 |
| Purchase from Amazon |
This is one
finely crafted and exhilarating novel. This was my introduction to Ethridge and
if this is indicative of his work I will be reading it all. I could not put
this one down, and finished it in three sittings.
It is
difficult to tell you what is great about this novel without giving too much
away. The titular bottle comes into the possession of Herman. The magical water
within saves his dog but also releases a strange coin into the world,
disrupting the balance between our world and The Underworld. The future of the
River to the Underworld, its Ferryman, and other other-wordly creatures is
uncertain, as are those of the humans in Herman’s life.
To say more
would spoil Ethridge’s hard work, weaving an unpredictable plot that never
slows down. He creates his own mythology and it all works out in the end,
unlike many lesser horror novels on the same subject. No head scratching,
wondering how certain events are possible, since the author lays the foundation
for the supernatural early on.
While there
are plenty of supernatural goings-on, and dark fantasy and frights along the
way, this novel is rooted in solid three dimensional characters and their human
flaws and motivations propel forward much of the action. This is what makes it
a page turner—you care about the tragedies the characters are working through
and relate to their fateful decisions.
As already
stated, the novel is not predictable. Ethridge’s skillful POV technique led to
one huge surprise for me, as to who the main character was going to be. The
ending, while worked out logically, was not exactly what I had guessed either.
These are feats considering the number of horror novels I have read.
I highly
recommend this novel from an author who has already won one Stoker award, and
may be on his way to another here.
No comments:
Post a Comment