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acornsbooksandcoffee's review
dark
medium-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? No
3.0
I was incredibly excited by the idea of ecological horror. The concept and the premise were absolutely exciting, and there are places throughout where the plot really hits that mark and sticks it to you, however much of the plot moves just a little too fast. There are number of stories told as a group of filmmakers aims to make a climate change documentary about the region. I wish that the individual stories told about the House of Drought, as the plot seemed to move once I became invested in a character. That said, the plot is pretty fast paced, and this made for an easy, thought-provoking afternoon read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
lydiapresley's review
dark
slow-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
2.0
Nope. This just didn't work for me. There was too much going on throughout the story.
I was fully behind a ghost story that was connected to climate change, but The House of Drought just brought ghosts and climate change into the story and really didn't dive into the how and why they were connected. Why was the house so thirsty? What's with the water? Why bring bottles of water in? Who are all the people and how do they connect? Where do they go and who else is there? These are all questions that frustrated me as I worked my way through the story. I never got any satisfactory answers. I'm still not certain I understood half of what I read.
I was fully behind a ghost story that was connected to climate change, but The House of Drought just brought ghosts and climate change into the story and really didn't dive into the how and why they were connected. Why was the house so thirsty? What's with the water? Why bring bottles of water in? Who are all the people and how do they connect? Where do they go and who else is there? These are all questions that frustrated me as I worked my way through the story. I never got any satisfactory answers. I'm still not certain I understood half of what I read.
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I requested to read this book because it was marked as “A haunted house story for the climate change era”. I liked the concept of grappling with large scale issues through the lens of horror, especially through the haunted houses trope, as they’ve always freaked me out. It’s something about the contrast of home as (supposed) sanctuary with home as a place of foreboding.
It turned out that this novella was much more than that. This is a story about imperialist expansion and colonial imposition, that details the horrors of taking too much, and the ramifications of and ignoring the people, the land, and traditional knowledge.
Set in Sri Lanka, this novella grapples with these complex topics through multiple periods of time and POVs. However, the perspective and timeline changed so much I often felt lost in the story. I normally like fluctuations between times and POVs, but it was just too ambitious for such a short novel. I needed more time to find my bearings to really feel immersed in the dread.
As well, while the author does explain that he’s not from Sri Lanka and these are not his stories to tell, I feel like this is a theme that should have been further explored in the novel. There were many points (e.g. the German filmmaker Bernhard’s POV) in which this could’ve been broadened and expanded.
Ultimately, I think the ideas were just much too large to be grappled with in such a short novella and the storylines should’ve been either edited down to a novella form or expanded into a full novel.
Check out this book if you’re looking for a story:
- That’s Pan’s Labyrinth-esque
- Has an atmospheric, descriptive setting
- Incorporates elements of gothic dread
Thanks to Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and @netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review!
Notable quotes:
“The forest never forgave those who built the house.”
