It's clear that the author is very familiar with 19th century epistolary novels from the cadence, tone, and pacing of the book, especially the first section -- and I think this is to its benefit as well as to its detriment. The infodumping in the first section, while it felt very authentic to the time period and style, took away from the actual plot and character development. I think an appendix or footnotes would have been a more readable (if more modern) approach. However, once I got into the B and C sections, I got VERY invested in the lore. The monster descriptions were fantastic and terrifying, and the ending really surprised me in a good way. If nothing else, this book has made me interested to learn more about queer acceptance in Tibetan and Mongolian culture in the late 19th-early 20th century, which seems to be implied to exist here.

The Black Hunger was fascinating, interesting, and such a pleasure to read. It read like a modern Gothic classic and I couldn’t put it down. The characters you feel their love and devotion to each other in a beautiful haunted way. I would highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you to the Author, Orbit and Redhook for the Digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

3.5 rounded up (lightly spoilery)

A aching, mournful tale of love and loss that doesn't hesitate to cast an eye towards the nitty grittty vileness of human interactions. Those we love and devote ourselves to are not perfect and in our pursuit of them may turn us just a bit monstrous ourselves.

This novel follows John Sackville, a man preparing to die by writing down the story of his life. He sets out to leave no stone unturned or secret left hidden in the shadows, bringing his past love Garrett and the life they lived into the light. It isn't pretty, it may even be hard to believe but in the world of this novel the fantastical and mundane intermix in the most magestic and macabre manner. Oh and the world may just be ending entirely... so there's that.

This novel doesn't shy away from the bigotry and hate of our pasts anymore than it masks the horrors of colonialism. We are constantly reminded that John is a gay man and has no shame about this fact, something incredibly refreshing in the historical gothic genre, especially one with an eldritch flair. We do not pretend his love and feelings are anything other than what they are.

Fair warning this book doesn't utilize chapters, it breaks the story down into large sections instead. The choice didn't bother me; as this is intended to be a final testament of the soon-to-be deceased in his own words rather than a traditional novel, but some readers may be wary if going in unaware. The middle of the book is a collection of documents following the Jewish Dr. Abravanel as he reconnects with an old flame in Scotland, uncovering a sinister plot revolving around the death of her husband.

These two threads come to a head as the explanation for why John must go on a quest to find a sword and stop an apocalyptic death cult. Yes, that's right, a <i>cannibalistic</i>, apocalyptic death cult that spung off of ancient Buddhism called the Dhaumri Karoti. The premise is a bit unhinged but tied together with so much historical backing that it's not all that difficult to follow along and say "well this might as well happen". I had a similar reaction when reading <i>Dracula</i> for the first time in middle school.

This was a decent enough novel, but I wish we didn't spend almost half of it following other characters. They weren't poorly written by any means, I just didn't like them and it made what was already rather dense text almost unpleasant to get through. I understand that John wouldn't have been privy to most of the information we were given when he read the government files before his quest for a magical sword, but I do think these sections could have been shorter.

My personal enjoyment surely would have increased had less page time been spent following other people, John's pov was so distinctive and a delight to read. I commend the author for trying something unique with the narrative, however I don't think it was quite that successful (at least for me). All-in-all I had a lovely time and fully intend to check out any other horror-related novels this author would like to share with the world in the days to come!

The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen is an intriguing queer gothic horror debut.
I loved reading this amazing story.
A wonderful romance with great adventure.
I couldn’t put this story down once I started. It wrapped its way around me, holding me hostage.

The Black Hunger offers an interesting premise but ultimately falls short in execution. The plot, while promising, feels overly familiar and lacks the depth needed to engage readers fully. Character development is minimal, leaving protagonists feeling one-dimensional and their motivations unclear.

Gothic books how I love you and your work and your commentary... This book oozes decadence and opulence and and it was so brilliant.

I loved this book so much. When I saw "dark, atmospheric, and queer" I was like wow this sounds like something I'd enjoy! And then I started reading and had my mind absolutely blown. I'm looking forward to doing a more comprehensive review closer to release, but for now please know that I loved this!

If you’ve ever read and loved the old horror classics and wanted a new HP Lovecraft, Dracula-esque, or old gothic tale, you’re going to want to check out The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen.

