I usually really enjoy this author, but this set of interconnected stories didn't end up appealing to me.

Review has been sent to Scream magazine.
Full review will be copied once it has appeared in the magazine but suffice to say, this collection of novellas from Malerman is fantastic.
A must-read for sure.

Goblin by Josh Malerman is such a great read! There are 6 stories, all taking place in a small, eccentric town called Goblin. Goblin is a town with unusual people and it always rains. I really enjoyed all of the stories. They all had such an ominous, dark feel to them. Malerman has created such a unique and creepy cast of characters and a weird town. I don’t want to say too much about the different stories because you can read that in the description of the book. Definitely do not miss this book if you are a fan of horror or mystery. I will not ever forget the stories in this book. In fact I find myself thinking about them at least once a day. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I have to say I was very disappointed in this collection as a huge Malerman fan. I enjoyed the first two stories but everything after that was a big miss for me. It was very light on the horror.

A book told in 6 novellas of Goblin, a strange small town.

1. A Man in Slices - 3 Stars
Goes to show you how far people will go for friendship & love.

2. Kamp - 4 Stars
Paranoia gets the best of us. Hearing a noise in the nighttime when you are by yourself is quite an experience. Having the thoughts racing through your head, from simple explanations to far out explanations and pure terror. I felt for Mr. Kamp.

3. Happy Birthday, Hunter! - 3 Stars
This reminded me a lot of the Moby Dick obsession story wanting something you know you can't have and will stop at nothing to get it. This is also the only story of the 6 that even referenced the introduction.

4. Presto - 4 Stars
How could I resist a good story with dark magic?! A good reminder if it's to good to be true, it usually is ....

5. A Mix-Up at the Zoo - 3 Stars
I couldn't behind this one as much. Just an overworked stressed man ... I guess that is horrifying.

6. The Hedges - 3 Stars
Wasn't to impressed with the maze reveal but I did appreciate that the story brought to life the cover of the book itself which is one of my favorites!

I think the best part of this book is the introduction and the epilogue. The introduction really pulled you in and I was wanting more of that storyline, maybe felt a little mislead when I realized the stories were more about how strange Goblin was rather than the mysterious box. But that's Goblin for ya, nothing is what it seems ...

I received this as an ARC but I have since picked up a physical copy for my Malerman collection. Thank you to NetGalley & Ballantine/Del Rey for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting collection of dark and eerie stories. It was well written and suspenseful.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Goblin filled the need for a scary, rainy day read. Made up of six short stories, which all take place in the town of Goblin. Sadly some stories, like in all collections, are better than others. I did enjoy them all though. I need longer versions!! Just when you really start to get into the story it ends.

Engaging and thrilling. I enjoyed the premise and it was incredibly readable. I found myself wanting to turn the pages. Enjoyed!

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books for the ARC of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

First, let me start of out by saying I was very excited for this book. The idea of all six novellas revolving around the mysterious town of Goblin was so intriguing to me. I am sad to say, I was very bored and disappointed. I had a very hard time getting into any of the novellas within the book. Each one left me SO BORED. The six novellas were: A Man in Slices, Kamp, Happy Birthday, Hunter!, Presto, A Mix-Up Zoo, and The Hedges. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot to say about the book, other than I almost didn’t want to finish it. Maybe Josh Malerman just isn’t for me?

This book was the first book I had ever read by this author.

I normally like stories with overlapping plot elements. I thought that's how it would be with this story. However I couldn't find the stories that interesting? Some of them had elements that I thought would suck me in, but in the end, I came out confused or bored.

While I think the author can write, I just don't think the medium/template of how he wrote this book is for me. I have some other books (like Bird Box and its sequel) that I want to try of his before crossing him off my list for good

I love stories like this, even though there are six novellas they all tie into one another. I didn't see the end coming with 'A Man in Slices', I found 'Kamp' eerie, 'Happy Birthday, Hunter!' was an absolute hoot (pun intended, when you read the story you'll understand), 'Presto' was a great look at the loss of innocence, 'A Mix-Up at the Zoo' broke my heart, and 'The Hedges' a beautiful love letter to loss and a perfect ending to a great set of horrifying stories.

