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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Good book reminded my of a Peter Clines novel. I didn't like it ending with a cliff hanger though. Now I have to read book 2..
Loved the character of Carter, although the plot didn’t grip me as fast as most books by this author.
I had a really heartfelt review but Goodreads ate it.
Cliff's Notes: The story is good. It's creepy and kinda cool and really intriguing. You can read somebody else's review for that bit. I am here today to talk about the #BlackGirlMagic that is Emily Lovecraft. She's sort of a side kick, but this seems to be setting her up for a bigger role in the sequel if there is one (there better be one!). She's awesome because she is biracial, her Blackness is acknowledged, and she's a full fledged woman who enjoys sex and has a boyfriend and owns a shotgun and is a canny businesswoman. And the white male protagonist acknowledges that he has evolving attitudes on race. That kind of realism really made the relationship between the characters believable and was much appreciate.
#TL; DR: #TeamEmily
Cliff's Notes: The story is good. It's creepy and kinda cool and really intriguing. You can read somebody else's review for that bit. I am here today to talk about the #BlackGirlMagic that is Emily Lovecraft. She's sort of a side kick, but this seems to be setting her up for a bigger role in the sequel if there is one (there better be one!). She's awesome because she is biracial, her Blackness is acknowledged, and she's a full fledged woman who enjoys sex and has a boyfriend and owns a shotgun and is a canny businesswoman. And the white male protagonist acknowledges that he has evolving attitudes on race. That kind of realism really made the relationship between the characters believable and was much appreciate.
#TL; DR: #TeamEmily
A fun weird tale
Howard has a lot of fun with the language here. The story is enjoyable, and the end is satisfying. I would have liked to see more of the Lovecraft character, and the Carter character was a bit of a cipher -- compare him, for instance, to the main character of Harry Connolly' s Twenty Palaces series and he feels less fleshed-out, less real.
I'll definitely read the next story; I'm very curious to see where things go from here.
Howard has a lot of fun with the language here. The story is enjoyable, and the end is satisfying. I would have liked to see more of the Lovecraft character, and the Carter character was a bit of a cipher -- compare him, for instance, to the main character of Harry Connolly' s Twenty Palaces series and he feels less fleshed-out, less real.
I'll definitely read the next story; I'm very curious to see where things go from here.
I have a complicated relationship with Lovecraft. While I have read his works, I've never found them as absolutely terrifying as many readers seem to. I do, however, find them to be delightfully weird. Carter & Lovecraft does a great job bringing all the weirdness of Lovecraftian horror, while maintaining a unique story of its own. I had zero expectations going in - I just wanted to read a scary book for Halloween - but this book captivated me.
I thought the first part of this book totally was a drag, and then at some point, it totally opened up for me, maybe at about the time of the weird killing spree.... The set up maybe went on a little too long, but once it was passed, I think the mashup of detection and supernatural woowoo was pretty entertaining, and I mostly liked the characters. I think making the title characters lovers is a mistake, but it doesn't happen in this book, so if they stay away from that, I can see this series being pretty fun.
I liked this for what it is, a mostly trilling adventure mystery supernatural romp. Some weird local stuff about Providence, too, for those of you who like that.
I liked this for what it is, a mostly trilling adventure mystery supernatural romp. Some weird local stuff about Providence, too, for those of you who like that.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Less a horror novel to my mind than I was kinda expecting but pretty good in the end. Think Atrocity Archives as detective novel.
I think most horror fans, and fans of Lovecraftiana, more specifically, tend to agree on is that while Mr. H.P. had very good and cool ideas, he wasn’t the best prose stylist, and his plots were not innovative or terribly original. Alas, it’s hard to deny that many other (more talented) writers took his ideas, ran off with them and gave readers really awesome books. Jonathan Howard is one such writer. I have a great affection for him, his Johannes Cabal series being an absolute treat, and I was very excited to crack this one open!
Daniel Carter was a cop; he quit the force after working on a serial killer case that culminated in tragedy, as his partner unexpectedly committed suicide at the crime scene. Since this traumatic incident, he has been working as a private investigator, and has tried not to dwell on the past too much. But one day, his routine is interrupted by a strange lawyer who informs him that he is the sole beneficiary of a Mr. Hill’s estate. Carter has never heard of Mr. Hill, and has little interest in his inheritance, a property in Providence, Rhodes Island, but he decides to go give it a look-see. He is very surprised to find that the property in question is a used book store, topped by an apartment, and run by Mr. Hill’s niece, Emily Lovecraft. Before he can really decide what he wants to do with this situation, Carter finds himself involved in a bizarre murder investigation that leads to what might be thought of as his true inheritance, the result of something his ancestor did a hundred years before, that affected reality in unimaginable ways.
Of course, you have to love the way Howard is constantly winking at the Lovecraft fans with the multiple (overt and subtle) references to the Lovecraftian cannon – I’m sure he gave himself a face cramp with all that winking. But if you enjoy such thing, this is just plain fun. But this book is better than your average homage to the grand priest of weird fiction and cosmic horror. Howard not only genuinely enjoys the work, but he also truly gets it, to the point where he can make the ideas and tropes fully his. It doesn’t read like a pastiche or like a joke: it is a really good and entertaining detective story, it just happens to be dipping it’s toes in H.P.’s pool, and because of the owner of said-pool, the water sucked the whole story in! Howard is a fantastic writer, with a great imagination and a gift for creating fun and unique characters, and he kept me on my toes from chapter to chapter.
I really enjoyed this book, I am definitely going to look for the sequel because I can’t wait to see what happens next to Daniel and Emily!
Daniel Carter was a cop; he quit the force after working on a serial killer case that culminated in tragedy, as his partner unexpectedly committed suicide at the crime scene. Since this traumatic incident, he has been working as a private investigator, and has tried not to dwell on the past too much. But one day, his routine is interrupted by a strange lawyer who informs him that he is the sole beneficiary of a Mr. Hill’s estate. Carter has never heard of Mr. Hill, and has little interest in his inheritance, a property in Providence, Rhodes Island, but he decides to go give it a look-see. He is very surprised to find that the property in question is a used book store, topped by an apartment, and run by Mr. Hill’s niece, Emily Lovecraft. Before he can really decide what he wants to do with this situation, Carter finds himself involved in a bizarre murder investigation that leads to what might be thought of as his true inheritance, the result of something his ancestor did a hundred years before, that affected reality in unimaginable ways.
Of course, you have to love the way Howard is constantly winking at the Lovecraft fans with the multiple (overt and subtle) references to the Lovecraftian cannon – I’m sure he gave himself a face cramp with all that winking. But if you enjoy such thing, this is just plain fun. But this book is better than your average homage to the grand priest of weird fiction and cosmic horror. Howard not only genuinely enjoys the work, but he also truly gets it, to the point where he can make the ideas and tropes fully his. It doesn’t read like a pastiche or like a joke: it is a really good and entertaining detective story, it just happens to be dipping it’s toes in H.P.’s pool, and because of the owner of said-pool, the water sucked the whole story in! Howard is a fantastic writer, with a great imagination and a gift for creating fun and unique characters, and he kept me on my toes from chapter to chapter.
I really enjoyed this book, I am definitely going to look for the sequel because I can’t wait to see what happens next to Daniel and Emily!
A modern hard-boiled Noire detective story laced with Lovecraftian mythos and an entertaining book store manager. I loved the 'Twist', and I look forward to the next installment.