The Fisherman

Most people do not think of Moby-Dick as a horror novel; its status as one of the great classics of American literature likely insulates it from any connections to genre fiction. But it is possible to view it as a horror novel, if the reader chooses to do so. Consider, for the example, the steadily-increasing tension as Ahab???s monomania is gradually revealed, and where that monomania takes not just Ahab, but also the crew of the Pequod. There is the spectre of the White Whale lurking underneath the waves, spoken of only in whispers, but never seen until too late ??? much like the monstrosities that lurk in the shadows of the best horror stories. And then there is the sea: mysterious, implacable, its dark depths hiding more secrets and more monsters than just the White Whale. All of those elements, taken together or separately, would make an excellent foundation for a horror story ??? especially a Lovecraftian one.

That is definitely the direction the author has taken with The Fisherman. The novel nods to Lovecraft???s oeuvre without adopting anything from it wholesale; it seems to share most similarities with the short story ???Dagon???, with a smattering of nods to ???The Shadow Over Innsmouth??? and ???The Call of Cthulhu???. The influence is strongest in the novel???s middle third, where a gentleman named Howard (a nod to Lovecraft himself) tells Dan and Abe the true story of Dutchman???s Creek and Der Fischer. This story, nested within the greater overall structure of the novel, indicates the point where the novel goes from a meditation on the nature of living with grief to a full-blown Lovecraftian horror novel ??? without Lovecraft???s notoriously over-elaborate prose, fortunately enough, since Abe???s voice still dominates the narrative even when he is retelling Howard???s story for the reader. I will not give further details to avoid spoilers, but suffice to say that fans of Lovecraftian horror will very definitely be pleased with the twists and turns that the plot takes on its way to the incredibly creepy ending.

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-GK