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thecaptainsquarters's review against another edition
4.0
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this horror fantasy novella eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here are me honest musings . . .
The cover drew me in and three things convinced me to read this book:
1. I love Robert Jackson Bennett as an author;
2. It is a Subterranean Press book and they do great work; and
3. Who doesn't like to read about haunted motels?
This novella tells the story of two brothers who decide to go into business by renovating an old motel in West Texas. Their past was dysfunctional to say the least and they are trying to get a little bit ahead for once by catering to the workers of the fracking industry. However the motel has an unsavory familial past which bleeds into the brothers' present.
This is an atmospheric read where the graphic elements of the story are not the focus and happen off the page and yet the horror is always present. The blending of psychological and paranormal elements is so well done and balanced. For such a short story, it packs an both an emotional and philosophical punch about generational abuse, the effects of trauma, society's reactions to violence, sibling relationships, and class privilege.
The story is unsettling, sad, disturbing, and yet ends on a hopeful note. I feel that this novella highlights the author's skills. It is a book where the subject matter wasn't quite what I was expecting and yet I ended up being fascinated by how it turned out. That ending was so bittersweet.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Subterranean Press!
Side note: This novella reminds me of how much I need to visit his backlog. Arrr!
The cover drew me in and three things convinced me to read this book:
1. I love Robert Jackson Bennett as an author;
2. It is a Subterranean Press book and they do great work; and
3. Who doesn't like to read about haunted motels?
This novella tells the story of two brothers who decide to go into business by renovating an old motel in West Texas. Their past was dysfunctional to say the least and they are trying to get a little bit ahead for once by catering to the workers of the fracking industry. However the motel has an unsavory familial past which bleeds into the brothers' present.
This is an atmospheric read where the graphic elements of the story are not the focus and happen off the page and yet the horror is always present. The blending of psychological and paranormal elements is so well done and balanced. For such a short story, it packs an both an emotional and philosophical punch about generational abuse, the effects of trauma, society's reactions to violence, sibling relationships, and class privilege.
The story is unsettling, sad, disturbing, and yet ends on a hopeful note. I feel that this novella highlights the author's skills. It is a book where the subject matter wasn't quite what I was expecting and yet I ended up being fascinated by how it turned out. That ending was so bittersweet.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Subterranean Press!
Side note: This novella reminds me of how much I need to visit his backlog. Arrr!
beccaconsumesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I came into this novella with high expectations and did not leave disappointed. In the Shadows of Men is an excellent horror story that is both thematically compelling and deeply rooted in the horrors of reality.
At its most basic level, this is the story of two brothers who are attempting to fix up an old motel in the Texas oil flats. As the repairs continue, the brothers encounter increasingly strange phenomena around the motel. It may be a standard horror premise, but this novella holds more than meets the eye.
This is that rare breed of SFF/horror story that delivers both an interesting plot and gripping ideas. The prose is meaningful without being needlessly extravagant; not a word feels out of place.
The events at the center of the story are suspenseful, disturbing, and are concluded very satisfyingly. In a short 120 pages, this story examines the cyclical nature of abuse and the shifting expectations of masculinity (including some of its more destructive components).
Overall I'd recommend this to almost any horror fan!
At its most basic level, this is the story of two brothers who are attempting to fix up an old motel in the Texas oil flats. As the repairs continue, the brothers encounter increasingly strange phenomena around the motel. It may be a standard horror premise, but this novella holds more than meets the eye.
This is that rare breed of SFF/horror story that delivers both an interesting plot and gripping ideas. The prose is meaningful without being needlessly extravagant; not a word feels out of place.
The events at the center of the story are suspenseful, disturbing, and are concluded very satisfyingly. In a short 120 pages, this story examines the cyclical nature of abuse and the shifting expectations of masculinity (including some of its more destructive components).
Overall I'd recommend this to almost any horror fan!
discoverypaper's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
darkskybooks's review against another edition
4.0
I discovered RJB via his fantasy works, but I have been aware of his background in horror. This novella was my first dive into his horror works, and I was impressed.
The basic concept of taking over a run down motel and fixing it up but discovering some secrets is not a new one. The secrets here are interesting and well put together though, creating an excellent sense of unease beneath the normalcy of a hotel renovation. Small towns also lend themselves to these type of secretive horror too.
This doesn't tread anything especially new, but it does take old tropes and execute them well, taking them into a current world environment (the oil boom in onshore Texas). An enjoyable read
The basic concept of taking over a run down motel and fixing it up but discovering some secrets is not a new one. The secrets here are interesting and well put together though, creating an excellent sense of unease beneath the normalcy of a hotel renovation. Small towns also lend themselves to these type of secretive horror too.
