Two Reviews for the Price of One – “The Fisherman” and “We Are Always Watchi
I’ve really fallen behind on book reviews, and while I’ve contemplated stopping them completely I believe there’s value in sharing one’s reaction to a work of art. I know for me, personally, every review I receive of the novels and books I’ve published means something — whether they’re positive or negative. And the great thing about writing, in particular, is that every person will have a different reaction to the same source material. What some love others will hate, and I’ve been influenced to purchase a book because of bad reviews, realizing that the person who wrote the review doesn’t like similar things that I enjoy.
So, whether positive or negative, share your thoughts on what you’re reading. You could be the means of helping someone find that book they really connect with (or helping them avoid the one they’ll despise). And in the meantime I’ll be doubling up on my reviews here on the blog to get through the books I’ve read of late.
First up?
The Fisherman by John Langan
This is a book I was really looking forward to, and perhaps the build-up of expectation offset my reaction. I loved the characterization and set up for Abe and his friend Dan and was entirely in to where things were going until the main story was shelved while we delved into the backstory of the Dutchman’s Creek and the “Fisherman.”
Backstories and flashbacks are tricky as they often halt the momentum of the story that’s being explored. I also tend to disconnect from a story when it’s the summary of what a character is sharing but contains incredible details. I don’t think a stranger who’s recounting, for all intents and purposes, a home grown folklore tale in an hour would share the facial expressions of someone’s reactions or the inner thoughts of the people in his story. I didn’t connect with anyone in this flashback and kept waiting to get back to the main storyline. Little did I know, the bulk of this novel IS the flashback, and by the time we arrived back to actual events I was so burned out that I had lost the emotions and concern I had initially carried for Abe.
The cosmic horror elements of this novel are spot on, I just could have used the summary of the backstory rather than all of the details. Will definitely be checking out more of Langan’s work, this one just sort of missed the mark for me.
And next on the list?
We Are Always Watching by Hunter Shea
If you haven’t checked this one yet, it’s on sale for just $1.99 on Amazon. Definitely worth the price of admission.
Next up on the blog will be Markus Sakey’s After Life and Michael McBride’s Subhuman. It’s been a good couple of months for books (thankfully).
If you’ve discovered anything that really stands out from the crowd, feel free to leave a recommendation in the comments below as well!