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A review by guarinous
Gothic by Philip Fracassi
3.0
Struggling with writer's block, horror author Tyson Parks needs a new muse in his life. For his 59th birthday, his well meaning partner buys him a new desk she's found in an antique store. Little does anyone know that this desk is in reality a shapeshifting portal to cosmic forces beyond the comprehension of man, hunted by the last member of a powerful family bent on putting an end to its powers. Philip Fracassi blends Lovecraftian horror with the very human tale of a writer descending into obsession and madness a la Stephen King in Gothic.
Pros:
- The premise is fairly wild and the action reflects this: it doesn't pull many punches, is pretty gory in places, and doesn't make sense in a comical way at times.
- It's feels like a love letter to the genre, namedropping various King references and having some strong Lovecraft vibes throughout.
Cons:
- Beyond the main character, the others are all fairly superfluous and could almost be cut from the book without much impact. In particular, the character trying to chase down the artifact has almost no relevance to the plot for how much time is spent with her character in perspective chapters, and her story ends in a comically abrupt way.
Three stars. It's fun in a gratuitous way, but there's not much bubbling beyond the surface here.
FFO: Lovecraft, the Shining.
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Cemetery Dance and Netgalley*
Pros:
- The premise is fairly wild and the action reflects this: it doesn't pull many punches, is pretty gory in places, and doesn't make sense in a comical way at times.
- It's feels like a love letter to the genre, namedropping various King references and having some strong Lovecraft vibes throughout.
Cons:
- Beyond the main character, the others are all fairly superfluous and could almost be cut from the book without much impact. In particular, the character trying to chase down the artifact has almost no relevance to the plot for how much time is spent with her character in perspective chapters, and her story ends in a comically abrupt way.
Three stars. It's fun in a gratuitous way, but there's not much bubbling beyond the surface here.
FFO: Lovecraft, the Shining.
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Cemetery Dance and Netgalley*