“This place is quiet. It shouldn’t be here, and neither should we.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Colonisation
I requested to read this book because it was marked as “A haunted house story for the climate change era”. I liked the concept of grappling with large scale issues through the lens of horror, especially through the haunted houses trope, as they’ve always freaked me out. It’s something about the contrast of home as (supposed) sanctuary with home as a place of foreboding. It turned out that this novella was much more than that. This is a story about imperialist expansion and colonial imposition, that details the horrors of taking too much, and the ramifications of and ignoring the people, the land, and traditional knowledge. Set in Sri Lanka, this novella grapples with these complex topics through multiple periods of time and POVs. However, the perspective and timeline changed so much I often felt lost in the story. I normally like fluctuations between times and POVs, but it was just too ambitious for such a short novel. I needed more time to find my bearings to really feel immersed in the dread. As well, while the author does explain that he’s not from Sri Lanka and these are not his stories to tell, I feel like this is a theme that should have been further explored in the novel. There were many points (e.g. the German filmmaker Bernhard’s POV) in which this could’ve been broadened and expanded. Ultimately, I think the ideas were just much too large to be grappled with in such a short novella and the storylines should’ve been either edited down to a novella form or expanded into a full novel. Check out this book if you’re looking for a story: * That’s Pan’s Labyrinth-esque * Has an atmospheric, descriptive setting * Incorporates elements of gothic dread While this book wasn’t really for me, I am still hoping to check out future books pubished by Stelliform Press, whose mission is to share Earth-focused fiction and stellar stories to shape conversations around our climate change to world and our place within it. Climate fiction is a burgeoning genre that I’m hoping to explore further. Notable quotes: “The forest never forgave those who built the house.” “This place is quiet. It shouldn’t be here, andhouse_of_hannah's review
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Thank you so much to SFWA and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
This is the first time I have heard of a writer's group that writes fiction stories strictly about climate change. I find it fascinating and admirable, as it's a situation that the entire world needs to take more seriously. I think on that front this novella was a success, but it falls flat on characterization and storytelling.
The cover and title of this book completely pulled me in. The House of Drought brings up so many questions, and the cover is mysterious and gorgeous. At just over 100 pages this is a very quick read, and I feel like it tries to accomplish too much with too few pages.
This novella is not told in a linear fashion, with different timelines jumping in at different moments. There are five different perspectives, and each time we encounter a new perspective we are told the end of their story first, and then work our way back up to that. With so many perspectives we are introduced to a ton of characters in a very short amount of time. I did not find this confusing, but that does mean there are a lot of very forgettable characters, which in a book so short potentially feels like wasted space.
Unfortunately, the characters themselves all felt the same. I'm not sure if this was done intentionally, but everyone had the same voice. Even though there were characters from different regions of Sri Lanka, and they all came from different backgrounds, they all spoke with exactly the same type of speech. This was very noticeable, which is why I question if it was actually intentional. I did not know until the author's bio at the end, but he's actually a German who has been living in Sri Lanka for the past several years, so this may be a factor as well.
I definitely feel like this story needs to be fleshed out a bit more to feel whole. The house worked in a contradictory way, with characters out of nowhere completely understanding the house. For example,how did people just take a bath without the Dry House appearing ? It's shown several times that just setting out a few bowls of water, or pouring a water bottle on the floor is enough to conjure it, so how did anyone do dishes, laundry, or bath here ? This is just something that I feel should have been broadened on a bit more, so it wouldn't feel like such a huge jump in logic.
Overall this was an ok novella, but the intent behind the story shines a lot brighter than the actual work.
This is the first time I have heard of a writer's group that writes fiction stories strictly about climate change. I find it fascinating and admirable, as it's a situation that the entire world needs to take more seriously. I think on that front this novella was a success, but it falls flat on characterization and storytelling.
The cover and title of this book completely pulled me in. The House of Drought brings up so many questions, and the cover is mysterious and gorgeous. At just over 100 pages this is a very quick read, and I feel like it tries to accomplish too much with too few pages.
This novella is not told in a linear fashion, with different timelines jumping in at different moments. There are five different perspectives, and each time we encounter a new perspective we are told the end of their story first, and then work our way back up to that. With so many perspectives we are introduced to a ton of characters in a very short amount of time. I did not find this confusing, but that does mean there are a lot of very forgettable characters, which in a book so short potentially feels like wasted space.
Unfortunately, the characters themselves all felt the same. I'm not sure if this was done intentionally, but everyone had the same voice. Even though there were characters from different regions of Sri Lanka, and they all came from different backgrounds, they all spoke with exactly the same type of speech. This was very noticeable, which is why I question if it was actually intentional. I did not know until the author's bio at the end, but he's actually a German who has been living in Sri Lanka for the past several years, so this may be a factor as well.
