The Fisherman

Note: I've now read The Fisherman five times, including two audio book listens. It's simply one of the best books I've ever read. I absolutely love it. My book club read it (they all loved it) and below is a mix of my original take on it, as well as a take on my book club's thoughts.Our book club read this book this summer. There were eight persons in attendance, ages 32 to 43, of varying backgrounds and lifestyles. We rate books on aspects such as quality, readability, likability, and overall book club cred (discussion, games, themes). This book rated our second highest scored read of all time. The book club absolutely loved this read… perhaps adored is a better word. There was just so much to discuss. The most common feedback was that this book is an absolute FEAST for the imagination. We were wild with it. The discussion was rapid, excited, and deep. We could have easily gone on for several more hours, but time ran short. What surprised everyone is that this genre (the horror/fantasy aspect) is not our usual taste (we love contemporary thrillers and literary pieces) but somehow it just worked for everyone, including the most select of us. We fell down the rabbit hole on this one, shooting literary references back and forth that we found within the pages. Folklore, mythology, religion, and of course the classics…. The list could go on and on. But it’s not a pretentious read. The story is very natural and smooth, with word play, wit, and references just beneath the surface. We loved pretty much all of the characters. I feel like I cannot do this book justice, but here are some of my personal thoughts down below.I always add book club triggers to these reviews. To avoid spoiler issues, it’s at the very bottom of this review. Please scroll down if you have concerns about this book in a discussion setting.Personal notes as a reader:Rarely do I become so obsessed with a book. I am in love with The Fisherman, and have been thinking about it near constantly. Looking at good and bad reviews, it seems like some negative reviews focus on the "story within a story" aspect of this novel. So it's no spoiler to share from the top that this book has two tales in it: the current day story of Abe and Dan, two widowers who find friendship and a mutual love of fishing together, as well as a complete backstory and history of both the region and The Fisherman. These two stories are about equal in length. If you go into this expecting this story to simply be Dan and Abe's story, you could be frustrated. I personally loved the "backstory" portion of this book and I almost wish the description of the novel was clearer in this aspect. I was also pleased that the story didn't go back and forth between times as these stories often do (The Winter People, The Chalk Man, Bring Me Back, etc.). It's a common enough trope to tell a story this way, but it was refreshing to try something new. It basically allows the backstory to roll out in one long narrative, completely enrapturing. I supposed the irony of the Fish Tale may have escaped some (or perhaps, they got the joke, but didn't find it funny) but the middle yarn wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining if it didn't channel the concept of a Fish Tale - perhaps one of the biggest you'll read.Although I adored this love letter to Melville (my heart be still) as an examination of the pasteboard mask (and indeed, I feel like Langen succeeded at punching through a wall between our void and the next) as well as the white whale and Leviathan, I was far more enraptured by the love letter to Lovecraft. I was obsessed with Lovecraft when I was younger, and this novel brought back so much joy and imagination to my adult heart. I haven't felt so carried away by fantasy since I was much younger, when this type of macabre seemed real, when magic seemed like a possibility. My cynical adult mind enjoys fantasy in novels with the Knowing that it's simply not real - like watching a horror movie but seeing the cowl edge in the mask, knowing it's only silicon and red paint. I love horror and fantasy, but I'm too skeptical at this point to be taken away. The Fisherman, in all its glory, was the first book I've read in years that I literally forgot my surroundings and was transported to a fantastical world where anything seemed possible. The child inside of my heart was terrified, excited, thrilled, sad, amazed.... and for that I gave this book the full amount of stars. I found myself quite literally in this magical place.Triggers: Please do not read if you do not want spoilers. The purpose of this review is, again, as a candidate for a book club setting. I used to get asked a lot about discussion “triggers” (concepts that could cause harm a person in discussion if not handled properly). This particular book has a single topic that comes to mind that could present a trigger issue. This book is about widowership. There are at least half a dozen different explorations of men being widowed. Not only the two main characters, but many of the side characters, including the villain and his sponsor. To be completely honest, and though there was at least more than one person there who could relate to this trigger, not a single person was affected in a negative way and, in fact, thought the exploration was beautiful and elegant. This is also not a huge spoiler as the concept is laid out right away, within the first few chapters. Otherwise, this book handles many of the common tropes in horror and fantasy... death, magic, religion, etc.