Overview: The Black Hunger opens with our main protagonist, Lord John Sackville (Lord Dalwood), writing his parting words to a world he thinks is doomed. Why? His writings and recounting of his journeys tell us why. This novel is told through his firsthand account of events as well as diary entries and letters of a few other characters that are relevant to this tale. After an ominous opening, John takes us back to his past and we slowly begin to understand how he got to where he is. We learn of John’s childhood and schooling, which led him to serving in the British government in a remote village in India.

However, there are more sinister happenings than just a recount of a young lord’s studies in Eastern languages, history, and religion, particularly Buddhism. During his studies, he comes across a rare mention of “the Black Helmets,” a seemingly eradicated death cult that’s an offshoot of the mainstream Buddhist sects. It’s all very hush-hush, but of course John’s journeys and his academic pursuits (and curiosity) set events in motion and send him head-first on a dangerous collision course with this seemingly extinct sect.

Thoughts: I’ve always loved to read Jane Austen, the Bronte’s, and lots of other older works (a Dickens novel and Thomas Hardy novel made me cry spectacularly back in high school). And I’ve always wanted more books written in that style but featuring perhaps more modern stories and especially featuring queer characters. This novel gave me that.

If you went into this not knowing when it was written, you’d think this was written in the late 1800s with its language, tone, and descriptions. And I’m saying that as a compliment. It’s written extremely well and I’m intrigued and impressed by it. It’s written in that old gothic style but we do get our queer main character (and side love story) as well as a harrowing (and grotesque) horror tale.

The beginning was a little slow for me because of its in-depth descriptions, but once we get to Part 2 the narrative really takes off. We delve deeper into who the death cult is, what it means, and its activities in years past (and how it relates to events underway now). The action really kicks in and doesn’t stop until the very end of the novel. And honestly, from Part 2 onward this novel was extremely hard to put down. I was fascinated and I needed to know what would happen next. We’re introduced to a few more characters in Part 2, and I became incredibly invested in their fate.

Throughout the novel we get horror that’s based on human, religious, and monstrous elements, and everything melds together extremely well. This also reads as an alternate history of sorts. It starts veering into mentions of WWI and Eastern history and warfare (I’m not as well educated as I should be in this, so I found this both interesting and a starting point to go do my own research).

And ultimately, it’s a human story about when we’re faced with hopelessness and the worst parts of humanity.

There were only three downsides (I’m a little wordy with these, but I did really enjoy this novel - I think these are just topics that deserve discussion or my mind has just struggled with while reading):

- I loved the style this was written in. It reads like an old HP Lovecraft tale or like Dracula. But as a result and due to how the author chose to tell the tale, it also contains a lot of descriptions of journeys and landscapes and, especially, Buddhism. There were some pages that I was heavily tempted to skim because the descriptions got to be a little overwhelming. As a bonus, this novel (which is nearly 400 pages) is broken up into only five chapters. There are natural breaks where you can stop, but it got a little tedious in the first part (which was about 100 pages).

However! This didn’t ultimately take away from my enjoyment. I think it’s just a natural side effect of this type of writing and what this novel is trying to do/be. And honestly, after that first section, we transition from our narrator’s personal account to journal entries and letters, and you’re immediately drawn into action that I found very hard to stop reading. Once Part 2 kicks in, I just wanted to read the rest of the novel as fast as I could, I was having such a fun time with it.

- This novel deals with a supposed extinct sect of Buddhism and our narrator is studying Eastern religions, history, and languages. As such, there is a lot (and I mean A LOT) of talk about Buddhism. I don't know the author's background at all, so maybe some of my uncomfortableness is unfounded, but I was a bit uncomfortable because this is a white narrator written by a white author, and I don’t know how authoritative it means to be on Buddhism. But it leaned slightly into “education” territory vs telling a tale of our narrator’s story through his schooling lens/interests. So idk. I was a little uncomfortable, but I don’t know a lot about Buddhism or other matters spoken about to be able to say what was right or wrong or who has what right to go in depth about the topic. But it did make me a little wary. I’d be interested to see what others (especially others who practice Buddhism) thought about it.

