A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle’s house, leading to madness and terror in this gripping new novel from the author of the “innovative, unexpected, and absolutely chilling” (Mira Grant, Nebula Award–winning author) The Twisted Ones.Pray they are hungry. Kara finds the words in the mysterious bunker that she’s discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly … the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring this peculiar area—only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities. But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts…and the more one fears them, the stronger they become.
With her distinctive “delightfully fresh and subversive” (SF Bluestocking) prose and the strange, sinister wonder found in Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, The Hollow Places is another compelling and white-knuckled horror novel that you won’t be able to put down.
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I don’t normally read horror, but I can’t resist anything written by T. Kingfisher, and this book did not disappoint. It was just as quirky and funny as I hoped, and more horrifying than I could have imagined. This is not a story for the squeamish, faint of heart, or easily offended, but I am glad I put my faith in the author and joined her on this deeply disturbing journey.
This may be the scariest book I’ve ever read, but it’s also quite endearing. The story grabbed my attention and would not let go, and I suspect I will be thinking about it for a long time to come. The characters are charmingly relatable, and the ending is almost cozy. Highly recommended for fans of nerdy speculative fiction.
Note that the book contains brutal descriptions of death and body horror, as well as swearing. May cause nightmares.
Thanks to Gallery Books for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley, which I volunteered to review.
Content Rating: 18+
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction
Published: October 6, 2020, by Gallery/Saga Press
The Hollow Places should come with a warning, DO NOT read alone in the dark. Creepy, chilling, and darkly twisted do not even come close to describing this book. I often got goosebumps while reading this story, and I will never look at a willow tree in the same way. The many campy humorous exchanges between the two main characters woven throughout gave a sense of balance to this book.
“They Can Hear You Thinking”
This story starts with our main character, Kara, who finds herself with nowhere to live after her divorce from her whiny, annoying husband. As luck would have it, Kara’s Uncle Earl has offered her a place to live. Uncle Earl has set up a bedroom in the back of his unique museum, the Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities, and Taxidermy, better known as the Wonder Museum. Imagine a museum filled with all kinds of oddities, including an overabundance of stuffed life-sized animals, and then multiply that by one thousand.
As Kara settles into her new reality, she starts to catalog all the Wonder Museum contents. Next to the Wonder Museum is the Black Hen coffee shop, where a unique barista named Simon works. This camo wearing, fishnet stocking strutting man who can rock a top hat with a feather kept me smiling throughout this book. The story was good, but the characters were better. Kara finds a hole in the Wonder Museum wall, and she enlists Simon’s help in figuring what is going on behind the wall because something is not quite right.
“In another, much larger sense my brain was screaming hysterically that there was a hole in the world.”
And that is when things get creepy in The Hollow Places. There are too many sinister and macabre things to list, but I will say that I no longer think that otters are cute, and I did have a couple of bad dreams about a certain
boatman.
“the willows it’s the willows they hear you
thinking they’re listening right now and rustling
their leaves and talking to each other”
The Hollow Places was a fun chilling read, and if you are a fan of horror with a touch of comedy, you will enjoy this book, I did. The Hollow Places was the first book by T. Kingfisher that I have read and will be looking to read more from the author with a most unusual pen name.
* Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published. *
** I kindly received this galley by NetGalley, T. Kingfisher, and Gallery/Saga Press. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion. **
THE HOLLOW PLACES is the second novel I have read by T. Kingfisher. This one takes place in Hog Chapel, North Carolina, in a store named the “Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities and Taxidermy”. Our main characters are Kara (Carrot), her Uncle Earl (owner of the “museum”), and Simon, the barista from next door.
“Eighteen years to the day after Uncle Earl accepted Bigfoot into his life, my marriage ended.”
After Kara’s divorce, she moves into the museum to help out her Uncle. While he’s away, she and Simon discover a hole in one of the walls upstairs–one that simply CAN’T be . . .
“. . . there’s a hallway that can’t exist and a giant locked door at the end . . .”
The characters are absolutely phenomenal here! I love the sarcasm and dark humor that compose much of the novel. Even in light of the horror facing them, this adds so much enjoyment and depth to the tale.
“. . . we’ll discuss this like people who don’t die in the first five minutes of a horror movie.”
The story itself put me in mind of a certain classic novella to an extent, but only slightly. This book was all Kingfisher’s vision. To have this unique idea, coupled with some great characters, and an enjoyable writing style, you have a narrative that’s rocketed to the top of my “Best Books Read” list for the year.
“. . . I was no longer willing to swear that nothing weird was going on . . .”
There was a strong psychological horror element present here, as well as the physical. I felt that the author did a great job of balancing the two out, while utilizing the quirky personalities of Kara (Carrot) and Simon to offer some “comic relief” at times.
“‘A giant bolted metal door seems a little excessive just to keep out your relatives.'”
