Cal reviewed Bird Eater, The by Peter Berkrot
Review of 'Bird Eater, The' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I really enjoyed this read- it was something that, due to my erratic schedule, I started but didn't actually read any of for a few days. However, once I had a weekend off I really got into it. Ahilborn's prose is beautiful without being dense, and while it occasionally tinges purple it never really gets out of hand. In fact, the prose is what kept me going.
However, looking past the voice of the book- as beautifully dark and driving as it is- the story falls apart somewhat. I enjoy horror that is unnamed, eldritch, horrifying; Birdie is all of these things without being believable. Lovecraftian horrors have backstory; Birdie's backstory is shoehorned into the end of the novel and not explained particularly well. The plot is not unbelievable, and I got a dim sense of what Birdie is supposed to be, but it left too much to the imagination …
I really enjoyed this read- it was something that, due to my erratic schedule, I started but didn't actually read any of for a few days. However, once I had a weekend off I really got into it. Ahilborn's prose is beautiful without being dense, and while it occasionally tinges purple it never really gets out of hand. In fact, the prose is what kept me going.
However, looking past the voice of the book- as beautifully dark and driving as it is- the story falls apart somewhat. I enjoy horror that is unnamed, eldritch, horrifying; Birdie is all of these things without being believable. Lovecraftian horrors have backstory; Birdie's backstory is shoehorned into the end of the novel and not explained particularly well. The plot is not unbelievable, and I got a dim sense of what Birdie is supposed to be, but it left too much to the imagination to be truly frightening. If the explicit gore was left out or toned down, the novel would have been far less unnerving.
Despite my criticism of the plot, I'm quite interested in more of this author's works.