Highly recommend!

I liked each of these for different reasons. They had the right amount of creep factor in it without overdoing it. Unlike a lot of others I haven’t read Bird Box (though I did watch the movie) so I wasn’t comparing It to Goblin the whole time. Quick, spooky, summer read!

I was disappointed when none of the stories seemed to connect. They all take place in Goblin, but they don’t come together to tell a story like I had hoped. They were somewhat eerie but none were scary and after Mallerman’s House at the Bottom of the Lake, I had big hopes for this being just as scary, as he had proved he could put a lot of scare in a short amount of pages. Overall, kind of boring and didn’t go anywhere.

I received an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading Goblin by Josh Malerman. The books consists of six connecting stories taking place in a town called Goblin. The stories are creepy and suspenseful. The book is a real page-turner. The characters are also interesting. The town of Goblin is similar to Stephen King's Derry. So, if you are a fan of IT, you will enjoy reading this book.

Being a huge fan of BirdBox and Malorie, I’ve been itching to read more by Author Josh Malerman.

When I saw this new release and requested it from Netgalley, I had my fingers crossed and I was lucky enough to receive the ARC for it!

The cover for Goblin is fantastic! I get creeped out every time I look at it, which is a big plus! The concept of creepy short stories all set in the same town of Goblin was equally cool. I had assumed that we would get scary stories about the town that would allow the reader to really have the town’s image in their head. Strung together, I was also hoping that characters may weave in and out of stories to make more connections throughout.

That wasn’t really how this book worked. It’s separate stories that all take place in the same town but didn’t really connect to each other. Some stories were creepy and some were disturbing. Overall, the book fell a bit flat for me as I think I hyped it up in my head to be something that it wasn’t and probably never intended to be. Chalk that up to my wishful thinking!

If you are looking for a creepy set of short stories, Malerman’s Goblin certainly carries the weight for a spot on your bookshelf.

Thank you to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve been a fan of Malerman for a long time, so I was very excited for this re-release. Goblin is entirely different from Bird Box, Inspection, and Malerman’s other well-known titles, and really shows his massive range as a writer. Goblin contains six inter-connected novellas that share a setting and some characters. As with any story collection, I enjoyed some more than others. But, there were none that I disliked, and I loved the way they all worked together to create a bigger picture. Goblin seems like an experiment in style that really paid off, and I’m excited to see more from Malerman after this.

I was really excited to read this collection of short stories. I have been wanting to read more horror stories. I have to say that sadly this collection was a disappointment to me. I liked the set up and the spooky vibes when I first started reading but it did not last.

I can not remember most of the stories that I read. They were not really scary at all. Also, they did feel kind of unfinished. The start of the book did pick up and finish after all of the other stories had ended. The last story "Hedges" was one I did like. I could picture everything happening as I was reading the story and would have freaked out if I was the little girl. Overall, I just was left sad by this collection of stories.

TW: Murder, animal death, abuse, animal death, language, racism, domestic violence,

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:A MAN IN SLICES: A young man wants to prove to his long-distance girlfriend that they have "legendary love," better than Vincent van Gogh, so he sends her more body parts than just his ear in the mail. KAMP: A man so horrified of encountering a ghost that he sets up a series of "ghost traps" all over his apartment, desperate to catch one before it can sneak up on him. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HUNTER! Big game hunter Neal Nash leaves his own meat-themed birthday bash to go hunting for Goblin's hallowed (and protected) Great Owl. But the North Woods are unkind at night. PRESTO: In the pages of Presto magazine, a young boy reads that his favorite magician, Roman Emperor, is coming to town. Problem is, Pete doesn't know that Emperor's magic is real, and his latest trick involves audience participation... a little boy volunteer. A MIX-UP AT THE ZOO: Dirk Rogers works at both the Goblin Slaughterhouse and the Goblin Zoo, but the workload is really getting to him. Will he be able to separate the two jobs on the night he finally breaks down, or will the slaughterhouse and the zoo overlap in his cracked, dark mind? THE HEDGES: A young girl finally reaches the end of Goblin's biggest tourist attraction, The Hedges. But what she finds there sparks a mad chase between the owner of the Hedges and the Goblin Police, through the streets of the rainy city and into the terrible North Woods.
Release Date: May 18th, 2021
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Pages: 400
Rating: 🎃 🎃 🎃 🎃

