Title: They Stalk the Night

Author: Brian Moreland

Release date: October 10th, 2023

Huge thanks to Netgalley, Flame Tree Press and Brian Moreland for the digital ARC of this one!

Have you read Brian Moreland yet? I feel like he’s a name I don’t see shared enough on social media, nor his books. I’ve read a half dozen of his releases and have found I’ve enjoyed them all and loved a few of them. I was on the fence about grabbing this one, but his novel Tomb of Gods was SOOOOO good, and knowing how much I love cold-weather, folklore, creature features, I simply couldn’t pass this one up and OHHHHH BABY am I glad I snagged this!

What I liked: Fade in… to a small town with a riddled past. Where a demonic beast has been kept at bay through the elders of the village ensuring spells are cast and hungers are fed.

Fast forward… to a company blasting to build a pipeline and KABLOOOOUUUEEEEYYYY!!! The sacred hut and land where the beast lives is blown sky high and with that, carnage is unleashed.

Honestly, I could simply leave it at that and you’re either gonna race to order this or think ‘meh, not for me.’ And that’s fair. But you’d be missing out on so much more.

Moreland LAYERS this novel and I mean layers it. We get a mother of two young kids trying to keep her head up while she deals with a husband who is checking out and his best friend who assaults her. This best friend also happens to be the son of the local sheriff. We get a poaching subplot, a ‘this is our land’ subplot and we get a ‘I’ll do what’s right for me and my own’ subplot. But throughout, the guiding narrative of the book is this massive beast, loosed on the land and filled with nothing but vengeance.

It was a really refreshing take on cold-weather terror and throughout, Moreland has infused the novel with characters that have real depth. Even the ones we hate we get to know, understand and it helps us to root for or against them, especially in the final quarter when all bets are off and chaos consumes everything.

The ending was really well done, tons of action and Moreland wrapped it up in a way that had me completely satisfied. It felt like he spent time actively ensuring all loose ends were tied off, which made for a completely unambiguous ending.

What I didn’t like: There’s a few characters that will really get under your skin in this one, but that works well for the story. What did slightly annoy me was that some of these characters begin to be teased out as having bigger roles, only to either fade away or meet a swift ending.

Why you should buy this: Fans of Moreland will know what to expect. This has all his classic notes he hits – solid creatures, great characters and propulsive writing. For those new to him, this would be a great diving in point, especially if you’re a fan of snowy mayhem.

5/5