listens to the recordings Parker created and follows the events within the journal, he is led into Parker’s increasingly bizarre adventures in the rural south, which at times, seems to mirror Hell itself.
Yet, in the end, Jacobs loops the story back to Cromwell, and the two seemingly divergent trajectories are brought together in a startling conclusion that is both poignant and horrific in its intensity. My Heart Struck Sorrow moves like a song with the refrain of “Stagger Lee” as the backbeat, a thumping baseline of desire for power, for revenge, and finally, as the music winds down, for remorse unanswered by forgiveness.
While I enjoy and admire many writers, it’s rare I stand in awe of another contemporary author’s work, but this is one of those times. If you love horror and genuinely excellent storytelling, you should enter A Lush and Seething Hell. You won’t regret the trip.
Tell the Devil I said hello.
If that is your vibe, too, then here are two stories done exceptionally well and collected in a single volume entitled A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacobs:
THE SEA DREAMS IT IS THE SKY
I read this story as Word document last year. It immediately reminded me of the Jorge Luis Borges story, “The Gospel According to Mark,” which I read many years ago. Stylistically, both works begin in the most mundane of ways and make a slow, steady progression, first into the surreal and then into horror. Jacobs takes the unsettling imagery of a country at war with itself and gives us, what I like to call, Borges meets Lovecraft.
Refugees from the fictional Latin American country of Magera chance upon one another in their self-imposed exile in Málaga, Spain. One is the poet, Rafael Avendaño, and the other is a teacher, Isabel, who is our narrator. Avendaño is thought by most to be dead, murdered by the fascists who now rule Magera, but instead, he escaped with his life, but not with his art. Since his exile in Spain, he no longer writes poetry.
Isabel, on the other hand, doesn’t approach her friendship with Avendaño with any sense of reverence. She finds his poetry to be misogynistic and puerile, nor does she teach his works in her classes. He invites her to a movie. She goes. Their strange friendship begins.
When Avendaño leaves Spain to return to Magera, he gives Isabel the key to his apartment and asks her to look after his place. There, she finds a book authored by Avendaño entitled Below, Between, Beneath, and Beyond. Here, she finds the story of Avendaño’s days before, during, and after the fascist takeover of Magera, where Avendaño is required to translate a book, Opusculus Noctis, which he titles A Little Night Work.
As she reads Avendaño’s autobiography and discovers his notes on A Little Night Work, Isabel decides to return to Magera to find Avendaño. Here, their stories converge, and the Lovecraftian aspects of the story emerge in full bloom.
Lovecraftian stories can be hit or miss for me, primarily because the endings can swerve into the obscure with the ending so ambiguous or arcane that the reader is left foundering for a solid landing. Jacobs avoids that pitfall here. He keeps the narrative tight, and as the story seeps into the surreal, leading the reader to a logical ending that seems neither too real, nor too opaque.
It’s a hard balance to write, but Jacobs handles it like a virtuoso, drawing the reader into his world and unveiling the strange, the weird, the obscene, to bring the true horror of evil into the light. This is the kind of dark fiction I love to read, and I offer it to you, highly recommended.
MY HEART STRUCK SORROW<\b>
My Heart Struck Sorrow is my favorite of the two. While Lovecraftian stories have their allure, southern stories with the devil are some of my personal favorites. Primarily because the devil and his kin are often stand-ins for those aforementioned emotions. Stories that entwine music and madness are also some of my favorites, so with My Heart Struck Sorrow, I got the best of both worlds.
This is one of those stories that the less you know going in will enhance how the story works for you, so I’ll only give a very basic overview of the plot.
Cromwell is a music librarian in the Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. His wife and son have recently died, leaving Cromwell in a state of grief even as he returns to work. There, he finds that the grandniece of Harlan Parker has died and bequeathed their rather massive collection to the Library of Congress.
A war hero, Harlan Parker once worked for the Library of Congress, travelling across the south to collect and index folk music on a commission of ethnomusicology, but something strange happened during Parker’s travels, causing him to abandon the commission and simply disappear into his sister’s Springfield home, where he remained until the end of his days.
Cromwell and his co-worker, Hattie, go to the Parker estate to catalog and preserve the estate’s records. In doing so, they find a secret room, because all horror stories should have at least one secret room, and in this small chamber Cromwell and Hattie find acetates of folk music that Parker recorded during his travels, along with Parker’s diary from the late thirties.
Soon Cromwell is immersed in Parker’s writings and infatuation with a song known interchangeably as “Stagolee,” “Stackalee,” or “Stagger Lee.” As Cromwell listens to the recordings Parker created and follows the events within the journal, he is led into Parker’s increasingly bizarre adventures in the rural south, which at times, seems to mirror Hell itself.
Yet, in the end, Jacobs loops the story back to Cromwell, and the two seemingly divergent trajectories are brought together in a startling conclusion that is both poignant and horrific in its intensity. My Heart Struck Sorrow moves like a song with the refrain of “Stagger Lee” as the backbeat, a thumping baseline of desire for power, for revenge, and finally, as the music winds down, for remorse unanswered by forgiveness.
While I enjoy and admire many writers, it’s rare I stand in awe of another contemporary author’s work, but this is one of those times. If you love horror and genuinely excellent storytelling, you should enter A Lush and Seething Hell. You won’t regret the trip.
Tell the Devil I said hello.
The first story wasn't for me. I could not get into her head and understand anything she was doing. Why are you going back? You have zero plan and zero skills. You're not rescuing anyone. If the manuscript or whatever was driving her, I feel like that should've been made clearer. The second one I enjoyed the premise a lot more, and the motivation, although it was only creepy for the first half or so and then it dwindled. I would read something else by the author but I don't feel like I need to run out and get his trilogy immediately or anything.