An old-school horror tale that delightfully embraces its inspirations and genre conventions.
A cosmetic surgeon becomes obsessed with a reputed cell-regeneration machine and a mysterious, ageless woman in old photographs in this supernatural novel.
It’s 1974, and Nigel Leary’s terminal cancer means the California surgeon has little time left. But there’s hope, possibly, when Ida Inkettle walks into his office with her father Conrad’s book. It contains his research into “regeneration”; while Ida wants Nigel to use this knowledge to give her back her youth, he sees a potential cure for cancer. With help from his office assistant, Marian Nicks, and Ida’s caretaker, Oliver Cook, Nigel delves into Conrad’s experiments, which began in the late 19th century, with an enigmatic machine. Most of what they discover is grim: Conrad’s experiments on his wife, Eleanor, were akin to torture. But in images from Conrad’s lab, there’s an unknown woman from the 1890s with the same youthful appearance in 1946. Nigel and the others try to identify this woman, who ultimately manifests as an apparition via electrical items, like a television. This may even take precedence over Nigel’s finding a cancer cure, as he’s fixated on the ghostly woman. Answers surely lie in Conrad’s twisted “psychical research”—rife with sinister deeds, including murder. This novel is certainly Lovecraft-ian, particularly Nigel’s growing obsessions and the occasional signs of monstrous forms. Using familiar genre elements, Turner expertly weaves a gripping horror story. The ghostly manifestations are indelible and eerie as the trio gradually unravel the mystery of Conrad’s experiments. Largely unembellished prose allows set pieces to speak for themselves, from traditional moments (dark houses and creaking floors) to the latter half’s unexpected turns. In the same vein, the author’s artwork comprises simple black-and-white sketches of singular items—hauntingly significant to the chapter that each illustration accompanies.
An old-school horror tale that delightfully embraces its inspirations and genre conventions. (author bio)Pub Date: April 17, 2021
ISBN: 979-8-65-773611-3
Page Count: 253
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A touching novel about loss with a magical and mystical flourish.
A young man helps the living and dead meet one last time under the full moon.
Japanese bestseller Tsujimura’s quiet novel follows a mysterious teenager known as the go-between, who can set up meetings between the living and the dead. An introverted woman wants to meet the television star with whom she has a parasocial relationship. A cynical eldest son hopes to visit his mother about their family business. A devastated high schooler fears she is responsible for her friend’s tragic death. And, finally, a middle-aged workaholic finally feels ready to find out if his fiancée, who disappeared seven years ago, is dead. Each character has a uniquely personal reason for seeking out the deceased, including closure and forgiveness, as well as selfishness and fear. Imbued with magic and the perfect amount of gravitas, there are many rules around these meetings: Only the living can make requests and they can only have one meeting per lifetime. Additionally, the dead can deny a meeting—and, most importantly, once the dead person has met with a living person, they will be gone forever. With secrets shared, confessions made, and regrets cemented, these meetings lead to joy and sorrow in equal measure. In the final chapter, all of these visits—and their importance in the go-between’s life—begin to gracefully converge. As we learn the go-between’s identity, we watch him struggle with the magnitude and gravity of his work. At one point, he asks: “When a life was lost, who did it belong to? What were those left behind meant to do with the incomprehensible, inescapable loss?” Though the story can be repetitive, Tsujimura raises poignant and powerful questions about what the living owe not only the dead, but each other; and how we make peace with others and ourselves in the wake of overwhelming grief.
A touching novel about loss with a magical and mystical flourish.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781668099834
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
A fresh, arresting entry in the vampire genre that revels in violent, bloody delights.
An orphaned teenager tries to connect her sister’s disappearance to their family’s decadeslong relationship with vampires.
Nineteen-year-old Kidan Adane wants nothing to do with her family’s horrifying rules and traditions, which stipulate that Kidan and her sister, June, who are Black girls of Ethiopian heritage, must honor soul-binding contracts with dranaics, or vampires. After their parents died, the sisters were placed in foster care with Mama Anoet. For years, Kidan had thought they were safe from evil—until Silia, their maternal aunt, unexpectedly died, and June and Kidan became the last two living members of House Adane. When June is abducted in the middle of the night by an unknown assailant, Kidan traces the clues to Uxlay University, where worthy leaders are taught how to protect a hierarchical society in which humans and vampires harmoniously coexist. Kidan believes that June was taken by Susenyos Sagad, the formidable vampire who’s bound to her family’s bloodline. As she dives deeper into this cruel new world, the line between her hatred of Susenyos and her growing fascination with him begins to blur. Debut author Girma’s trilogy opener offers a richly detailed, sweepingly imaginative narrative that artfully explores the dark heart of desire, rage, and loss through expansive worldbuilding. Kidan’s powerful characterization is layered, and her journey toward the truth has been crafted with a cinematic eye.
A fresh, arresting entry in the vampire genre that revels in violent, bloody delights. (map, content warning) (Fantasy. 15-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780316581448
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
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