This doesn't tread anything especially new, but it does take old tropes and execute them well, taking them into a current world environment (the oil boom in onshore Texas). An enjoyable read
shuffmcpuff's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
a_bookish_habit's review
3.0
Spooky and redemptive, in which the supernatural horror comes from the lingering and hijacking of very real, present, everyday atrocities. I read it in one sprint.
debchan's review
5.0
i usually hate the phrase but here it's incredibly apt, bennett you feminist king. also, only someone from texas could truly capture the essence of it, the desolate aloneness of it, the awful secrets and history of it, the hope for something better, and the resolve to move forward and be better.
shoutout to the woodlands and dfw mentions.
bennett knows how to create an atmosphere, and this one is surely creepy af. the setting actually reminds me so much of In the Path of Falling Objects or just andrew smith's books in general. everything was so unsettling and you know something is wrong from the first page.
choosing the main character's voice as it is, was so genius, too. we don't even know his name. but maybe that doesn't matter. he's a vehicle to impose a sense of familiarity or understanding. maybe we can put ourselves in his shoes. someone who wanted more in life, and has suddenly found that domesticity didn't quite work out, generational rage and toxic masculinity is extremely prevalent, and the awful things that men can do that other men turn a blind eye towards happens everywhere and in every time.
now i'm always wary of male authors handling such topics as these. but bennett did it so carefully. he even manages to discuss "boys will be boys" as that excuse: the perpetrators weren't boys, they were men and they were grown adults with no excuse. he doesn't shy away from the pain of the women nor does he overdo it in its description. it's horror because it's all to familiar. it's horror because it's reflected so clearly in reality. it's horror because it happens all the time and no one finds out about it.
there's a dilemma, too, about generational trauma. is bear the way he is because he grew up in that environment? was it nature or nurture? is our main character spared because he's a better person or simply because he grew up outside of that? can men escape the actions and brutality of their fathers? is that an excuse for the atrocities they commit? there's a scene in the show brooklyn 99 where a drug addict kills a man. and the detective is like "addiction is genetic and i would be sympathetic if you hadn't killed a guy." could i understand how bear grew up and suffered what he did? i could. but i won't excuse his actions or remove the burden of responsibility from him. what he did was awful and there's no excuse for that.
i saw someone say there was no hope or happiness in this book. i think that's completely wrong, especially that last couple of passages. our main character feels himself what feels like a hole within, ripped out. and that violent men begets violent men if left unchecked. what a perfect way to put the setting in texas then, where the dichotomy of people is so apparent. who is going to make sure these young boys grow up without "boys will be boys" excuses? who is going to tell them that talking about their emotions isn't weak or unimportant? how has society failed generations of men and thus every single woman who become nothing more than objects or victims? our main character understands this and comes to realize what he has to do, even if it's in the most heart-breaking way. he knows he has no template or model for who he should be. he knows all the awful things men have done, are doing, and are continuing to do. but he knows he needs to change and he will ask. that's the first step: to ask for help and be willing to learn.
He has no one esle. There is no one else, for those who grew up in the shadows of such men.
shoutout to the woodlands and dfw mentions.
bennett knows how to create an atmosphere, and this one is surely creepy af. the setting actually reminds me so much of In the Path of Falling Objects or just andrew smith's books in general. everything was so unsettling and you know something is wrong from the first page.
choosing the main character's voice as it is, was so genius, too. we don't even know his name. but maybe that doesn't matter. he's a vehicle to impose a sense of familiarity or understanding. maybe we can put ourselves in his shoes. someone who wanted more in life, and has suddenly found that domesticity didn't quite work out, generational rage and toxic masculinity is extremely prevalent, and the awful things that men can do that other men turn a blind eye towards happens everywhere and in every time.
now i'm always wary of male authors handling such topics as these. but bennett did it so carefully. he even manages to discuss "boys will be boys" as that excuse: the perpetrators weren't boys, they were men and they were grown adults with no excuse. he doesn't shy away from the pain of the women nor does he overdo it in its description. it's horror because it's all to familiar. it's horror because it's reflected so clearly in reality. it's horror because it happens all the time and no one finds out about it.
there's a dilemma, too, about generational trauma. is bear the way he is because he grew up in that environment? was it nature or nurture? is our main character spared because he's a better person or simply because he grew up outside of that? can men escape the actions and brutality of their fathers? is that an excuse for the atrocities they commit? there's a scene in the show brooklyn 99 where a drug addict kills a man. and the detective is like "addiction is genetic and i would be sympathetic if you hadn't killed a guy." could i understand how bear grew up and suffered what he did? i could. but i won't excuse his actions or remove the burden of responsibility from him. what he did was awful and there's no excuse for that.
