I enjoyed and was intrigued by the original novella that set up this world, but the world created within intrigued me much more than the characters. However, I enjoyed it enough to pick up this novel to get it signed by the author at a convention, and I don’t regret any of the time spent reading it.
This book makes you look at time in a funny way, which is a reflection of Emrys’ effortless ability to bring not only the past but any entirely new world/religion/philosophy to life. Past, present, and future combine through the eyes of not only the point of view character but the variety of other characters in this book.
It should be noted that the book does not shy away from some difficult subject matter, specifically the Japanese internment of World War 2. However, the problematic aspects of Lovecraft’s original writings find no home in this author’s vision of elements of his creations. In fact, I was pleased that this book passes the Bechdel test on multiple levels, with other forms of representation existing as relevant color to the world rather than as tokens.
The story is a slow burn that sucks you and doesn’t let go until you’re surprised you’ve reached the ending. Again, I’d be okay if this is where the story ended. But I’m also so pleased that a sequel is available.
I shall definitely remember this book in the Archives.
Rating: 4.5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.