A review by mary_wyrd
The Fisherman by John Langan

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

The Fisherman explores the depths of grief in a nesting-doll horror story that hooks you from the first page. Weird urban legends are unwelcome chapters in lives touched by loss in a story pieced together by a series of unreliable narrators. The horror is ever-present, from the personal yet relatable horror of losing loved ones to bone-deep terror at revelations that, if real, would lead most to madness. The tension builds, gradually but inevitably, irrevocably pulling you toward the end. There's sympathy for the various poor devils involved too when we consider what we'd do for those we love. Fans of weird fiction and cosmic horror will be rewarded with references to older works and a masterclass in what's possible in the genre.