Wow. That’s the overall gist of my feelings about this book.First, up front, it’s a slow build, but I think this book lends itself to audio better. It is, after all, a series of big fish stories, so to say. Also, The narrator is pitch perfect. He has that older man voice that gives you the authentic Big Fish Story vibe while weaving in the cosmic / occult / folk horror menace that lies at the heart of this tale. The threat is of cosmic proportions, both multifaceted and far reaching, though rooted in man’s will to change reality and the lengths to which he will go and the powers he will struggle to enslave so that he may shape the world as he sees fit and restore what he has lost. I love the idea of the black waters, where they originate and the horror of their influence and the things that dwell within. It’s a fantastic story of interconnecting threads and one I would love so see the author revisit and expand on some of the things he mentions but does not pursue, like the city by the dark sea. There is more here he could mine for sure.Second, this book’s structure is layered like a parfait or something. Starts with our main characters, who are then told an incredible and hard to believe fish story of cosmic horror proportions by a person who had it delivered to them by someone else who received it from first hand witnesses. So, it’s enough to make you wonder whether the facts have been skewed in the passing down but your gut tells you probably not by much. And boy is that “big fish story” a doozie!! Then as the main fish story, which takes up over half of the book, concludes, the story continues with our two main characters and their journey to fish in the Dutchman’s Creek, which was the source of the main fish story they just finished listening to.While the tale they are told is wild and incredible and epic with moments of horror, the final adventure into Dutchman’s Creek is where events become far more disturbing. And damn, that last line.I really have very few complaints about this book. Really only one about the book itself. At times when there are large portions of running dialogue, the authors strict use of “said”, “says” etc dialogue tags becomes annoying, particularly in audio format. But it’s tolerable for those short sections. My other complaint is that the author and publisher did a horrible job of pitching this novel to the average reader. As you can see in the picture, the cover art communicates nothing in particular. It is absolutely vague and could just as easily be on the cover of a general fiction novel as one of cosmic horror. The synopsis doesn’t help either. “A possibility too fantastic to be true” and the suggestion of a “dark pact” is all we are given to hint at the nature of the story. Which is why it has taken so damn long for me to take the plunge and tackle this book. Despite hearing and seeing so many great reviews, nothing about the cover or synopsis grabbed me. Zilch. Not one bit. Which made me pass it over for something else more interesting time and time again. But, after many friends kept encouraging me to give it a shot, I finally decided to make it happen. And holy hell, am I ever glad I did. This is probably the best novel I’ve read or listened to in the last few years. The ones sitting at the top of my list until now are Song of the Death God by William Holloway, The City by S. C. Mendes, and Last Days by Adam Nevill. That’s been my top three for awhile. But damn, now The Fisherman is playing king of the hill for the top spot.If you don’t mind slow burns, and you enjoy cosmic / folk horror with some occult aspects, then you should absolutely buy and read this book. And I also highly recommend the audible version. The narration was fantastic, imo.

I originally bought this title on Kindle & loved the book so much that I bought a physical copy just to loan out to others! Great example of contemporary cosmic horror that doesn't have to be entrenched in Cthulhu mythos

Have read and listened multiple times. A great read for horror fans. On par with all the grear horror classics of the last 50 years easily. Slow to start. Give it a chance.

I've read weird fiction or horror litterature ( if we must absolutely use these terms, instead of, simply, litterature of fear, which I guess is more precise) for years ( 40-something, I guess). It is VERY RARE to read a book and be so transfixed, so uneasy, so awed. VERY RARE to know, as you are reading it, that this is a book you will never forget. I read it in summer, under clear skies, in brilliant sunshine, in the countryside, and was transported to a very very dark place indeed. If you love books, do not pass this one.