“‘You only say that because you don’t know my mother.'”
Overall, I absolutely loved the style of this novel. Everything from the writing, characters, location, and . . . horrors . . . felt like something completely new when brought together like this.
“. . . if there’s a way into hell, someone will always find it . . . ”
T. Kingfisher is now on my list of auto-buy authors.
Highly recommended.
After her life falls apart, Kara (more commonly known as Carrot), moves back to her hometown to work in her eccentric uncle’s taxidermy museum. But things take a turn for the strange when she finds a hole in the wall that leads to another universe. But this isn’t any wardrobe to Narnia. This portal will lead Carrot straight to hell.
This is my second T. Kingfisher book, after The Twisted Ones. And one thing that I’ve really come to appreciate from the author is her ability to build tension, combined with a flair for dialogue and character interaction. It may seem odd to look at this wonderfully weird horror novel, with his it’s super high stakes, and genuinely terrifying scenes of body horror, and say that the best thing about it is that it’s funny, but that’s the truth. I could happily read scenes of Carrot and her friend Simon interacting for days.
I found a lot to enjoy with The Hollow Places and will gladly read more T. Kingfisher books going forward.
I don’t read much adult horror, but this book grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go. Kara is an amazing heroine and, every step of the way, I was like ‘Damn, this is exactly what I’d do in that situation…Oh god.” The tension just grew and grew, and I spent the last 25% or so of the book muttering “oh god, OH GOD, NOOOOOOOO.” Which is the highest of compliments!
This book scared the pants off me, but it was so compulsively readable that I immediately went and bought T Kingfisher’s other horror novel despite repeatedly telling myself that this whole plan is a terrible idea if I like sleeping.
Highly recommend!
3.5 Stars
“You are about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind…”—The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling
Newly divorced, Kara has packed up what’s left of her life and takes up an offer by her uncle to help him with his museum of oddities. Staying in a spare room, Kara begins cataloging the various odd skeletons, taxidermy animals and what-nots at the museum, and discovers a hole has been knocked in the wall. But this isn’t just any hole in the wall…it’s a portal to a world full of Them…and she better pray they are hungry…
The Hollow Places reminded me of a quirky episode of The Twilight Zone. Not sure where it was going or how it was going to end, but was for sure ready for a twist! While an enjoyable read, there were passages that started to be repetitious, but overall, I’d recommend to fans of this genre!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **
I still have mixed feelings about this book and not quite sure how to rate it. I was really looking forward to reading a good, scary horror but this book did not really deliver.
The main character, Kara moves in to her uncle’s house after her divorce. She discovers a secret hallway that takes to another reality full of mysterious creatures and a person stuck in the alternate universe.
I would describe this book as a mixture of Alice in Wonderland and The Night at the Museum. To me this was more of an adventure, not a horror. The two main characters were fun and I really liked their friendship. Overall I think this book is a 3 star read. It’s easy, fun and fast but just not quite the horror I was expecting.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.
They can hear your thoughts.
Kara (Carrot) marriage falls apart. She at first is set to live with her estranged mother which falls through when her beloved uncle Earl calls her and invites her to live with him at his ”The Wonder Museum.” The Wonder Museum is a treasure chest of oddities. The skunkalope, the FeeJee Mermaid, etc. Kara still loves her Uncle Earl even though they disagree on conspiracy theories, bigfoot, and aliens. which her Uncle believes in. Kara settles in her new life with her Uncle and meets new friends from the coffee shop next door, Simon and Kay. Simon is the barista who wears a top hat and multi-colored clothes. One day the mother of the family of tourists that come into The Wonder Museum tells. Kara, she’s found a hole in the wall in the back room. Kara thanks the family and goes to investigate with Simon who is there to help to patch the hole up. Simon begins his work when he discovers a concrete hallway behind the wall. Simon shows Kara and they begin to investigate only to find a portal to another dangerous, evil world. The Wonder Museum. I wonder what happens next? I really liked this book. This book was spooky and scary. It had me jumping at every random noise at night and jumping at every shadow. I even looked suspiciously at my walls to see if they were going to billow out and create a hole to a netherworld. Lol. It was Alice In Wonderland on LSD. This otherworld is dangerous and evil and you have to have someone to monitor you to keep you from hurting yourself. Lol. I liked the fact that there was no romantic interests. I loved the friendship between Kara and Simon. They were a team and had each others back. The suspense was written beautifully. I was literally biting my nails and holding my breath as I read the book waiting to see what happens next. I took a star off for the repetition in the story. The author repeated the thoughts of the character on only two lines, twice. However, the pace was perfect. It captured my attention and held it throughout the story. I looked forward to going to bed and read the next chapter. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and will not be my last. I will be looking for her first book ”The twisted ones.” immediately after this review. Lol. I received an advanced copy of this novel from Netgalley.com and the author in exchange for an honest review.
