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enchantressreads's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Dirty business was what America was all about. It was a lesson as old as this nation, built upon lead and gun smoke: hunger drove everything.
I’ve always said I will read anything: I have loved mysteries, romance, historical fiction, nonfiction… but I was never interested in westerns. Thanks to the horror community, and especially Hungers as Old as This Land, I think I’ve changed my mind.
Esther Foxman and Siobhan O’Clery are just two of the people in Abraham Foxman’s settlement near The Hungers. It’s a thriving settlement filled with a diverse population. Everything works this way because Abraham made a pact with the creatures of The Hungers. They watch over Grey’s Bluffs for offerings in return.
This is my first story by Zachary Rosenberg, and his writing blew me away. This is a shorter book, only 100 pages or so, but the way he wrote it made it feel much longer, in a good way. It was very theatrical, and even with sparse descriptions of the creatures, I was able to fill in the blanks myself, and that made it even scarier.
Something I really enjoyed was that there was almost a philosophical statement about monstrosity: are the creatures the monsters, or are humans? For such a short book, there was a lot to ponder over at the end.
I’m writing this review months after finishing this book, and while I don’t remember everything still, I do remember how I felt reading it. It really was a pleasure. And it was queer as hell, which I definitely appreciated. Esther and Siobhan were goals.
Thank you to NetGalley and Birgids Gate Press for the chance to read this advanced review copy.
CW: violence, blood, death, gore, racism, gun violence, war, xenophobia, homophobia, death of parent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, War, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia
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