Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
The soldiers come, without knowing,
bearing the mantle of the unnamed:
the vast prodigals, destroyers of heaven
and from their spear tips to sword hafts-
from their ill intentions to their cruel thoughts-
a rich smell rises.
Blood calls to blood,
bad calls to bad,
and through pain and sacrifice,
we draw the gaze of hidden eyes,
of titanic movements beyond the stars.
It is a lure, a sweet aroma,
the killing and
the letting of blood.
The pain becomes an offering
and sacrifice a beacon.
The beacon becomes a door.
There is no figure as disappointing as the withered husk of man
When I bought this I didn't think I'd be reading a 5/5 novel but here we are.
In the tradition of Ligotti, Langan and Vandermeer, Jacobs is a blend of literature quality writing intertwined with solid horror themes, concepts and ideas that break currently placed norms and play with stereotypes and tropes of the genre while introducing new ideas that keep things incredibly fresh. Having 2 novellas side by side was something at first I didn't think I would gel with, especially knowing they were written apart from each other without knowledge of them being included together. However with an open mind (and to be honest some prompting from Jacobs' website) i found that they were indeed incredibly connected and to me at least a part of the 'Hornerverse'. I won't spoil how for any future readers.
Really I must emphasize i went into this with little to no expectations and was completely blown out of the water by how incredibly talented Jacobs is. He joins a short list of authors I want to meet and shake hands with, thanking them for the impact they have of the Horror genre's legitimacy and their personal impact on me in breaking down my preconceptions and notions of what good horror should be.
Thank you John Horner Jacobs.
bearing the mantle of the unnamed:
the vast prodigals, destroyers of heaven
and from their spear tips to sword hafts-
from their ill intentions to their cruel thoughts-
a rich smell rises.
Blood calls to blood,
bad calls to bad,
and through pain and sacrifice,
we draw the gaze of hidden eyes,
of titanic movements beyond the stars.
It is a lure, a sweet aroma,
the killing and
the letting of blood.
The pain becomes an offering
and sacrifice a beacon.
The beacon becomes a door.
There is no figure as disappointing as the withered husk of man
When I bought this I didn't think I'd be reading a 5/5 novel but here we are.
In the tradition of Ligotti, Langan and Vandermeer, Jacobs is a blend of literature quality writing intertwined with solid horror themes, concepts and ideas that break currently placed norms and play with stereotypes and tropes of the genre while introducing new ideas that keep things incredibly fresh. Having 2 novellas side by side was something at first I didn't think I would gel with, especially knowing they were written apart from each other without knowledge of them being included together. However with an open mind (and to be honest some prompting from Jacobs' website) i found that they were indeed incredibly connected and to me at least a part of the 'Hornerverse'. I won't spoil how for any future readers.
Really I must emphasize i went into this with little to no expectations and was completely blown out of the water by how incredibly talented Jacobs is. He joins a short list of authors I want to meet and shake hands with, thanking them for the impact they have of the Horror genre's legitimacy and their personal impact on me in breaking down my preconceptions and notions of what good horror should be.
Thank you John Horner Jacobs.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
Loveable characters:
No
I enjoyed these stories. I thought they were well-written. I also thought they raised a lot of questions that never really got answered. That may be intentional. It's also likely why these stories have been called Lovecraft-esque. I don't have the most vivid imagination; I need things spelled out pretty clearly so this vague-style horror doesn't impact me as much as it does for other less imaginatively-impaired people, haha. Having said that, I don't really get scared from reading these days regardless of how it's written. Because of that, I also don't base my rating/review on whether a book failed or succeeded at creeping me out. I do enjoy reading this author though. I've read The Incorruptibles and Foreign Devils (still need to read Infernal Machine) and I really liked those books. Jacobs certainly has a gift for writing.
I had no expectations going into this book, but as soon as I started reading the first story I was completely hooked. Each of these stories feels rich and well developed. It’s evident that a lot of research has been put into the writing, which I love. I’ll definitely be reading more work from this author in the future!
Did not finish. Pretentious, over wordy shite. Kept yelling OH SHUT UPPPPP at the audiobook until finally turned it off. I don't care man, put the damn thesaurus down and stop overexplaining everything with bloated pomposity ughhhhhh. If he repeated the term "collapsed time" again I was going to punch a hole in the universe. Ceased reading for own sanity!
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Overall this is a great book. The first story is much weaker and felt more detached, but is still excellent. The second story is so strong and the imagery is so much. Its hard to describe but that is intentional.
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated