John Langan, usually one of the most interesting of contemporary horror writers, is not at the top of his game in this collection. The stories are all well-written, something you’d expect to find in a Langan collection; the problem is that they just aren’t interesting. Even the best of them (Sefira and At Home in the Devil’s House) don’t have the power or the payoff usually present in Langan’s work.

This is not a terrible collection but really shouldn’t be the first thing by Langan anyone reads.