The Fervor

The Fervor by Alma Katsu is the perfect balance of suspense, supernatural, and historical fiction. Meiko and Aiko Briggs are interned in Minidoka during WWII, while Meiko’s husband, Jamie, fights overseas as a pilot. The story shifts from 1944 to 1927 where we learn a little bit about Meiko’s family history and her father’s atmospheric research. What her father uncovered while working on a remote Japanese island Shikotan will come into play later.

Readers also will meet Archie and Elsie, the preacher and his wife, who were family friends of the Briggs. Something comes between the foursome when the war breaks out. When white motes appear and explosions happen in remote places across the United States, a fervor starts to take hold.

“She looked at the smoldering heap, which still billowed and heaved in the night air, like a breathing creature, tentacled and ashen.” (pg. 35-6)

Working in the background is an intrepid reporter who uncovers a secret balloon in the woods with strange writing. She starts to piece together the fervor taking hold in small, remote towns across America. No one is immune, not even the preacher. Katsu’s interned characters are strong, but they shouldn’t have to be. They are Americans and love their country, and Mr. Briggs is sacrificing himself for freedom.

The Fervor by Alma Katsu is a work of fiction, but she captures the atmosphere of WWII in America and the fervor that caught up so many and led to the interment (read imprisonment) of American citizens. I’ve read a number of books about this period and these camps, but there should be more about this time period taught to students across the country. We need more brave souls to examine our not-so-great history, so that a new/old fervor doesn’t take over and lead to more dark U.S. history.

This isn't my first book by Alma Katsu, and I am a huge fan of her way of writing "historical horror / thrillers" - they're great and always leave me wanting to look more into the actual situation or topic that inspired her to write whatever it is she's writing. This was no exception to the others I've read - I found myself Googling the Japanese demons and creatures mentioned, horrified and interested in equal measures. I love that this inspiration to learn more is always something I associate with Katsu's books.

I will admit that this one was a little light on the actual horror -- there were some stunningly tense and suspenseful moments, and a lot of dread built up throughout, but it didn't really completely nail the terror aspect for me in the way I would have wanted. Still, I really enjoyed it and will absolutely continue reading everything else she writes!

The Fervor was an absolutely perfect blend of history and horror! Alma Katsu's storytelling kept me completely invested from start to finish. This was horrific and a lot of that came from the historical elements and what Japanese Americans went through in the interment camps.

I highly recommend reading this, and I plan to dive into Alma Katsu's backlist as soon as possible. An auto-buy author for me, for sure!

I found this to be very creative how the author took true events from history and wove them with Japanese folklore, resulting in a horror-filled nightmare. This was quite unsettling but I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to see what’s up next for this author.

On the surface, this is a Historical Fiction horror novel with a dash of Japanese folklore thrown in. However, dig a little deeper and you’ll find the true horror lies in the fear and our actions based on these fears. Humans can be both the curse and the cure. The Fervor is a stark reminder that humans are complex creatures capable of unimaginable horrors but also contain the capacity to right wrongs abs do great good.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Alma Katsu can do no wrong in my book! She is the master at writing historical horror. Amazingly fleshed out characters, well researched and creepy as hell! I highly recommend the fervor!