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A review by nathanrester
Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell
3.0
In what may be the definitive Florida Man story, Cold Moon Over Babylon traces the aftermath of a brutal murder in the sleepy Floridian town of Babylon – a prodigiously well-drawn setting defined by throbbing heat, fog-shrouded swamps, and the standard assortment of quirky small-town characters. But Babylon itself is the best character in the novel, for better and for worse. McDowell refuses to give you any sympathetic individual to latch onto, and the book feels almost cruel and cold as a result.
Don’t get me wrong – Cold Moon Over Babylon is a solid horror novel fused with the trappings of the southern gothic genre, pulpy and atmospheric almost to a fault. You’ll guess every plot twist about twenty pages in, and the resulting story is more about the inevitability of cosmic comeuppance than nail-biting uncertainty. It’s a hell of a porch read, though, and it made me want to read more of McDowell’s stuff to see if that clicks with me more. Soft recommend.
Don’t get me wrong – Cold Moon Over Babylon is a solid horror novel fused with the trappings of the southern gothic genre, pulpy and atmospheric almost to a fault. You’ll guess every plot twist about twenty pages in, and the resulting story is more about the inevitability of cosmic comeuppance than nail-biting uncertainty. It’s a hell of a porch read, though, and it made me want to read more of McDowell’s stuff to see if that clicks with me more. Soft recommend.