- Lastly, as much as I love old literature, there are certain prejudices and language that (as has been a topic of discussion) we question whether such ideas and novels should be part of literary canon or part of a curriculum or how things should be taught. This novel, as much as it mirrors a novel written in the late 1800s, also contains in the prose prejudices and racism and sentiments found in that age as well. Homophobia, racism, antisemitism, and colonization are all either parts of this world or are points of views expressed by various characters. And I think a part of me wanted a book that was written with this style but that erased all the questionable parts of the past (and present, tbh). But this doesn’t. Is that a bad thing? I don’t know. Bad things still exist (and these are framed as bad things in this novel), I think I was just a little disappointed that while this novel legitimately feels like it could have been written in the late 1800s, it also contains those elements. (And was it necessary? Idk. You could argue no.) Overall, I don’t think it delves into dangerous territory, and I think it does contain a critique on these views in the ways it's written, it was just something I wished wasn’t mentioned as much as it was.


Despite these items, however, I really enjoyed this novel, and while they knocked off a star in my rating, I still think this is a great book. This was eerie, atmospheric, unsettling and, in some parts, disturbing, but it was a really fun and compelling read.

Overall: If you want a horror novel that reads like an old Lovecraftian tale, this is one you won’t want to miss. I'll be looking for a hardcopy to buy as part of my personal library, and I can't wait to see what this author writes next.

Read this if you like:
- HP Lovecraft
- Stories written in the style of old gothic tales (e.g., Dracula)
- Death cults
- Epistolary novels
- A dark or somber atmosphere
- Alternate histories

TW: (most of these are listed at the start of the novel, but definitely think 1800s/early 1900s mentality with a lot of these)
- Homophobia
- Antisemitism
- Racism
- References to sexual assault
- Classism
- Colonialism
- Mentions of/references to mental illness
- Physical abuse towards children

Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook/Orbit Books for an eArc!

4.5 stars rounded up

Did the suggestion that Netflix's adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Grey will have Dorian and Basil be brothers to stave off gay subtext fill you with rage? How about the casting of a white man to play Heathcliff in the upcoming Wuthering Heights movie? Did Hannibal make you wish there was more cannibalism in the gothic genre? Just go out and get a copy of this book right now. This is the gothic we've all been waiting for.

Apparently the answer to my question of "how do you do anything new in a gothic story?" is to take your secret societies, your cults, your hidden chambers in crumbling manors, and pull from Vajrayana Buddhism to create a heretical and evil cult that believes the only way to end suffering is to annihilate all sentient life.

The Black Hunger itself is an epistolary, historical, gothic horror-fantasy told in three non-linear parts. We start with John Sacksville, a gay British Earl in the early 1900's, writing more-or-less a memoir of his life and the horrors that lead to the death of his lover. We then move to the diary entries of Dr. Samuel Abravanel, a Jewish lawyer and psychiatrist as he records the harrowing events of September 1876. And lastly, there is a lengthy letter written by Ian T. Stewart, a British general, to his wife revealing what happened to him while he was captured in the 1850's and was kept as a prisoner of war in the house of a Russian count. The stories weave into each other and back out again, giving us new context for what came before.

This whole story was like a breath of air to me. It was everything I could have wanted in a gothic, fresh and interesting with many scenes that chilled me. At times it made me think of a blood soaked and explicitly queer Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel, to the point that I think there will be a large amount of overlap in the Venn diagram of people who love both books.

It's also a period piece that is fully aware of and refuses to overlook the homophobia and antisemitism of the time period, and gnashes its teeth at what the British did to India. All our minority characters face overt and period-typical bigotry for who they are, and this winds up being a major plot point later on. There is a conversation between the antagonist and John about if there's beauty in the world that I think will deeply resonate with my fellow queer readers. It's strange, I've read gothic fiction with queer protagonists like myself before, but this one has touched me in a way that worlds where being gay is as unremarkable as a blue sky have not.

For nitpicks - and this is something only obsessive weirdos like myself would even care about - I do admit that there's some common pitfalls of epistolary writing present. John's part is my favorite because it's written like a memoir, and in memoir it's a convention of the medium that you will have conversations and the like presented as dialogue and not expect it to be complete and full quotes from the people involved. But this is not how diary entries or letters are written, and these parts of the story falter a bit for me. (I do not believe people can recall conversations word-for-word 20 years later!) There's one diary entry in the middle that made me roll my eyes, feeling like a found note in a bad horror game. There's also one important plot element introduced right before our first PoV change that I found to be kind of goofy, and at least one section of exposition that stood out to me as being ham-fisted. But the fact that these barely effected my enjoyment is a testament to how mesmerizing this story is.

