Ghost/horror novella about a man who leaves his life (his wife just left with his daughter) to join his brother in remodeling a motel they hope to make profitable because of the shale boom in Texas. A distant relative once owned it, and did very bad things to women (and babies) there, as they slowly discover. If you are ok with a male narrator who isn’t able to articulate why he wants to be better than his father and other male legacies but—despite ghost urgings—really does want that, this could work for you.

Two dysfunctional Pugh brothers lives collide over the possibility of finally achieving a modicum of success. "Bear" Pugh, the older struggles with addiction ... the younger Pugh is incomplete... he finds himself with a job, home and even a wife and young child ... none of which he can seem to love and care for. He jumps at a chance for success and possibly wealth when summoned by "Bear" with a scheme to renovate an abandoned motel in the small town of Coahora, in the desolate area of west Texas, which appears engulfed in the booming fracking industry. Both are fleeing a traumatic childhood of abuse and neglect.
This novella is nothing like Bennett's previous engrossing fantasies of the Fountryside series .. but, yet he succeeds in spinning a dark tale with intertwined supernatural elements with prose evocative and fluid.
Voices and images emerge as the brothers toil in the dust, grime and heat of west Texas, as the brothers labor to renovate this seedy monstrosity into a presentable place of commerce. The ethereal images are suggestive of past ill deeds ... loathsome and depraved. ... and most likely arising from the perversions of their distant ancestor, Corbin Pugh. We can only see the downward spiral of psychological torture and oncoming possession through the eyes of the younger Pugh ... but can guess at the toll this is taking on both brothers. Spectral raucous parties remain just out of physical awareness ... but are replete with loud music and perverse dialogue.
Bennett successfully explores the psychological ramifications of a childhood trashed with abuse and neglect and the ultimate absence of a blueprint necessary to succeed and prosper in the everyday world.
Thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press ( @SubPress ) for supplying an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Publication Date: August 31, 2020. ( at. readers remains.com )

This is a dark story, no doubt. I was unsure as I began to read, but the writing is perfect and before I knew it, I had read the whole thing. Powerful story includes some references to sexual assault, a few of which might be too much for some. But it is that intentional and not gratuitous, as it is as upsetting to our main character as it will be to the reader.

I was given access to this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. #IntheShadowsofMen #NetGalley. I was interested in this book because I have enjoyed both the Foundryside novel by Robert Jackson Bennett and a short dystopian novel called Vigilance that, in an entertaining way, had important social commentary on the culture of gun violence. This novella was set in west Texas, in an area that is booming from oil fracking. It is about two brothers and the changes that occur as they renovate a motel as part of restarting their lives. Even though I know Bennett’s SciFi/Fantasy work, this feels very much of this world, though there are mystical elements in the vein of Stephen King. I was reminded of Stephen King quite a bit while reading this and trying to come up with the types of fans I would recommend read this novella. It is a short book and quick read that will give you a feeling of creepiness, since it is based in this world.

Without spoiling it, there are secrets that come unlocked that set in motion events that are very disturbing. The fact that I feel the disturbance so strongly speaks to the author’s skill, yet I do feel super sensitive readers may want to be careful here. Nothing is described in graphic detail at least. This book doesn’t have the same abundance of humor as Vigilance but I think it is meant to be more serious, and I think the author means it as another allegory of the split in current in America, explored through the brothers and their ultimate fates. I also could be reading too much into that, given how Vigilance had those themes and I might be making assumptions as to what the author is interested in here.

So, who would I recommend this to? Most obviously, fans of horror/nostalgia mixes who love Stephen King will absolutely dig this novella. Even though the fantastical element isn’t omnipresent here, people who like urban fantasy should also check this out. Given the setting and dark subject matter, I think people who normally would read Cormac McCarthy could give this a try, and hopefully discover a new author to add to their rotation. This was a hard book to rate as I really liked it, yet it was also my least favorite of the RJB books I have read. But it was still really good and I probably will like it even more as I think about it. Giving it 4.5 stars but will rate it as a 4 in the official rankings. Highly recommend.

In The Shadows of Men by Robert Jackson Bennett- This is a deep dark horror novella from the author of the Divine Cities and the Foundryside books. Two brothers, with a tortured past of abuse and shame, buy an old rundown motel once owned by their grand uncle, with the hopes of turning it in to a money-maker during the latest fracking boom in West Texas. But as they begin working to remodel the place, things start to get dark and cloudy. Voices in the night, ghostly white figures stalk the surroundings, and things their uncle left behind point to a stranger deadly purpose for the motel.
Let me say first I don't like horror and I especially don't enjoy ghost stories, but I was intrigued none the less because Robert Jackson Bennett is very good at what he does, and here, he does not disappoint. The narration, from one of the brothers, is full of the psychological trauma that he and his brother go through daily even without the dreary strange goings-on of the motel. Thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

The last time I read from Bennett was in a different genre with a completely different tone and way of presenting ideas. This book is more of a thriller with emphasis on family issues and psychological backgrounds. The characters are presented well, but I found myself thinking they were more puppets than proactive thinkers. I had a hard time with the lives they led and how all of the facets of the story came together right at the end. I definitely enjoyed this shorty story, but it wasn't something I would have read normally.

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!