i saw someone say there was no hope or happiness in this book. i think that's completely wrong, especially that last couple of passages. our main character feels himself what feels like a hole within, ripped out. and that violent men begets violent men if left unchecked. what a perfect way to put the setting in texas then, where the dichotomy of people is so apparent. who is going to make sure these young boys grow up without "boys will be boys" excuses? who is going to tell them that talking about their emotions isn't weak or unimportant? how has society failed generations of men and thus every single woman who become nothing more than objects or victims? our main character understands this and comes to realize what he has to do, even if it's in the most heart-breaking way. he knows he has no template or model for who he should be. he knows all the awful things men have done, are doing, and are continuing to do. but he knows he needs to change and he will ask. that's the first step: to ask for help and be willing to learn.
He has no one esle. There is no one else, for those who grew up in the shadows of such men.
willrefuge's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/in-the-shadows-of-men-by-robert-jackson-bennett-review/
In the desolate wastes of West Texas, In the Shadows of Men finds two brothers down on their luck, looking to cash in on the oil boom. To do this they need to renovate the old Moon and Stars Motel, sold to them by a cousin who wanted nothing to do with the place. As the younger Pugh and his brother, Bear wade into the wreck, they find its dusty halls and empty rooms strangely comforting, at least at first. But after a while, little Pugh begins to notice a disquiet about the place. Apparitions haunt his dreams; a looming man in white, young Mexican women, and an almost palpable feeling of lust and desire. Soon these thoughts begin to infect more than just his dreams—and that’s when things get stranger still.
The brothers find a hatch in one of the rooms: a steel door padlocked from the outside. As neither can discern the combination lock, they try to forget about it and move on. But once unearthed, it proves to be a mystery that just won’t die. Especially when the local sheriff comes by, teasing them with information on the history of the place and its owner—their great-uncle—Corbin Pugh.
Their own father was a devil of a man, but supposedly his uncle was something else entirely. What kind of man was Corbin Pugh, and what was the secret he was hiding? And how badly do the brothers want to find the truth, when it means they can never unlearn it?
My first question is what kind of person would think that moving to Texas would solve all their problems?
Well as they’re both from Texas, I guess this point is moot. West Texas is far removed from Houston, which the younger Pugh has just left. The story takes place in a small, lonely town, a suitable setting for just such a ghost story. And while little Pugh isn’t a terrible narrator, he’s not not the best lead, either. In fact, as neither brother is a conversationalist, the story often skips ahead days or weeks at a time, even after unearthing some new piece of the puzzle. While he’s pegged as the less inquisitive of the two, Bear seems to be more interested in solving the puzzle than his brother, who typically finds something curious and then goes and doesn’t think about it until a week later. Who finds a golden puzzle piece only to wait until a week later to see where it might fit?
Though the stoicism of the narrator works against the story, I felt it also prolonged the mystery in a way, which helped the atmosphere surrounding it. There was a greater sense of anticipation, a bigger building of tension. Though while the build was more enjoyable, I would’ve liked it to’ve been longer, or more intricate. Also, the conclusion itself was slightly underwhelming. So, yes, it hurt in some ways, but helped in others. All in all, the story evened out. Definitely a good read—though it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression.
On an unrelated note: I really hate when we don’t learn the narrator’s name. We learn his brother’s name, his uncle’s, his wife’s and daughter’s—but not his own. Annoying. And harder to write a completely coherent review.
TL;DR
In the Shadows of Men was an entertaining enough read, considering a sped through it in less than a day. It’s the mystery, if nothing else, that drove me through it, as neither the story nor the premise are particularly original or interesting enough to carry all the weight. But a dark tale, full of supernatural elements, a mystery that needs solving, and a man whose life is in desperate need of an escape—all combine to make this an enjoyable (at least in some ways) horror-thriller. It’s a good read, just don’t expect it to leave much of a lasting impression.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/in-the-shadows-of-men-by-robert-jackson-bennett-review/
In the desolate wastes of West Texas, In the Shadows of Men finds two brothers down on their luck, looking to cash in on the oil boom. To do this they need to renovate the old Moon and Stars Motel, sold to them by a cousin who wanted nothing to do with the place. As the younger Pugh and his brother, Bear wade into the wreck, they find its dusty halls and empty rooms strangely comforting, at least at first. But after a while, little Pugh begins to notice a disquiet about the place. Apparitions haunt his dreams; a looming man in white, young Mexican women, and an almost palpable feeling of lust and desire. Soon these thoughts begin to infect more than just his dreams—and that’s when things get stranger still.
