keegan_leech's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was so good. Right off the top, if you like weird horror and experimental, boundary-pushing fiction then you should just go read this right now. I guarantee that Crom Cruach can offer you something unusual, thought-provoking, and worthwhile. But I've already read this twice, and I've had a lot of time to think about it since, so here comes a longer review.
---
This novella reads very quickly. It's short to begin with, and the verse form makes it fly past. Not only are there fewer words on a page than there might be if it were written in prose, but I found the flow of the prose really pulled me along. The writing is fluid and engrossing. The result being that Crom Cruach can essentially be read in a single setting—for maximum thrilling effect I recommend reading it overnight in the dark. Even if you don't read it in one go though, the novella's divided into three parts (as well as a short interlude) which offer nice natural breaks.
The verse form also makes for a very affecting tone. Throughout, the writing is evocative and portentous, and complements the horror of the story well. Like many of the best horror stories, Crom Cruach blends supernatural horror with the everyday horrors of (in this case) colonialism, bigotry, religious persecution, fascism, and more. Prose can have a tendency to make the metaphorical renderings of these real social horrors seem especially clumsy. There's a tendency to draw connections too explicitly, resulting in the novel equivalent of a movie monster that is very obviously a person in a rubber suit. Not necessarily a terrible thing, but sometimes a little damaging to the overall experience. Verse, however, excels where metaphor is involved. The structure of the novella makes it feel absolutely uncomfortably natural that could be stalking the night together, bringing violence and persecution, death and undeath. If anything, this tone sells the themes of the novella better than anything else. It might be easy to trivialise atrocities like colonialism and religious persecution by lining them up them alongside hauntings and the living dead, but Loughcrewe wields metaphor well. The ultimate effect is a strengthening of the novella's themes, and a more powerful impact to its most important moments.
I won't post any details, even behind a spoiler warning—just go read it, it's very short—but the final scene of the novella is especially powerful. Moving, tense, unpleasant, cathartic, the kind of thing that makes you want to jump up and yell and shout at the sky and shake the world by the shoulders! A real triumph of horror writing.
Lastly, while it's not necessary for an enjoyment of or understanding of (much of) the story, I'd recommend pairing Crom Cruach with some general reading. The Crom Cruach Wikipedia page[^1] is some convenient background if you've never heard of the deity before, but I found a study linked there called "The Plain of Blood"[^2] to be especially interesting reading and a lot more in-depth background. I read these, and several other articles on the history of Ireland and the various religious figures mentioned, in-between my two reads of Crom Cruach. As someone without much more than a surface-level understanding of the history here, it really enriched my second read through.
---
This novella reads very quickly. It's short to begin with, and the verse form makes it fly past. Not only are there fewer words on a page than there might be if it were written in prose, but I found the flow of the prose really pulled me along. The writing is fluid and engrossing. The result being that Crom Cruach can essentially be read in a single setting—for maximum thrilling effect I recommend reading it overnight in the dark. Even if you don't read it in one go though, the novella's divided into three parts (as well as a short interlude) which offer nice natural breaks.
The verse form also makes for a very affecting tone. Throughout, the writing is evocative and portentous, and complements the horror of the story well. Like many of the best horror stories, Crom Cruach blends supernatural horror with the everyday horrors of (in this case) colonialism, bigotry, religious persecution, fascism, and more. Prose can have a tendency to make the metaphorical renderings of these real social horrors seem especially clumsy. There's a tendency to draw connections too explicitly, resulting in the novel equivalent of a movie monster that is very obviously a person in a rubber suit. Not necessarily a terrible thing, but sometimes a little damaging to the overall experience. Verse, however, excels where metaphor is involved. The structure of the novella makes it feel absolutely uncomfortably natural that
Spoiler
neo-nazi cults and avenging archangelsI won't post any details, even behind a spoiler warning—just go read it, it's very short—but the final scene of the novella is especially powerful. Moving, tense, unpleasant, cathartic, the kind of thing that makes you want to jump up and yell and shout at the sky and shake the world by the shoulders! A real triumph of horror writing.
Lastly, while it's not necessary for an enjoyment of or understanding of (much of) the story, I'd recommend pairing Crom Cruach with some general reading. The Crom Cruach Wikipedia page[^1] is some convenient background if you've never heard of the deity before, but I found a study linked there called "The Plain of Blood"[^2] to be especially interesting reading and a lot more in-depth background. I read these, and several other articles on the history of Ireland and the various religious figures mentioned, in-between my two reads of Crom Cruach. As someone without much more than a surface-level understanding of the history here, it really enriched my second read through.
Now go out and read this book!
