Johann Thorsson

The Fisherman tells the story of two grieving men who become friends because of their shared passion for fishing (as a means to take their minds off the grief). The hear of a mysterious creek that’s not on any map and decide to seek it out. On the way there, they meet a man who warns them against going there, and the bulk of the book is this third man’s story of why Abe and Dan shouldn’t go there. He tells them the history of the creek and of the mysterious Fisherman. The story is told in a straightforward manner; Langan gives us no respite with humor, no break or interlude. The story moves on and pulls us under. We hear the story of The Fisherman, which takes up fully two-thirds of the book and is some of the best horror you are likely to read. Langan then takes us back to Abe and Dan, as they go fishing in the Dutchman’s Creek, against common sense. Of course, they then go further into the woods, further into madness and deep into John Langan’s signature literary horror. The book is, in a word, fantastic. Truly a book that all fans of horror should read.