The Fisherman

John Langan is a new author for me and one that I will certainly be returning to. The heart and soul of this novel is a fundamental human emotion...grief and the desire to have one last conversation with a deceased loved one in order to say all of the things that never got said when they were alive. If such a thing were possible, what price would you be willing to pay since we all know that there is no such thing as a free lunch? I've always been a huge fan of ghost stories and horror literature...so it is very seldom that I read a book that has the power to transfix and produce such an uneasy after effect as this one did. If you love or even slightly like this type of story find this book and submerge yourself in one dark, frightening show more but tantalizing tale. show less

Sometimes I am so impressed and excited about a book that I will start my review early and adjust as I read. I am working through this detailed tale of grief and beckoning smokey voices roiling in from under the door. So far I am getting some very Lovecraft tones with hints of Ambroise Bierce. The writing is very implicit and visual as are the character descriptions. The tone and layers are very enjoyable and make for a long night of reading under a single lamp while surrounded by darkness. I am picking up a strong Gustav Meyrink influence from Mr. Langan. Elements of Salem's Lot and Pet Semetary also abound but in a way that still allows the story to stand on its own. More to follow on this eerie tale.
Having finished this book I can show more honestly say that my impression of it has not changed but is considerably enhanced. The Fisherman is nearly everything, that, I on a personal level want in a book. In the literary market of today it is challenging to find a story so layered and yet so open. Those stories are out there but sadly you will not find them on the apt to be stale, bestseller list. This novel is about anything other than fishing. It is about the soul, loneliness, regret and redemption. But let us not be complete with our mention of redemption. It comes with a price and with that price is a forever lingering and unforgettable memory of the life we have lived.
Langan is a peerless story teller. The story being told about the story presents the reader with a few choices. The left road, the right road or the road you cannot see. Either way Langan is going to make you feel small convoluted and guilty for whatever direction you may take. Peering in on another's sadness and misfortune but yet still grateful that you are able to sit and listen while the tide is out. But beware, when the tide comes back in the author might just push you into the deep, encroaching water.
We are all going to loose those near to us and in turn we will all be lost to those who hold us dear. It is inevitable. How we carry it is our burden. show less

The Fisherman by John Langan is seriously one of the most haunting books I’ve read. It pulled me in from the very first page, and I just couldn’t stop until I finished it. The story has this dark, eerie vibe that stays with you the whole time.

What really stood out to me was the folklore woven into the narrative—it’s honestly more terrifying and chilling than the main events themselves. Those stories feel so real and unsettling that they get under your skin. The atmosphere is heavy, slow, and deeply immersive in the best way possible.

I genuinely feel this book doesn’t get talked about enough. If you enjoy horror that builds on folklore and leaves a lasting impact, this one is absolutely worth picking up.

I'm not sure I would have ever picked up this book if it wasn't for one of my book clubs choosing it. And what a shame that would have been.

If ever a mythical horror slow-burn could be labelled as "cozy", this would be it. Though it begins with fresh real-life horror and grief and slowly turns to the most fantastical horror imaginable, as the reader you feel safe in the author's hands. As if he's not trying to scare you, just trying to share what he knows.

The beastly horrors, while perhaps few and far between, are intense and graphic in a way that sticks with you. But the moments of line casting and reflection always allow you to catch your breath.

Truly a beautiful, horrible experience.

I thought this a superb horror novel and finished it in two days. It's a great example of what the kids today call "cosmic horror," but it is not so Lovecraftian (H. P. Lovecraft being cosmic horror's exemplar) as to seem like a pastiche, or an homage, or anything like that. Langan also, thank goodness, avoids any tie-in to Judaeo-Christian anything, which means that, outlandish as the mythology behind the book may seem, I can't reject it out of hand because it's something I've rejected already.

There were occasional places where I thought Langan's reach exceeded the power of his prose, but the book is well-written and Langan is a very thoughtful guy (I am listening to a podcast called "Talking Scared" and he is certainly steeped in his show more chosen genre's history and traditions). I'm looking forward to reading more by him.

If the big beasties and inter-dimensional reverberations of 'cosmic' horror don't automatically make you roll your eyes and say "c'mon ... gimme a good ol' fashioned vampire," give The Fisherman a shot. It's really, really good, and deserves its reputation. show less

This is a very creepy story about what happens when you lose someone you love, someone whose existence is central to your own existence. What would you do to get that person back? And what if it wasn't actually them? Would you still take them back? But first, fishing. A widower feels the urge to start fishing one day after the passing of his wife, and it brings him a sense of normalcy, or at least it dulls the thoughts, dulls the pain of loss during the time he spends fishing. But why did he suddenly feel the urge to start fishing? And why does he feel compelled to invite his friend in grief, who also lost his loved ones to a tragic accident, to join him? What are they fishing for? There is a story that is central to the fishing story, show more and it ties together history, folklore, and cosmic horror, that I found to be more compelling and scarier than the main story. I felt like the stakes were much higher in this legend than in the protagonist's story, which I suppose makes sense, because our protagonist cannot possibly overcome the cosmic powers central to both stories, he can just try to save himself, which he does after a fashion. The folklore tale was absolutely enthralling and interesting. And when the creatures from that world start inhabiting our modern world, it was also deeply unsettling. I liked this book, but I felt like it was anticlimactic at the very end. But I can see how this won a Bram Stoker award. show less

Not quite as groundbreaking as I was anticipating, but still an enjoyable tale within a tale. The bulk of the book is a past legend that seems entirely unrelated to the titular fishermen. The grief of loss and glimmer of reunification leads them somewhere so twisted and dark it could only be (cosmic horror monster).