Jesus Christ... this book!I never realised I was in love with it until I finished it and couldn't stop thinking about it, dreaming about it. So I read it again. It is dark and beautiful and horrific and wonderful. I think I know a book's good when I struggle to find words for it, and I really struggle for words when it comes to The Fisherman. It's one of my favourite books I've read in a while, it's one of my favourite Weird Fic books I've read in a while, and it was just a wonderful and capivating read.Okay, I'm gushing. This is a book which has a lot to say and a lot of moods. It's horror, and it's horrific. It's weird fiction, and it's very damn weird. It's Lovecraftian, and boy does it love Lovecraft. It's dark fantasy, and it really is dark and it really is fantastical. And there are veins of human stories and human compassion, veins of straight-foreward adventure and pure fantasy, historical elements and personal elements... it's a mish-mash river of things which flow through the reader in a torrent. I felt this was a story Langan had been ruminating on for a long time, and urgently wanted, or had, to tell.I liked but never loved Langan's short stories, they were interesting but never spoke to me, and I ordered this book on a whim after seeing good reviews. I didn't expect to like it. The amount of dark enjoyment and sheer joy got from this floored me. I think in his short stories, Langan tries to be too clever, too weird and too subversive, because if he can write like he wrote in this book, he can *write*. This book really dragged me into it's world, and I loved it.So, I've gushed - a few things I didn't like.Firstly - Well, I'd have liked to know more about Rainer. I love Rainer, I'm invested in Rainer, I want the continued occult adventures of Rainer. He put all the other characters in the shade, more or less.Secondly, I hate to sound like a prude, but I work in a school library, and when I was 90% through the book I was thinking 'This would be a fantastic introduction to Weird Lit for young adults/older teens. I'd like to put this on our shelves, I have so many ideas about an initiative to get kids reading horror/sci-fi/weird-lit' and then...bam...detailed sex scene. Maybe we can still put it on our shelves, but...hmm... don't get me wrong, I'm in no way anti-sex scenes, it's just that it changed the book from being the perfect intro to sinister and scary Weird Lit for teens and young adults to something that I'd feel cautious about recommending to younger folks. Not a true complaint, just that I wish I could recommend it to my young library patrons.Third, I desperately want more. I know this is best as a stand-alone book. But I want so much more.Total score: 5/5 stars, or maybe 4.99/5 stars. Stunningly wonderful, but with tiny little complaints that are mostly just my personal comments. A lot of fun, and a hell of ride for a cosmic horror book.

I really wanted this book to be good. For a number of reasons. Coming off the back of a few "meh!" books, I was desperate for some quality reading. Also, the cover is a piece of design inspiration and I felt that the story should at least be worthy of something so beautiful. And the premise sounded enticing to say the least.For me, this was a superb book. I really loved it.The blurb on the front cover says that the author channels a number of other writers, but omits one very important name.H. P. Lovecraft!Probably on purpose, in case readers are put off by another Lovecraft wannabe! But this is so much more than a Lovecraft rip off. It's a beautifully written horror story with well fleshed out characters. It's dark and nihilistic, and can be quite emotional at times, and I found myself almost unable to put it down. I was actually sad to finish it!Was it scary? I wasn't terrified by it, but I was affected by its story, and there was plenty of dread throughout.It was just a beautiful read, with a hint of a nod to The Haunter of the Dark hidden among it. Excellent!If you love Lovecraft, not just Lovecraftian horror, but the man himself, you'll really love this.

This book came up in my suggestions. I’d never heard of it or its author. I had a quick look at the reviews and I decided to give it a go.I’m glad I bought it: it’s an epic and well written yarn , with great depth.I particularly enjoyed the tale of ‘Der Fischer’ at the centre of the novel, but the story of Abe and Dan that bookends the story is the true heart of the book and I wanted to find out what happened to these characters.If you enjoy a well written fantasy/horror story, cast your line on The Fisherman!

After all the rave reviews, I was dying to read this. What a disappointment. It took several attempts to finish. I really liked the characters, but I was not expecting or interested in a story that involved mermaids! No matter how evil they were. Also some of the descriptions were so wordy and hard to visualize. The fisherman was not at all scary.