I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. I normally love this kind of "weirdness" but this time around it didn't make any sense and didn't keep me intrigued. I found myself trying to race through the stories just to finish the book. The thought of picking this back up made me miserable which is why it took me ages to actually get through it. I just wasn't the right reader for Goblin unfortunately. I will continue to pick up other books by the author.

The idea of seven short stories set in the same town is so great! However some of the stories were just boring. The cover art is amazing though and definitely made me want to read it.

Did not finish. I could not connect with Goblin by Josh Malerman. I will not be reading/finishing this one. Thank you, netgalley and publisher for the early copy!

I didn’t realize that this would be more of a group of stories rather than one fluid novel, so I think that’s important to know before going into this one. The stories were interesting, but wish they’d had even more connection with one another. I’ll still read anything Malerman writes!

This was the best Malerman I've read--more horror and less existential mess. I'll probably pick up new Malermans in the future, but not an autobuy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is an anthology of short stories based around a town called Goblin. I found the beginning to be really interesting and creepy. After the prologue, the stories get weirder and a little bit hard to get through. I wasn't as engaged in the stories and by the end I was really bored. It took a lot for me to push through and I wanted to DNF it many times. I don't know if it's just the author's writing style or this book itself, but something about it wasn't jiving with me.

Although I can see how people would love this but it just was a little disappointing for me.

2/5

There's no doubt that Josh Malerman is a talented storyteller and Goblin is another great example of that. Consisting of short stories woven together with a link to the town of Goblin. Some of the stores worked for me and some didn't but that's true of any collection. It was an interesting premise having them all linked and Goblin is certainly a creepy little town. I enjoyed the read, though I still love A House At The Bottom of A Lake most out of all his writings.

Josh Malerman has the delightful habit of taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. He can make the mundane creepy (I'm never not going to be *terrified* of pigs after PEARL), the unusual harrowing, and he does it all through characters that are consistently relatable and authentic. Now, who wants to visit Goblin?

Another great read from Mr. Malerman, I always enjoy his horror novels and was glad I was able to read this book. It had what I've come to expect from Mr. Malerman and I had a great time reading this.

This is one of those short story books that took me by surprise. I started reading the prologue and was like "wait, what? you're just going to leave me hanging like that?!" It was a little bit of an abrupt ending and just started right into the other spooky tales of this town called Goblin. But we'll come back to that...

I definitely liked some stories more than others ( think that is like any short story collection right?) - but what I really loved - which I thought was really unique - is how you would read on to the next and gain a little bit more with each story that tied them together. And every single one was a total creep-fest atmosphere and you felt as if you were actually sitting in the North Woods in Goblin, in the dark, reading with a flashlight - and totally chilled to the both with every tale.

The culminating story 'The Hedges' (the story depicted on the cover) was my absolute favorite. Maybe because I had lived this whole life and met so many of the Goblin residents that it felt like a culmination of sorts? But either way it was so fun and clever and I really enjoyed it!

And back to the abruptly ended prologue... I got my epilogue and my creepy spooky heart was satisfied and very sad to see the town of Goblin go. I think a full length book of this town and it's residents would be so amazing!

The novellas start innocently but continues on into a story or ending that I did not expect.The novellas are creepy, surprising and definitely horror. The one thing that connects them is the rain in the town of Goblin. Maybe it’s all that rain Goblin gets —. It gets more than the towns around it. Goblin also has secrets you would never expect. One of the best filled suspenseful horror books I have read. Horror fans will love it!

I was very excited to dig into a "new to me" Malerman book. I loved Bird Box and Malorie. I think, perhaps, I am more suited for his novels, because it was hard for me to connect with most of the stories here. I dug the first one and then was hard pressed to find another I really enjoyed. My "official" rating is 2.5 but rounded up to 3. I know others have enjoyed this book, but it missed for me.

I had a hard time reading this one--not because it wasn't wonderfully written, and not because it wasn't incredibly creepy (it is) but because the imagery and the stories stuck with me for a long time afterward. I was genuinely disturbed by some of the stories in this one, and I'm a huge fan of horror fiction in general. Enter at your own risk, but if you're into scary stories, this might be right up your alley.

Creepy, fun, atmospheric. I like how all these stories put you directly into this town. Would love to see some of these stories expanded upon. Highly recommended for October especially.

