A review by nataliya_x
A Song for Quiet by Cassandra Khaw

2.0

“You can’t murder that which is eternal, that which will lie until death itself passes. But you can slow it, cripple it, hobble it. You can hurt your nightmares; it’s a two-way street.”
This story is set in the same universe as the first novella in the series, [b:Hammers on Bone|30199328|Hammers on Bone (Persons Non Grata, #1)|Cassandra Khaw|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464918942l/30199328._SY75_.jpg|50650411], but a few decades earlier, and the protagonist of that one,
Spoileralien LARP-er
John Persons, is a secondary character here — but it’s really a standalone. This is a Lovecraftian world full of horrors that lurk just beneath the thin skin of the world (eyes, mouths, tentacles, Elder Gods, all that jazz) — and this one is set in Arkham, that my buddy read partner David thankfully pointed out to be a Lovecraft-created haunted town.

The first story was Lovecraftian noir; this one lacks the detective part and instead has a blues musician at its center, dealing not only with racism and violence but also with sinister music that took residence in his head — music that is a harbinger of something very sinister to come.
“The blues, you see, is the music of the ache and the grind, the letter from the front saying your brother is dead, the smile that reminds you of that girl you lost when you were too young to know better.”

But the notes of this one fell flat for me. Some of it was very purple prose for which I only have intermittent tolerance (Cat Valente works for me for some reason, and last year’s Hugo winner [b:This Is How You Lose the Time War|43352954|This Is How You Lose the Time War|Amal El-Mohtar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545755487l/43352954._SX50_.jpg|58237743] managed to hit the right spot, for instance). Some of it was my general indifference to all things Lovecraftian unless there’s something else to hold my attention. Some of it was that John Persons despite all my irritations with him still was a better, more interesting character than Deacon James, and relegating Persons to the sidelines did not help holding my attention.

Yes, I must admit that a lot of purple prose elaborate passages were strikingly beautiful and created quite visceral imagery (yes, at times literally - it’s Lovecraftian vibes we are talking about here!), but despite me appreciatively nodding when these parts came along they failed to combine into the atmosphere that was immersive rather than just striking. It was pretty, but remained more abstract than anything, and flowery prose would often actually dissipate that building tension.
“What do you do when the funeral is over but your heart is still broken. When all the condolences have been spoken and the mourners have gone shuffling home, and you’re left to stare at the wall, so raw and empty that you don’t know if you’ll ever be whole again.”

And it’s quite fast. Despite not that much actually happening, somehow it reads almost frantic, jumping from scene to scene with quite an urgency, with little room left to catch your breath and think about what’s happening and why you would care.

And therefore despite it being so short, I had to force myself to finish it.

2.5 stars.
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My review of the first book in this kinda-series, Hammers on Bone, is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4238154662

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Buddy read with Carol and David.