Wow…. This book will bend your mind in ways you never thought possible until you’re on the edge of your seat, horrified, disgusted, terrified, and yet still wanting more. It’s nearly unputdownable from charmingly eccentric beginning to nerve-wracking end, and this is the first time in a LOOONG time I’ve been so invested I didn’t want to stop reading and yet didn’t want the story to end.
This is partly achieved by the characters, from shatteringly relatable Kara (Carrot), to quirky and reliable Simon, to idiosyncratic Uncle Earl, who are so (I canNOT use the word “rooted” as much as I’m tempted to. Evil pun!! If you’d read this you’d understand) settled in reality you can’t help but connect to and adore them in equal measures. I was WITH them on their entire terrifying venture, caught up in the Willow World full of nightmares and every day that came before and after. It is so rare to find a book that grounds you in a story as deeply as this does with characters who feel things that make you feel things too, that I was immediately swept away by the story from page one, long before anything particularly strange occurred.
The writing itself, from Carrot’s POV, was generally so thrillingly well-done, I highlighted paragraphs in the script several times just to leave a note that read, “I love this!!” As a fellow writer, I fangirled hard at most of the writing. Sure, occasionally the geography of the Willow World was difficult to picture, and towards the end, Carrot was doing something ordinary to prevent herself from screaming one-or-two-too-many times, but 90% of the book was written at an A+ level, which is a level very hard to find maintained so well that that in itself makes The Hollow Places a gem. On top of that was the humor. Now, I don’t laugh-out-loud in general very often with books, but I did smile and chuckle several times throughout this, and I am never not impressed by an author’s ability to create humor, especially in the middle of a terrifying landscape.
The story itself never once stopped being interesting, whether Carrot and Simon were slogging through evil Narnia or discussing issues over coffee. Fast-paced but not rushed, and just… utterly enjoyable. Yes, occasionally Carrot made a less-than-wise move and there were one or two things I realized before the characters did – one, in particular, long before they did. Most of the twists and turns, however, were completely unpredictable and shocking, but I cared so much about the characters that it didn’t even matter to me if it took them longer than me to work something out – I just wanted to follow them through every second of their story.
Overall, this was an *extremely* good book. Quality horror, characters – everything. Was it completely perfect? No, but it was excellent and entertaining beyond description. The unalloyed ENJOYMENT I had reading this ratchets The Hollow Place up to a 5-star-rated novel for me and will go down as one of my favorites! Will 100% be checking out Kingfisher’s other book and following the author for more.
I recommend to anyone not overly squeamish who enjoys a good little dose of terror, ready to sink their teeth into a book reminiscent, at times, of The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín but yet unlike anything they’ve ever read. Content warnings include (but are not limited to): mention of possible suicides; gore; and the heebie jeebies.
**I received this book courtesy of NetGalley/Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review which did not affect my opinion.
This book was SCARY! And I say that as a person who hasn’t been truly scared by a book since she was 18 and reading ‘Salem’s Lot (and we are SO not going to discuss how long ago that was!) Books don’t scare me. This one did. Why? Ok, so it was well written, had a great premise that hasn’t been done to death, had an appropriate amount of gore, and all that, true. But what it also had that ever so many other horror books lack was characters you care about. It’s hard to be scared by a book when you’re rooting for the monster to come and eat this obnoxious person so they can get Out of the story and quit annoying you. I LOVE Carrot and Uncle Earl and Simon! I want to hang out with them, have coffee and talk about books and Bigfoot and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I love Beau and I am definitely not a cat person. Heck, I love Prince and I’m someone who finds taxidermy animals appalling. So I was terrified for all of these people who feel like old friends now and I’m going to have to go back and read it again ’cause I finished last night and I miss them already. Don’t miss this book!
This is one of those books that starts out pretty good, just fine, and then just gets better and better and better right up to the end. Superbly paced, imaginatively gruesome, packed with unforgettable scenes. Definitely a great early-fall read.
This book had me standing up, sitting down, pacing, gasping, laughing, and needing to know how it ended. Was terrifying and easy to imagine. Was rooting for them and was glad it wasnt me.
The Hollow Places is nothing less than a horror tour-de-force.
Like a lot of horror novels, this one opens with a woman in trouble, in this case thirty-something Kara, who is about to get divorced. When her quirky Uncle Earl invites her to stay with him at his Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities, and Taxidermy, she accepts. Not long after, Kara discovers a portal in a wall leading to a nightmare world that can’t exist, but does.
The story is told from Kara’s point of view, and I can’t recall when I’ve encountered a more relatable or likeable narrator. The other characters are equally engaging, and the imaginative plot reads a little like an LSD trip. But where Kingfisher excels is in her creation of atmosphere.