[^1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crom_Cruach
[^2]: http://www.templeport.ie/magh-slecht-dara-fort/plain-of-blood.pdf
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Violence, Body horror, Hate crime, Torture, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Transphobia, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child death, Colonisation, Car accident, and Vomit
It's pretty graphic horror.ab_yards's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Imagine a Dario Argento plot mixed with black metal, which is the closest I can get to relaying what this book is above. A religious/folk/conspiracy/political horror novella with wonderful art that helps build the world of the narrative.
caracabe's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A gripping story generally well-told. The documents collaged in between sections are effective in establishing background and atmosphere. Some superfluous commas. The occasional cliche, which poetry can’t absorb as easily as prose. Worth your time.
scrow1022's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating work, situated in a future post-civil war Ireland, a clash of paganism, conservative Christianity, atheism, and present/past forms of state. Cannot say I ever completely understood what was going on, but it was compelling and a welcome change of perspective.
hotj1llypepper's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
monsterofidaho's review
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I can't tell if it was me or the book but I had a hard time getting through about the first third of the book. However, things immediately start running full tilt right after that. Crom Cruach is written in verse, theoretically, but it doesn't really feel like it needs to be -- except there are a couple of cases where Loughcrewe does actually play with form and you realize how powerful verse makes this story. And for sure, calling Crom Cruach a 'distinctly Irish anxiety piece' sums it up pretty well. Crom Cruach is so much more about people and the divisions created in a country that has been systematically oppressed from the start. The last third of the story is where it really gets good and the very last line at the end keeps rattling around my brain.
Spoiler
While it turns out that there really are supernatural forces at play,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, and Murder
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Torture
pbanditp's review
5.0
Have you ever read a story that just felt special? That made your heart cheer, saying “YES!! This is art! This is taking story telling to a new level.” Plus you are a horror lover and it has gore, death, and religion. Crom Cruach is a pagan god of pre-Christian times in Ireland in case you were wondering. There were human sacrifices made in his honor.
CROM CRUACH is written in verse. It is lyrical, it is poetic, it is also gruesome, humorous and exciting.
“…about to burst in and see
the eyeless body of a murder victim
flop down onto the couch,
spilling shreddies everywhere,
and fumble for the remote control
like he was never even killed.”
Don’t worry that it might be Shakespearean and difficult to comprehend. It’s not. There were stanzas that I reread, but that is because I wanted to. It was beautiful and it was shocking. For me, this was a new reading experience and I welcome more surprises like this into my life.
“Man, are you kidding me?
We’re not fucking necromancers,
Well…we are, technically, but—
Like—
This shit doesn’t happen.”
CROM CRUACH is written in verse. It is lyrical, it is poetic, it is also gruesome, humorous and exciting.
“…about to burst in and see
the eyeless body of a murder victim
flop down onto the couch,
spilling shreddies everywhere,
and fumble for the remote control
like he was never even killed.”
Don’t worry that it might be Shakespearean and difficult to comprehend. It’s not. There were stanzas that I reread, but that is because I wanted to. It was beautiful and it was shocking. For me, this was a new reading experience and I welcome more surprises like this into my life.
“Man, are you kidding me?
We’re not fucking necromancers,
Well…we are, technically, but—
Like—
This shit doesn’t happen.”
joreadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Read an eARC from the publisher
Trigger warnings: body horror, gore, blood, murder, homophobia, racism, transphobia, anti-traveller racism, animal death, Nazis, arson, vomit
Trigger warnings: body horror, gore, blood, murder, homophobia, racism, transphobia, anti-traveller racism, animal death, Nazis, arson, vomit
A family is found murdered in their homes, but their bodies haven’t quite got the memo. Churches have been burned and locals are quick to accuse others of heinous crimes. Or commit them themselves. Is it a product of something folkloric or something disturbingly human?
With sharp lines, feverish and gross imagery, this horror novella feels like a nightmare with a deeply human cast.
The pacing of this novel-in-verse is absolutely feverish. Things escalate and quickly. It’s dark and gritty, but in a way that feels organic to the violence and hysteria that informed Satanic Panic. People are dead and those who remain are quick to accuse neighbors, especially those who don’t fit whatever supposed norm reigns in their village. It’s so darkly human.
The imagery as stated above is nasty, and the dialogue gets right to the point. The verses found here are so to the point, it makes it impossible to look away. The doubt that flourishes among every cast member drags the reader along by the throat. I fell into Crom Cruach and came out it feeling like I’ve just experienced a sordid dream.
What also fascinates me is how quickly and effectively Loughcrewe gets at the uncomfortably quotidian reasons people join cults and deftly depicts how quickly things can go to shit. One moment there’s a community, next it’s mass murder and keeping a corpse alive. The approach to folklore and meddling with the supernatural beyond everyday understanding works impeccably here as well, adding to the discomfort as much as the nastiness depicted.
Definitely strange, absolutely a wild ride mired in folklore and paranoia.
More...