Considering that this is the author's debut novel, it is actually quite good -- so much so that I read it in one sitting.
Marcus Connelly is on the road during America's Great Depression, hanging with hobos and migrant families in search of the next job up the road. Marcus isn't after a job, though -- he's after the man who killed his daughter back in Memphis, a person that many call Mr. Shivers or the scarred man. He comes across others who had dealings with and who are also seeking Mr. Shivers, and links up with some of them, traveling westward through the devastation of the dust bowl on his quest.
The author does an amazing job of using his prose to paint an atmosphere that is bleak, dark and desperate. He is able to portray these qualities not only in terms of the landscape and the times, but also within the haunted psyches of the main characters.
Mr. Shivers may disappoint people who are looking for the next great horror novel, because it's more cerebral rather than hackle raising. It may also disappoint people who want to read it for its historical slant. Although it is set in the midst of the Great Depression and does manage to capture the tragic consequences and the horror of the time, it's more of a dark fantasy with supernatural components. It's also a book that demands reader participation.
Overall, it's a good book by an author whose writing often reminded me of that of Cormac McCarthy. If you like dark fantasy it will keep you reading until the end. I can definitely recommend it.
Marcus Connelly is on the road during America's Great Depression, hanging with hobos and migrant families in search of the next job up the road. Marcus isn't after a job, though -- he's after the man who killed his daughter back in Memphis, a person that many call Mr. Shivers or the scarred man. He comes across others who had dealings with and who are also seeking Mr. Shivers, and links up with some of them, traveling westward through the devastation of the dust bowl on his quest.
The author does an amazing job of using his prose to paint an atmosphere that is bleak, dark and desperate. He is able to portray these qualities not only in terms of the landscape and the times, but also within the haunted psyches of the main characters.
Mr. Shivers may disappoint people who are looking for the next great horror novel, because it's more cerebral rather than hackle raising. It may also disappoint people who want to read it for its historical slant. Although it is set in the midst of the Great Depression and does manage to capture the tragic consequences and the horror of the time, it's more of a dark fantasy with supernatural components. It's also a book that demands reader participation.
Overall, it's a good book by an author whose writing often reminded me of that of Cormac McCarthy. If you like dark fantasy it will keep you reading until the end. I can definitely recommend it.
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