The brothers find a hatch in one of the rooms: a steel door padlocked from the outside. As neither can discern the combination lock, they try to forget about it and move on. But once unearthed, it proves to be a mystery that just won’t die. Especially when the local sheriff comes by, teasing them with information on the history of the place and its owner—their great-uncle—Corbin Pugh.
Their own father was a devil of a man, but supposedly his uncle was something else entirely. What kind of man was Corbin Pugh, and what was the secret he was hiding? And how badly do the brothers want to find the truth, when it means they can never unlearn it?
My first question is what kind of person would think that moving to Texas would solve all their problems?
Well as they’re both from Texas, I guess this point is moot. West Texas is far removed from Houston, which the younger Pugh has just left. The story takes place in a small, lonely town, a suitable setting for just such a ghost story. And while little Pugh isn’t a terrible narrator, he’s not not the best lead, either. In fact, as neither brother is a conversationalist, the story often skips ahead days or weeks at a time, even after unearthing some new piece of the puzzle. While he’s pegged as the less inquisitive of the two, Bear seems to be more interested in solving the puzzle than his brother, who typically finds something curious and then goes and doesn’t think about it until a week later. Who finds a golden puzzle piece only to wait until a week later to see where it might fit?
Though the stoicism of the narrator works against the story, I felt it also prolonged the mystery in a way, which helped the atmosphere surrounding it. There was a greater sense of anticipation, a bigger building of tension. Though while the build was more enjoyable, I would’ve liked it to’ve been longer, or more intricate. Also, the conclusion itself was slightly underwhelming. So, yes, it hurt in some ways, but helped in others. All in all, the story evened out. Definitely a good read—though it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression.
On an unrelated note: I really hate when we don’t learn the narrator’s name. We learn his brother’s name, his uncle’s, his wife’s and daughter’s—but not his own. Annoying. And harder to write a completely coherent review.
TL;DR
In the Shadows of Men was an entertaining enough read, considering a sped through it in less than a day. It’s the mystery, if nothing else, that drove me through it, as neither the story nor the premise are particularly original or interesting enough to carry all the weight. But a dark tale, full of supernatural elements, a mystery that needs solving, and a man whose life is in desperate need of an escape—all combine to make this an enjoyable (at least in some ways) horror-thriller. It’s a good read, just don’t expect it to leave much of a lasting impression.
sausome's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a beautifully dark and horrific tale. It felt like returning to Bennett's earlier "Troupe" novel, which I loved. Dark, gritty, violent, but some earnest and true grappling with core elements of good and evil. There is a supernatural element of a place legitimately haunted by evil, and it was a slow and terrifying creep of a read.
What makes a man; how does he grow to fill his own life when his father and his father's father took it away through violence and anger? Is he doomed to repeat atrocities of his forebears, or can he hope to find a small bit of light through the cracks in his tumbled down life? These are the true issues of this story, though it is told through truly creepy, terrifying means. Descriptions of sexual violence are found in the book, but how Bennett ultimately treats this topic is with the weight it deserves.
This book was haunting, scary, and dark, and that Robert Jackson Bennett wrote so beautifully of such horrors is a testament to his true talent as an author. His descriptions evoke a desolate, gritty, dirt-filled place, full of men desperate to make it in this life. It feels like a place on the outer edges of society, wreaking of desperation, where little is monitored, and bars are filled with rough, grime-covered day laborers who always end up in a brawl.
If you have enjoyed his canon, from "Mr. Shivers" and "The Troupe" to "American Elsewhere" and his growing fantasy works, such as the "Divine Cities" and "Foundryside" series, you are sure to appreciate this dark, powerful work.
What makes a man; how does he grow to fill his own life when his father and his father's father took it away through violence and anger? Is he doomed to repeat atrocities of his forebears, or can he hope to find a small bit of light through the cracks in his tumbled down life? These are the true issues of this story, though it is told through truly creepy, terrifying means. Descriptions of sexual violence are found in the book, but how Bennett ultimately treats this topic is with the weight it deserves.
This book was haunting, scary, and dark, and that Robert Jackson Bennett wrote so beautifully of such horrors is a testament to his true talent as an author. His descriptions evoke a desolate, gritty, dirt-filled place, full of men desperate to make it in this life. It feels like a place on the outer edges of society, wreaking of desperation, where little is monitored, and bars are filled with rough, grime-covered day laborers who always end up in a brawl.
If you have enjoyed his canon, from "Mr. Shivers" and "The Troupe" to "American Elsewhere" and his growing fantasy works, such as the "Divine Cities" and "Foundryside" series, you are sure to appreciate this dark, powerful work.