m00nprism's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
darkcornerofthelibrary's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
clangsydes's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It's a bit slow for my liking but the horrific details are so good.
Michael McDowell is now one of my favorite writers.
Michael McDowell is now one of my favorite writers.
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
2.0
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This book piqued my interest because of the arresting cover artwork by Mike Mignola, one of my favourite comic book artists of all time. Unfortunately, it is a major disappointment and I do not recommend it.
Cold Moon Over Babylon is a conventional, run-of-the-mill horror story that offers nothing new to the genre. In fact, it reads like an episode of a poorly made horror anthology television show from the 1990s, complete with a paper-thin villain doing evil things for evil reasons because he is the designated evil man. The scares are banal, predictable and nothing you haven’t already seen or read a hundred times before. It’s that same boring, overused premise of a murder victim coming back to haunt her murderer. And if you already have an inkling of where the story goes — your instincts are exactly correct. Cold Moon Over Babylon does not deviate from this well-trodden path and follows every sign post from beginning to the end.
Since I do not recommend this book, here are some spoilers. You find out fairly early who the murderer is, and the victim, Margaret, returns to haunt the murderer about halfway through the book. Instead of stopping him from committing more heinous acts, however, ghost-Margaret is unable to prevent the deaths of her brother and grandmother at the hands of the same murderer — what’s the point of coming back to life as a ghost if you can’t, I don’t know, do something?
Speaking of Margaret, McDowell’s treatment of her is reprehensible. There’s zero character development for her, which means that she’s simply there to be raped and murdered. I don’t even think she has a single line of dialogue with her family members. I mean, sure, this was written back in the 1980s, but it does not age well at all. Also, since the story is largely told through the POV of the murderer, there’s nothing at stake. In fact, most of the time, you kind of want the ghosts to win.
I have run out of adjectives to describe how boring this book is, but yes. Not recommended.
This book piqued my interest because of the arresting cover artwork by Mike Mignola, one of my favourite comic book artists of all time. Unfortunately, it is a major disappointment and I do not recommend it.
Cold Moon Over Babylon is a conventional, run-of-the-mill horror story that offers nothing new to the genre. In fact, it reads like an episode of a poorly made horror anthology television show from the 1990s, complete with a paper-thin villain doing evil things for evil reasons because he is the designated evil man. The scares are banal, predictable and nothing you haven’t already seen or read a hundred times before. It’s that same boring, overused premise of a murder victim coming back to haunt her murderer. And if you already have an inkling of where the story goes — your instincts are exactly correct. Cold Moon Over Babylon does not deviate from this well-trodden path and follows every sign post from beginning to the end.
Since I do not recommend this book, here are some spoilers. You find out fairly early who the murderer is, and the victim, Margaret, returns to haunt the murderer about halfway through the book. Instead of stopping him from committing more heinous acts, however, ghost-Margaret is unable to prevent the deaths of her brother and grandmother at the hands of the same murderer — what’s the point of coming back to life as a ghost if you can’t, I don’t know, do something?
Speaking of Margaret, McDowell’s treatment of her is reprehensible. There’s zero character development for her, which means that she’s simply there to be raped and murdered. I don’t even think she has a single line of dialogue with her family members. I mean, sure, this was written back in the 1980s, but it does not age well at all. Also, since the story is largely told through the POV of the murderer, there’s nothing at stake. In fact, most of the time, you kind of want the ghosts to win.
I have run out of adjectives to describe how boring this book is, but yes. Not recommended.
anti_formalist12's review against another edition
5.0
How does horror manifest itself in our world? Is it the things that go bump in the night, the terrors that live in the shadows, or the thing out of the corner of your eye that simply should not be? Or is it perhaps the horrors of the flesh? Evil men given power and safety from the law. Cold Moon Over Babylon suggests that the true evil is the latter. It also suggests that true justice might be the former.
Cold Moon Over Babylon follows the Larkin clan, an impoverished family of berry farmers whose lives have been marked by tragedy after tragedy. After losing their parents to a freak accident when they were children, Ruth and her brother have lived on their own, under the supervision of their increasingly infirm grandmother. The book opens with Ruth being brutalized and murdered by an unseen assailant. The story only grows darker for the Larkins from there. Much of the town of Bablyon appears unfazed by the suffering of these small land-holders. Then the perpetrators began to be menaced by unseen forces. These unseen forces seem intent on dragging the Larkins aggressors into a watery grave.
At times more resembling a tale of gothic horror than the blood and sex-drenched horror that was in vogue in the 70s and 80s, Cold Moon’s true success is in the craft of the tale. McDowell winds the story so tight it almost feels like it’s going to burst. The tension emulates the condition of the characters, always on the brink of completely breaking, either under the stress of generational poverty or the stress of insanity. Babylon is a town where the past weighs on the residents.
Its a magnificently told story. The characters feel so well realized, you find yourself loving and hating them as if they were characters in your own life. You despise the sheriff for his almost willful naiveté. You hate the cynical lawyer who assists in the Larkin’s downfall, and who consciously isolates himself from it in order to spare his own soul. The Larkins themselves are more than deserving of pity, even though it is only the grandmother who is smart enough to see their doom approaching. And when the supernatural begins to rear its bloated, water-logged head, it feels totally unique and natural.
Cold Moon Over Babylon follows the Larkin clan, an impoverished family of berry farmers whose lives have been marked by tragedy after tragedy. After losing their parents to a freak accident when they were children, Ruth and her brother have lived on their own, under the supervision of their increasingly infirm grandmother. The book opens with Ruth being brutalized and murdered by an unseen assailant. The story only grows darker for the Larkins from there. Much of the town of Bablyon appears unfazed by the suffering of these small land-holders. Then the perpetrators began to be menaced by unseen forces. These unseen forces seem intent on dragging the Larkins aggressors into a watery grave.
At times more resembling a tale of gothic horror than the blood and sex-drenched horror that was in vogue in the 70s and 80s, Cold Moon’s true success is in the craft of the tale. McDowell winds the story so tight it almost feels like it’s going to burst. The tension emulates the condition of the characters, always on the brink of completely breaking, either under the stress of generational poverty or the stress of insanity. Babylon is a town where the past weighs on the residents.
Its a magnificently told story. The characters feel so well realized, you find yourself loving and hating them as if they were characters in your own life. You despise the sheriff for his almost willful naiveté. You hate the cynical lawyer who assists in the Larkin’s downfall, and who consciously isolates himself from it in order to spare his own soul. The Larkins themselves are more than deserving of pity, even though it is only the grandmother who is smart enough to see their doom approaching. And when the supernatural begins to rear its bloated, water-logged head, it feels totally unique and natural.
dreamscape's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
dangerousaudino's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Rape
zeecorster's review against another edition
4.0
Michael McDowell is so sorely underrated. This is a perfectly wicked little small-town story of revenge from beyond the grave that should be mentioned in the same breaths as any of Stephen King's similar works. Granted, I'm a particular sucker for stories about evil in a small town—especially if they have a nice Southern Gothic bent to them—but the point stands: Kudos to Valancourt Books for bringing this spooky tale back into print.
floralvarezr's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
It was well written, good pace, vivid setting, but it wasn't scary to me. Mainly very frustrating. It read more like a thriller than a horror.