GRENDEL WEPT

In Serret’s cosmic horror novel, bizarre visions and serial murders turn a museum curator’s life into utter chaos.

Archaeologist Dr. Julian Corbin, a museum curator of Ancient West Asian Art, hasn’t had much success with funding, and now Doctoranda Maaike van Leeuwen, the new associate curator of Ancient Egyptian Art, seems intent on taking over his role entirely. But Julian has more pressing things on his mind, starting with his inexplicable dream-visions; through someone else’s eyes, he experiences life in 16th-century Italy, where he is immersed in a “mystery cult.” Meanwhile, in the waking world, a serial killer has been butchering local citizens, and detectives find a potential tie to Julian. The archaeologist gets a reprieve from Maaike’s overwhelming presence at the museum when he’s hired to catalogue a private collection. His visions, however, only intensify, occurring much more frequently and shifting to an even earlier time period. This is a “puzzle” for Julian to solve—hopefully before he or anyone else gets hurt. Serret’s novel is a dizzying experience, recalling the atmospheric horror of Poe and Lovecraft. Julian’s dream-visions (or blackouts) are jarring for both readers and the protagonist; he doesn’t always know where he is when he comes out of them (“I was holding the rear door of a sedan I didn’t recognise”). The author deftly shifts the prose to depict 16th-century Italy (“I had it in my heart the countess had been despoiled thus, and my face the mask”). Mysterious characters abound, from the enigmatic “the Other” to the outright terrifying l’Avversario. For all its complexity, the story is easy to follow, even as Julian’s reality mingles with his visions. His dark path leads to at least a few answers and an unforgettable climax.

A relentlessly haunting tale that overflows with mood and style.