I definitely feel like this story needs to be fleshed out a bit more to feel whole. The house worked in a contradictory way, with characters out of nowhere completely understanding the house. For example,
Overall this was an ok novella, but the intent behind the story shines a lot brighter than the actual work.
danaslitlist's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I would like to thank Netgalley for allowing me to read this book prior to its publication in exchange for an honest review, it was a pleasure!
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading "The House of Drought" and I think that was a beautiful way to dive in. I was instantly pulled into the story and placed into the colonial mansion with the dark and tempting forest just outside the gate. Mr. Mombauer does a wonderful job of drawing the reader in with his descriptions as well as with the characters. I was also very appreciative that he jumped right into the story and used a shifting time frame method in his writing. This enables the story to remain exciting and keeps you reading while also making sure to provide all the necessary and wanted information. The book is also not a long one which, mixed with the fast paced plot, makes for a delightful quick read.
I do however, have two critiques. The first being the multiple points of views that are giving throughout the story. Multiple POV can be hit or miss for me and I found that in this case the story didn't need as many side stories and points of view. There were a few times I was taken aback by the character switch as there is no indication beforehand of the change and as The House of Drought is not a particularly long story there was not much time to get to know the characters whose points of view we were reading from.
My second critique goes in hand with the first and is that there are so many characters introduced in such quick succession that it takes away from the ability to truly bond with the characters of importance such as Jasmit, Narun, Baduka,and Kavith. Just as I would become invested in one's individual story it would be over and focused on another's. While we get to learn about the legends surrounding The Sap Mother, I was expecting more interaction with her which we don't get in the way I had been hoping for. I don't think this would've been as much as a hinderance to the overall story if the book was longer and allowed for more exploration of the characters.
Even with these critiques, though, I truly did enjoy The House of Drought! As I mentioned previously I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Mr. Mombauer or this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by the story he had to tell. I think he mastered the art of showing the reader and not telling. He allows the reader (at least in my case) to learn about another culture without holding their hand and guiding them through. Instead he provides the information they'll need and puts the rest on them to do the work if they have questions. I appreciated that greatly.
I would absolutely recommend this book to those who enjoy short stories based on legends and mysteries.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading "The House of Drought" and I think that was a beautiful way to dive in. I was instantly pulled into the story and placed into the colonial mansion with the dark and tempting forest just outside the gate. Mr. Mombauer does a wonderful job of drawing the reader in with his descriptions as well as with the characters. I was also very appreciative that he jumped right into the story and used a shifting time frame method in his writing. This enables the story to remain exciting and keeps you reading while also making sure to provide all the necessary and wanted information. The book is also not a long one which, mixed with the fast paced plot, makes for a delightful quick read.
I do however, have two critiques. The first being the multiple points of views that are giving throughout the story. Multiple POV can be hit or miss for me and I found that in this case the story didn't need as many side stories and points of view. There were a few times I was taken aback by the character switch as there is no indication beforehand of the change and as The House of Drought is not a particularly long story there was not much time to get to know the characters whose points of view we were reading from.
My second critique goes in hand with the first and is that there are so many characters introduced in such quick succession that it takes away from the ability to truly bond with the characters of importance such as Jasmit, Narun, Baduka,and Kavith. Just as I would become invested in one's individual story it would be over and focused on another's. While we get to learn about the legends surrounding The Sap Mother, I was expecting more interaction with her which we don't get in the way I had been hoping for. I don't think this would've been as much as a hinderance to the overall story if the book was longer and allowed for more exploration of the characters.
Even with these critiques, though, I truly did enjoy The House of Drought! As I mentioned previously I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Mr. Mombauer or this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by the story he had to tell. I think he mastered the art of showing the reader and not telling. He allows the reader (at least in my case) to learn about another culture without holding their hand and guiding them through. Instead he provides the information they'll need and puts the rest on them to do the work if they have questions. I appreciated that greatly.
I would absolutely recommend this book to those who enjoy short stories based on legends and mysteries.
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