What I Liked:
• I love anthologies
• How the stories were tied together was interesting and didn't beat it over your head.

What I Didn't Like:
• 448 uses of the word Goblin or Goblin-like. After a while it is annoying reading the word.
•Each story felt so long and drawn out.

Overall Thoughts: Upon starting this book I just knew it needed some creepy fun music to set the mood. Something that highlight the weirdness as well as the scary parts. I put on the soundtrack for Southbound. In certain way it reminded me as though I was listening to Welcome to Nightvale. The book has The North Woods and Nightvale has the Dog Park. Each story reminds you of something else you've read or watched before but not in a bad way. Every story blends together. I just wish more stories had a common link then just taking place in Goblin. A perfect example if Trick R Treat. All the stories pass by one character and shows you a story from the others perspective.

Final Thoughts: I enjoyed the short stories and I think the book is definitely worth getting. Plus that cover... Wow.

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*A Man in Slices - I loved this story. It was so good and creepy. The ending surprised me. 5 stars.

*Kamp - This one seemed to drag in for me. It started out promising but man did I struggle to get through it. He rambles on and it makes it feel so long. I loved the tie in moment here he sees Richard and Charles' car idling under his window in the rain. The ending wasn't good and came off a bit confusing. 3 stars.

*Happy Birthday, Hunter - I thought this story was an interesting one. I love the idea of woods that are haunted and evil that you can't go into them. Reminds me of Welcome to Nightvale where they have the haunted dog park. I hated the ending though. His wife killed the first owl but she doesn't even explain how she did it or anything. Nash had to figure out that the owls are attracted to the red coat but how did she snag one? Plus not once is it mentioned that she hunts too or even knows how to.

*Presto - I expected more from this story as it started out so good. I think the connection between the stories wasn't good. Also the ending left me wanting more. I felt it was luck luster.

*A Mix up at the Zoo - This story took so many twists and turns and then came out of a weird hole straight out of Alice and Wonderland. I would say I disliked the first half of the story and then it grew on me. I just wish it didn't end on such a heart breaking and sad note.

*The Hedges - I found this one to be my second favorite one. The cocky little girl and the mourning husband. It was sad how much he wanted his wife back. Very Westchester like that he kept building a hedge to keep his wife alive.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book! This was my first time reading a novel from Josh Malerman and I get the hype now.

Goblin is a novel in 6 novellas and each takes you into what happened on a specific day in the town Goblin to different people. I think initially I had expected a story that was trying to scare me with monsters and things-that-go-bump-in-the-night, but what Malerman delivered was much worse.

These stories are all about the human experience, the choices we make, the consequences we must face. When confronted with your own self and choices, will your story be a scary one? My favorite story was definitely Kamp because I felt it was the most human - the one that I can see happen to someone today.

Thank you so much Del Rey Books and NetGalley for my copy of this book.

Overall, I would say this is the best Josh Malerman book I've read. I didn't always agree with something of the plot choices (the animal death and violence in particular), but I did love this narrative style. I thought it was really original and ended up telling a great story. In particular, I loved the history of Goblin that was gradually revealed throughout the six novellas. The mythology was also so fun to follow along with. I had a bit of a concern that there was no way Malerman could pull the novellas together into something cohesive in the final story, but I think that's where he really shined. The final interconnectedness was what brought my rating up from 3 stars to 4. I would gladly read more Goblin stories if there was a follow-up.

**I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!