In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman’s Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other’s company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found … there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story. Soon, though, the men find themselves drawn into a tale as deep and old as the Reservoir. It’s a tale of dark pacts, of long-buried secrets, and of a mysterious figure known as Der Fisher: the Fisherman. It will bring Abe and Dan face to face with all that they have lost, and with the price they must pay to regain it.
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My first time reading anything written by John Langan and I am so happy I picked this one! It took me awhile because this is a story, within a story, within a story and it draws you in and won’t let you go. It is one that you savor and enjoy!
The base of this story is grief, loss and the horrifying choice you have to make if given the opportunity to spend more time with a dead loved one! The horror kind of creeps up on you as you get further into the story. The images that are conjured up by his storytelling are so vivid. And it’s been awhile that a book has affected me like this one did! I finished it one morning before work, thought about it all day while at work and didn’t want to start another book till I got this one out of my system! This is a good one!
This book creates atmosphere, mood and a feeling of dread in comparison to H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard and Edgar Allen Poe. The story creeps and intensifies as the plot thickens. Langan draws you in with a great character who you can’t help but like, and you empathize with his tragedy and you hope for him to find peace and happiness again. The tale weaves and is told as if an old storyteller sitting by the fire takes you on a journey. Truly original and I’m excited to see this kind of great writing again, and I will be reading more of his. Highly recommended.
ohn Langan’s THE FISHERMAN is a phenomenal story within a story.
Featuring cosmic horror, quiet horror, psychological horrors and a few scenes that were just horrific in general, I find myself lacking the words this book deserves.
This tale was outstanding and I waited way too long to read it. You should read it and the sooner the better.
My HIGHEST recommendation!
You can get a copy here: https://amzn.to/2FM01US
*I bought this book with my hard earned cash and the author was kind enough to sign it for me. Thank you, sir!*
I loved this book! Once I started reading, I didn’t want to put it down. I loved Langan’s mythmaking, his use of language and flashbacks. I hope to see more novels from Mr. Flanagan in the future.
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect reading ‘The Fisherman.’ In fact, I was so intimidated by this book that for many years I didn’t even purchase it, believing whole-heartedly that I wouldn’t be a smart enough reader to digest this. I often worry about ‘literary’ horror in that I’ll be out of my depth with great/massive concepts and metaphors etc that I’ll not understand what’s going on and DNF because I can’t grasp the deeper meanings.
For anyone else who has this worry about this book – fear not. Langan is a stunning writer, absolutely, and operating on a completely different level than most, but his writing is also accessible and flows with such ease that you’d think your grandfather was telling you this story.
What I liked: The story follows Abe, a solid, dependable worker at IBM who finally falls in love, only to have that taken from him. After dealing with some of his grief, he finds he loves fishing. After another worker, Dan, also deals with lost love, the two of them strike up a friendship based on casting lines, catching fish and not speaking what rests just at the back of their tongues.
As time goes on, Dan, emboldened by some hidden discovery prompts the two of them to fish at this mysterious spot.
Langan does such a stellar job of showing a man just trying to carry on with his life, especially when the life he expected for himself and for his future, have been ripped away. Abe is instantly likeable, instantly feels like a character you’ve always known and his ache and grief fills you with ache and grief.
Of course, with dark fiction, things take a horrific turn. In this case we get two – an interlude of sorts where we learn the nature of how ‘The Dutchman’s River’ was named, as well as the last 3rd of the story when things occur and wrap up. Langan goes really dark throughout, but the character of Abe continued to ground this story and make you root for the man.
What I didn’t like: Honestly the back story of the river and how it got it’s name fell a bit flat for me. It should’ve had me riveted and engrossed, but instead I desperately wanted the section to end so that I could see what was going on with Abe. It does hold a purpose, especially with introducing The Fisherman, but I would’ve been personally happier if it was shorter.
Why you should buy this: The book itself was incredibly well done and the characters and moments throughout cut through into this reader’s heart and emotions. The ending was phenomenal and I loved seeing how Abe was able to kind of ‘find himself’ again, even if it was short lived. If this is on your TBR, I suggest you move it up and dive in, as the darkness that it holds was phenomenal.
I wanted to like the Fisherman more than I ultimately did. I enjoyed Langan’s conversational style, which added the intimacy that a successful horror story must have. I enjoyed his imagery, and how he related those images to his characters’ personalities. I found the imagery very Lovecraftian, because it dealt with issues much greater than individual human lives, and tended to illustrate how universally insignificant a human life is. Langan’s principal topics, death, grief and the hereafter, were the perfect ingredients to evoke terror.
Then why didn’t I rate The Fisherman at five stars? Because it was too long, and it was fractured. The bulk of the story was historical, and did not directly involve the protagonist. It was a good story, a great story,but it was in fact, a prologue, and it took up more of the book than the protagonist’s story did. So when we finally got to that, it felt anti-climactic.
That said, I still think the book is worth reading, and I recommend it.
A cross between King & Lovecraft, wonderful twists & turns.
This was a genre-defying book. I went in expecting cosmic horror, but in addition also got literary fiction and bouts of fantasy elements such as magic and spell books. I enjoyed the story, and though at first I had to calm myself at seeing the giant paragraphs of exposition, I quickly settled in to the flow and style of storytelling the author presented.
I recommend it to anyone wanting cosmic horror, first person POV, that explores the sorrow of grief as well as the fragility of human existence.
Unpredictable and weird and creepy as hell!
One of the best books I’ve ever read. You feel for the characters and John Langan does an amazing job of describing everything so well that you feel like you’re right there. Everything from the settings of the book to the atmosphere of the entire novel. It’s like a beautiful dream. The emotion from this book is incredible. When I finished it I felt so haunted by it and immediately started reading his other works. It’s not necessarily horror, more of a weird tale with some small spooky elements combined with a dash of fantasy. Couldn’t recommend this more to anyone who just loves to read!!
It’s not my thing. I won’t give it a poor rating because it was certainly interesting and easy to read. Often times with a book I don’t get into I just stop reading it. But in this case I got through it.