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A review by annieb123
The Gobblin' Society by James P. Blaylock
3.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Gobblin' Society is a new novella in the Langdon St. Ives series (Narbondo) written by James P. Blaylock. Released March 2020 by Subterranean Press, it's 176 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a very well written short novel/novella (I couldn't find a word count, but it's something of a hybrid between the two forms). The author is popular and talented and this book is full of his atmospheric storytelling. The book starts with a graphic depiction of epicurean cannibalism (a la Hannibal Lecter) which continues more or less unabated for the next 150 pages. For previous fans of the series, this entry (whilst more grisly) is much the same. For hardcore fans of horror, this might be a good choice. It works well enough as a standalone for new readers.
I would call this straight Gothic horror. I didn't find much in the way of humor in this installment and found it hard going. The author is undeniably very talented, but the graphic horror aspect was a bit too graphic and horrifying to sit very well with me, however well written.
Three stars for me, more for hardcore fans.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Gobblin' Society is a new novella in the Langdon St. Ives series (Narbondo) written by James P. Blaylock. Released March 2020 by Subterranean Press, it's 176 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a very well written short novel/novella (I couldn't find a word count, but it's something of a hybrid between the two forms). The author is popular and talented and this book is full of his atmospheric storytelling. The book starts with a graphic depiction of epicurean cannibalism (a la Hannibal Lecter) which continues more or less unabated for the next 150 pages. For previous fans of the series, this entry (whilst more grisly) is much the same. For hardcore fans of horror, this might be a good choice. It works well enough as a standalone for new readers.
I would call this straight Gothic horror. I didn't find much in the way of humor in this installment and found it hard going. The author is undeniably very talented, but the graphic horror aspect was a bit too graphic and horrifying to sit very well with me, however well written.
Three stars for me, more for hardcore fans.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.