A review by joshgauthier
Come to Dust by Bracken MacLeod
4.0
It has taken me way too long to pick up a book from Bracken MacLeod. With a premise that sells itself from page one, MacLeod has written a gripping horror novel that is, at its core, a story of family. In a world shaken to its core by seemingly supernatural change that may be either a blessing or a curse, fear, fanaticism, and conflict blossom in frightening ways. Amidst that, Come to Dust follows a small group of people pushed to their breaking points as they try to find a way to protect themselves and those they love in a world determined to tear them apart.
Come to Dust has plenty in it to shock and horrify. The landscape of the novel is harsh and often uncomfortable, and the people who inhabit that world are often worse. But in MacLeod's hands, the horror is never just for show and the weight of the novel always stands in service of story. It's a novel that looks into the face of some complex issues, asks some hard questions, and doesn't look to sooth the audience with trite answers. It is a novel that knows the world, family, love, can be challenging to hold onto and recognizes that best intentions may not always be enough. But it also is not a story of despair. At it's core, Come to Dust shows family--born and chosen--determined to do the best they can no matter what. And it is in these moments that MacLeod's skill as a writer is clear. As striking and effective as the novel's moments of horror are, it is the moments of beauty, of light, and of humanity revealed that make for some of the most touching passages of the novel.
There are lines written all throughout this book that ask you to stop and think, that cause you to linger, that do the thing which gives good literature its power--they reach across time and distance and speak something quietly beautiful that is larger than any one life, or any one experience. Come to Dust is a striking and effective horror novel, but in the midst of the horror, it is a book that never loses sight of the things that bind us together. It gives language to grief and sees a way through to the other side, even when the things that caused us pain may remain.
Come to Dust has plenty in it to shock and horrify. The landscape of the novel is harsh and often uncomfortable, and the people who inhabit that world are often worse. But in MacLeod's hands, the horror is never just for show and the weight of the novel always stands in service of story. It's a novel that looks into the face of some complex issues, asks some hard questions, and doesn't look to sooth the audience with trite answers. It is a novel that knows the world, family, love, can be challenging to hold onto and recognizes that best intentions may not always be enough. But it also is not a story of despair. At it's core, Come to Dust shows family--born and chosen--determined to do the best they can no matter what. And it is in these moments that MacLeod's skill as a writer is clear. As striking and effective as the novel's moments of horror are, it is the moments of beauty, of light, and of humanity revealed that make for some of the most touching passages of the novel.
There are lines written all throughout this book that ask you to stop and think, that cause you to linger, that do the thing which gives good literature its power--they reach across time and distance and speak something quietly beautiful that is larger than any one life, or any one experience. Come to Dust is a striking and effective horror novel, but in the midst of the horror, it is a book that never loses sight of the things that bind us together. It gives language to grief and sees a way through to the other side, even when the things that caused us pain may remain.