Hardcover, 336 pages
Published Aug. 4, 2020 by Grand Central Publishing.
I picked this title because I had enjoyed Del Toro’s movies and television show, “The Strain.” But this book…eh. It kept my attention, but didn’t seem very original. Reminded me of the 80’s sci-fi movie, “The Hidden.”
(Reviewing the German audiobook edition by Audible, read by Matthias Lühn.)
"Not every "five-star-review" describes an all-time great, just that I generally liked the book, and that I generally think the author fully accomplished what they set out to do."
A lightweight story with charming characters, like del Toro's and Hogan's earlier series, "The Strain". Predictable in the same way that a Poirot or Sherlock Holmes story is "predictable" - which is, not in an entirely unpleasant way. Thomas Ligotti, this is not, but it's not trying to be, either:
You're looking at a straightforward, positively unambitious mystery tale for genre newbies, taking heavy inspiration from the TV show "Elementary", "Lovecraft Country", and from the more recent works of Stephen King. ("Mr Mercedes", "Doctor Sleep", "The Outsider".)
A fun summer read! Happy to wait for the sequel.
I haven't read anything by Guillermo del Toro before but I've seen his films. When I saw an offering on NetGalley (yay for the addition of audiobooks!) I immediately requested it. I still haven't looked Chuck Hogan up yet but will soon...
I really didn't know what to expect from this book but I had a very hard time putting it down once I got into it. The first few chapters were tough because we move between different time periods and characters but it all comes together fairly quickly and then the action picks up.
I'm not going to lie, the main protagonist, Odessa Hardwicke, did get on my nerves occasionally but redeemed herself fairly quickly. And I ended up becoming a big fan of Hugo Blackwood.
I will eagerly pick up the sequel so I can join in on the continuing adventures!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for …
I haven't read anything by Guillermo del Toro before but I've seen his films. When I saw an offering on NetGalley (yay for the addition of audiobooks!) I immediately requested it. I still haven't looked Chuck Hogan up yet but will soon...
I really didn't know what to expect from this book but I had a very hard time putting it down once I got into it. The first few chapters were tough because we move between different time periods and characters but it all comes together fairly quickly and then the action picks up.
I'm not going to lie, the main protagonist, Odessa Hardwicke, did get on my nerves occasionally but redeemed herself fairly quickly. And I ended up becoming a big fan of Hugo Blackwood.
I will eagerly pick up the sequel so I can join in on the continuing adventures!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing the audiobook.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention that the narrator does a great job of bringing the characters to life.
