A Cosmology of Monsters
A Novel
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4.1 • 48 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
"If John Irving ever wrote a horror novel, it would be something like this. I loved it.” —Stephen King
Noah Turner sees monsters.
His father saw them—and built a shrine to them with The Wandering Dark, an immersive horror experience that the whole family operates.
His practical mother has caught glimpses of terrors but refuses to believe—too focused on keeping the family from falling apart.
And his eldest sister, the dramatic and vulnerable Sydney, won't admit to seeing anything but the beckoning glow of the spotlight . . . until it swallows her up.
Noah Turner sees monsters. But, unlike his family, Noah chooses to let them in . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hamill's debut mishmash of monster tale and family drama centers around Noah Turner, whose family members have been plagued by monsters for years. Noah attempts to piece together events before and after his birth when his parents met, when his oldest sister disappeared, and when the entire family put together a frightening haunted house Halloween attraction near their home to understand why these creatures have followed his family and what, if anything, they want. But in doing so, he creates a connection with a beast that will change his life. A foreboding mood hangs over the first half of the novel, sucking readers in, but as more is revealed about Noah, his family, and the creatures themselves, the story starts to feel hollow. In addition, the author's sympathy is light for characters other than Noah. Hamill takes care to introduce female characters with agency, but overwrought descriptions of sex and nudity undercut any message of empowerment. After a promising start, this tale spirals down into incoherence and irrelevance.
Customer Reviews
Interesting and a little off beat
This book really kept me turning pages. I liked the non linear aspects of it and found it to be completely unpredictable. Shaun Hamil is a fantastic writer and I’m quite sure I’ll be checking out what else he has to offer.
One of my top 5 favorite books this year!
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I loved the characters and the creative and creepiness of the monster world. I was hoping he had more books for me to read. If you love a good monster tale, I highly recommend this book.
Horrible read!!!!!!
1. There is only one “monster”
2. First I thought it would be a metaphor for people being monsters and that would have been ok, but the story is all over the place and has no payoff what so ever! you get one small chapter on how the monster came to be but it was so vague that it made no sense. The rest of the time you’re reading about the main character obsessing over the monster and how he makes stupid mistakes with her. At best its a rushed story on Stockholm syndrome with fantasy elements. That’s it ! Horrible read !