The strange museum is a chicken-fried homage to the Cabinets of Curiosities from earlier days. With her loving descriptions of jackalopes and taxidermied mice dressed like soldiers, Kingfisher brings the quirky museum alive–literally and figuratively. But she really shines with her chilling portrayal of the nightmare world beyond the portal. All too often, horror writers fail to describe the Big Bad, but Kingfisher delivers, including some very nasty bits that.
In the end credit, Kingfisher credits Algernon Blackwood’s novella The Willows as inspiration for her story. Curious, I went back and reread Blackwood’s tale. Despite the difference in tone–THP is infused with a snarky attitude that would have shocked Blackwood–it is a legitimate and worthy offspring to Blackwood’s nineteenth-century horror classic.
Each story creates a nightmare world that is both familiar and strange, which is the essence of the uncanny. Travelers in these dark realms learn that the world is neither safe nor sane, but a dangerous place where nightmares roam. A place of terror, but also of wonder.
I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author.
If, let’s say, the apartment you were renting were shown to have a hidden corridor that passed beyond the bounds of your actual rented rooms, occupied space that were not externally measurable, and led to a nightmareverse, your first reaction after existential terror were to be “oh, man, I’m never getting my security deposit back,” you might get a sense for the vibe of this novel.
This was a wild trippy ride that was dark and delicious…
I loved the world – building here. It was original and eerie and fascinating to see what would come next. Literally anything seemed possible.
The plot was engaging, although I must admit it dragged on a little bit for me as they slogged through the middle of the adventure… It wasn’t a very big deal, but it did slow down the action a little. Things perked back up though and from there on out it was a thrill a minute until the bitter end!
I’m a big fan of T. Kingfisher and this reconfirmed why – excellent story telling skills, fabulously real characters, and wholly original constructs that take stories that seem familiar and throw them into a blender before delivering them…
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
A total creepfest with two lovable weirdos, Kara (Carrot) and Simon, one badass cat, Beau and a whole bunch of bizarre otherworldly stuff.
If you love fantasy/horror and T. Kingfisher’s (Ursula Vernon’s) signature quirky writing style, you have to pick up The Hollow Places. Experiencing Kara and Simon’s freakouts as they explore and try to escape from not-Narnia is exactly the dark and twisty novel to make you even more uncomfortable about being locked up at home during quarantine.
This is one of the creepiest books I’ve ever read. I read The Twisted Ones first and really enjoyed, but I liked this one even better!
This was comparable to a terrifying nature hike mixed with quirky Night at the Museum humor.
The characters were amazing! I loved Carrot and Simon and how they played off one another. A fantastic friendship built on the other worldly experience they shared. Uncle Earl was exactly how I imagined a kind old man, proprietor of a museum of oddities, would be. Carrot’s mother gave me anxiety! And the cat Beau was the perfect mixture of aloof and affectionate…an unsung hero!
I also read the Twisted Ones and thought that this was a sequel. Fear not as it’s a stand alone novel. Some of the aspects of the two worlds seemed to coincide and I liked that.
I also read the Willows by Algernon Blackwood last year. It was short and terrifying novella of cosmic horror. This book took the willows and brought them to life.
By far my favorite parts were the snarky comments between Carrot and Simon.
“You’re from Florida. There’s got to be more holes to hell in Florida than any other state.”
“Or maybe they’re some kind of invasive murder willows from dimension X”
Kingfisher has a quirky writing style that I love and will continue to love. Can’t wait for the next book
First of all- Thank you NetGalley!! I finally got it.
I LOVED THIS BOOK! I liked it just as much as I did The Twisted Ones. Congratulations T. Kingfisher, you have a new fan.
This book takes place in Hog Chapel, North Carolina. Kara has just gotten divorced and agrees to move in with her Uncle Earl. He owns and runs The Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities and Taxidermy. “Carrot” as she is called through most of the book, settles in. She helps Uncle Earl and rekindles her friendship with the barista next door, Simon. Everything is moving forward and Carrot is adjusting to her new life. Uncle Earl has to go away to have knee surgery so he’s out of the museum for most of the story. One day, visitors to the museum tells Kara she has a hole in the wall upstairs and that is when everything starts. Upon investigation, she and Simon discovers it opens up into some kind of bunker. And that’s all I’m telling you because once you get to this part, it’s impossible to put this book down.
The investigation of the world they find gave me such anxiety. I know I probably missed a few things because I was speed reading through this part. I could not read it fast enough to find out what was going to happen to them. The world T.Kingfisher creates is so terrifying and mysterious. She admits in the author’s note she was inspired by Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows. That’s easy to figure out and being a fan of his, that filled my heart with such happiness. The relationship the characters have is refreshing and feels real and natural. I just loved everything about this book. I would’ve finished this in one day if I didn’t have to sleep and my dang tablet didn’t die. So, yes, read this book. Buy it and The Twisted Ones while your at it. If you love one, your going to love the other.