What makes The Fisherman unique is how those elements are fashioned into something fresh and unexpected.īefore we get to that, a brief plot recapitulation is in order. In terms of theme and plot mechanics, specifically a supernatural entity willing to give you back what you’ve lost, for a price, this contains more than a few echoes of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Aside from Melville, he also utilizes – to good effect – the upstate New York setting and Dutch mythmaking of Washington Irvin’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. To the contrary, from its very first lines – which are borrowed and repurposed from Moby Dick – Langan shows a willingness to borrow liberally from the stories that came before. John Langan’s The Fisherman is a novel that makes no claims to absolute originality. It happened going on ten years ago, on the first Saturday in June, and by the time night had fallen, I’d lost a good friend, most of my sanity, and damn near my life…” But there’s one story – well, it’s downright awful, almost too much to be spoken. I know only a few of these, but they make you scratch your head and maybe give you a little shiver, which can be a pleasure in its own way. Most of them are funny they bring a smile to your face and sometimes a laugh, which are no small things…Some of my stories are what I’d call strange. Some I’ve lived some I’ve had from the mouths of others. That’s what fishermen are, right? Storytellers. I’ve been fishing a long time, now, and as you might guess, I know a story or two. “Some years ago, never mind how many, I started to fish. But I simply adored every single page of it! 5 billion stars. I can’t do this book this justice - I don’t have the words. I would highly recommend The Fisherman to any horror fan, any reader, who enjoys a slow burn that builds to a terrifying conclusion. And no, you do not need to be a Lovecraft fan to fully appreciate this. I’m OBSESSED.Īs I’ve said before, this book felt like the perfect combination of King and Lovecraft. Both stories told are equally enthralling. This ended up being one of the most memorable and imaginative books I’ve ever read. But believe me, that is far from the case. Gee, a story about two men fishing, Johann?! I hear you cry. They venture out to different fishing spots, but Dutchman’s Creek is unlike anywhere they’ve fished before. Two men who have recently undergone huge losses in their life bond over the love of fishing. The Fisherman takes the form of a story within a story. So when these elements are all mixed together in a big bowl, and when the book is written as beautifully as this one is, there is no question I’m going to love it! I also go bananas for horror - obviously. I have a soft spot for books that explore themes of grief and loss. This hasn’t happened since East of Eden this time last year! So that is a true testament to how much I loved this book. You know you’ve got a real special book on your hands when the first thing you do upon finishing is reshuffle your top 10 books of ALL-TIME. “It would be a lie to say the time passes quickly.
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