Creepy town policemen. Graveyards where all the clients are buried standing up. Rain nearly all day every day. This is the town of Goblin and why anyone would want to live there is beyond me.

Goblin, by Josh Malerman, is the story of, or rather six stories, of the town of Goblin. I loved the premise of this book! Six novellas-- six stand alone stories-- weaving together to tell the overarching tale of the town of Goblin.

A town like no other, with a past like no other Goblin has a particular history with rich characters that comes to light throughout each novella. They bring the past into the present and place the two on inevitable collision course. Each story is a unique piece of the puzzle getting a little more complex and steeping the reader in the convoluted history of this questionable little town.

My favorite story was *Happy Birthday, Hunter!* A story about obsession, a famed big game hunter is celebrating his 60th birthday. This man wants nothing more for his birthday than to bag the mythical creature of Goblins dark forest the Great Owl, a veritable legend. What won't our hunter do to capture the beast? The story keeps the reader on edge the entire time.

My least favourite story was *Mix-Up at the Zoo*. This is the story of a simple man who works two jobs including one at the zoo, and has an odd connection with the creatures he takes care of. The story dives into realms of darkness as the man decides to quit one of his jobs. He soon starts having dreams that are quite disturbing and leads to a giant mistake. Overall the idea was good, but I felt like it got a little muddy during the dream states. These were the only time I felt myself wishing the story would simply move on.

This, however, is a rare moment in what is otherwise an excellent book.

Josh Malerman is a marvellous story teller. His imagery and ability to keep the reader fascinated are wonderful. Goblin feels almost mystical or magical, but also fantastically dark and sinister. The reader is hooked from the beginning and easily wants to keep reading-- this book was hard to put down.

My only other knock on the book is that I wish it would have been longer. Seriously. This seemed like a tale that could have been developed into a brick, a la Stephen King, and the reader would have been perfectly happy to continue learning about this strange little town.

I give it 4.5 stars.

This was such an interesting read for me. On one hand I was a bit underwhelmed at the conclusion of each novella but on the second hand I absolutely could not put this book down.

This book is set in the creepy town of Goblin and each novella is focused on a different character’s story while being woven into the overarching plot. Each novella has a different creep factor set into the story and some made sense while others just left you shaking your head a bit.

I found it interesting that Josh Malerman wrote this book back in 2017 and it was picked up for a re-release in 2021. Makes me wonder if a second book will be coming out in the near future? I can only hope so as you better believe I will be picking it up.

Big thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book!

I've read quite a few of Josh Malerman's books, and he is one of those authors that is hit or miss for me. Goblin is one of those books I'm just not sure how to review because I'm not sure how I feel about it as a whole. Goblin is a small town where appearances can be deceiving. Told in the form of different novellas, Malerman shares the various secrets going on behind closed doors all over town. I liked the majority of the novellas, but had to skip one because I just could not get into it and was thinking about not finishing the book as a whole. The very last novella, The Hedges, saved the book for me because it shows just how thin the ties holding Goblin together truly are. Even though Malerman is a hit or miss author for me (more hit than miss) I will continue picking up his work each time it comes across my radar.

Josh Malerman is capable of making anything creepy….even downright terrifying. Goblin and the things that lurk within its city limits are no exceptions. Skillful in creating different storylines, with separate characters, that all come together in one wonderfully dreadful story.

This is the first collection from Josh Malerman that bills itself as "a novel in six novellas." A novel? That's a stretch. Yes, Goblin is bookended with a story and the six novellas are all set in this very creepy fictional Michigan town. Aside from location, though, the only word I can think of to link these tales is "rainswept." It seems like it's always raining in Goblin. Take that, Seattle!

The stories themselves are pretty good and a few are excellent. They've got a Tales From the Crypt feel to them, though what they boast in setup, they tend to lack in follow-through. Not all, but some.

Three stories are worth the price of the book:
"A Man in Slices" is about the lengths a man will go to prove his love for his girlfriend.
In "Kamp," a man tears down his apartment to set traps for ghosts.
The best story, "Presto" is about a magician who mesmerizes with real magical powers. You don't want to know his secrets.

I understand why this book has seen mixed reviews. It's not for everybody, but it does provide some creepy entertainment.