Emancipated during the American Revolution, Salem Hawley is a free man—until he finds himself indebted to a doctor for treatment for injuries incurred during the New York Doctors’ Riot. Recruited to recover the stolen grimoire, Al Azif, Salem embarks on a journey north, to Arkham, Massachusetts.
Plagued by rain and the incursion of strange, otherworldly creatures, the seaside town of Arkham has … Arkham has become a dark and dangerous place. Unable to trust the locals, Hawley is forced to rely on only his wits to track down the thief. He must also contend with Louise LeMarché, an outcast and suspected witch who is searching for the missing tome, as well.
Time is against Hawley. Something ancient and evil is rising from the depths of the Atlantic, and if Al Azif is not recovered quickly, it could spell doom to Arkham… and all of humanity.
Borne of the Deep, the second book in the Salem Hawley series, is a novella of Lovecraftian cosmic horror and continues the story that began in The Resurrectionists.
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After the events in THE RESURRECTIONISTS, Salem Hawley is on a quest to find Al Azif, the mysterious grimoire stolen at the end of that book. Now, prepare yourself for a rip-roaring ride to Arkham!
In a horse drawn carriage on the way to find the book, Salem deals with racism and other problems. Even though he is a free man, he doesn’t command much respect. Once he arrives at Arkham, he meets a mysterious woman named Louise LaMarche. Together they will have to face the most serious threats yet, namely, Dagon and the Deep Ones. Will he and Louise be able to find Al Azif? If so, will they find it in time to prevent Dagon and the others from overtaking Arkham? Lastly, will Salem and Louise survive? You’ll have to read this to find out!
BORNE OF THE DEEP features some of the best battle scenes I’ve read in a long time. I thought a lot of blood was shed in the first book, but this one goes entirely off the rails. Salem is a brave, brave man to stand strong against what Dagon has in store. Fans of Lovecraft will recognize these names and see them brought to life more vividly than I’ve ever read before, and that includes Lovecraft’s writing itself!
With a great historical background, and the integration of cosmic horror to boot, (most better than the original, [sorry, Lovecraft]), there is no way this series could fail to please or satisfy serious horror readers. I initially rated this 4 out of 5 stars, but after thinking about it overnight, I boosted my rating to the full 5. I couldn’t have asked for anything more-other than the next book be released. Right now!
Highly recommended!
Kindle copies available now, just in time for social distancing! https://amzn.to/2Qr0r7I
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
“So I wake the gods from the tomb of the ancients, hail the sun”
“Cult of Dagon” by Book of Black Earth
Anyone else shocked there isn’t a Historical Horror Fiction category for the Bram Stoker Awards?
I am. And while some may argue that Alma Katsu would be a sure-fire win, I’d ask that you pump the brakes and dive into the world of Salem Hawley and just what Michael Patrick Hicks has done with book one and book two. The set up he’s created for book three – wowsa.
The book picks up immediately after book one has ended – Hawley in hot pursuit with the bigoted Doctor in search of the forbidden tome.
It had been some time since I’d read book one, The Resurrectionists, but there was no issue jumping back into this world or following these characters.
While book one took a little bit to introduce the gore and grotesque that we know and love from Hicks, book two wastes little time and if the first few chapters are a six on the G & G scale, the book solidly ends at twenty.
This is a hard one to review without giving things away, but it’s safe to say that Hicks goes full Lovecraft with some of the abominations he throws at us, all the while keeping the characters grounded in real life. Case in point – as a city falls under attack from ‘things’ Hawley yells for everyone to take up arms and fight back. While this should be a rallying cry and a key moment for the tide to turn, instead Hawley is met with indifference and disgust – who is a black man to tell white men what to do?
The constant back and forth between Hawley striving to save mankind and prevent the Earth from splitting open and being consumed by the creatures from the deep and the push back he faces because of the color of his skin is a very unique plot line and it works incredibly well to further the narratives of both sides.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and much like book one, I was enthused to see Michael had included some research links in the back.
The Resurrectionists made my 2019 best reads list and it’s safe to say Borne of the Deep will make my 2020 list. Much like last time, now I lament the fact that I’ll need to patiently wait for the third and final book.