I do admit it makes me feel a little uneasy that our antagonists are Buddhists-in-name and feature Russians drinking blood and hunting humans for sport while two of our protagonists are white British men. But there are also many supportive side characters who are Buddhist and Indian and Tibetan and Mongolian, and the books espouses a strong sense of solidarity for all peoples who struggle under the yoke of oppression. Reading the acknowledgements you can feel how much respect Pullen has for Tibet and for Buddhism. But I would be interested to hear some thoughts about this book from people who are actually Buddhist, and it's left me with a longing for gothic fiction set in non-European countries written by people who are actually from there. (A book that makes you want to read more books is certainly a good thing!)

Overall, this is an excellent piece of gothic fiction I have been raving about and suggesting to others long before I turned the final page, and I will unquestionably preorder whatever Pullen publishes next. I thank you wholeheartedly for writing this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for giving me this ARC.

Intense and atmospheric, this novel expertly weaves secret religious sects, underground government agencies, and black magic into a tale that will have you believing the events could have really happened up until the last page. This novel would fit right in with those famous novels of the classics in gothic horror, like Dracula and Frankenstein. With a story that slowly creeps up on you as we explore the lives and experiences of the characters within, this book isn’t one to skip.

I would almost recommend this more to those who like historical fiction and don’t mind when horror elements are added, as opposed to someone expecting to dive into this story and expecting immediately for the horror aspects to kick off. This book is extremely well-researched, and (while I myself have no knowledge of Buddhism or any of the topics discussed in this novel) it felt like it was teaching me along the way, so that when later these things were referenced we (the reader) could still accurately predict the events of the novel without any issues understanding the historical context. However, at no point did I feel like I was simply being “info-dumped” onto, and my attention never wavered even during these sections when nothing was “really” going on at that moment.

Mostly told through letters, confessional, and journal entries, if you were looking for a quick-paced and action packed novel I would suggest looking elsewhere. This book is very slow and does a great deal of meandering throughout - but at no point was I bored. I personally loved the writing format, as well as the in-depth education of the historical worldbuilding, so even during events when nothing explicitly “scary” was happening I was still glued to the page.

I really thought the writing really sold me on the time period this novel takes place, as at no point did I feel like characters were “too modern” and took me out of the book. I feel like I write this too often, but for once I think the blurb is perfect for this book as it almost tells you nothing - which is how much information I think you should go into this story having.

Even though this book dives into black magic and the supernatural, at no point did I feel like something that was happening was too outlandish to actually be occurring. Somehow despite the absolutely out-of-this-world events in this novel, everything still felt realistic and grounded in reality to the point that I was almost believing these things to have actually occurred.

If you were looking for a queer gothic horror that absolutely transports you to the events of this story, and leaves you horrified by our characters’ experiences, I highly recommend this novel.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Redhook Books for a copy of this e-ARC.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. Nothing at all pulled me into the story and it was a struggle the whole way through.

The first part is tedious, long winded, and extremely boring with details of ancient Asian spirituality and customs. It bogs down the book right from the get go.

Then we go into another long winded chapter comprised of journal entries and letters and it’s as if we are reading a completely different book. A different book that is just as long winded and boring.

The entire book is tedious with tiny spurts of interest that then get bogged down by uninteresting and unnecessary details.

The Black Hunger had a really great premise and setting. I feel like John was a character that you could connect with and I was very invested in his relationship with Garrett. I also liked that the horror elements were well set up and developed gradually.
I would say that my biggest critique would be with the pacing of the story. The chapters were very long and in the first section of the book, it really didn’t feel like the plot was moving forward. Mostly we got set up for our characters and setting.
Overall though, I think this novel will appeal to readers who like gothic fiction and who really enjoy a well set up narrative.

I was expecting more foreboding, more horror, and more of the “secret lover” - but instead John Sackville is a self-important wealthy Englishman who totally disregards everyone and whose “great love” is his servant who says (supposedly ironically??) “yes sir,” “no sir”, and “I want to be wherever you are sir” and literally nothing else?

And it’s told in these looong never ending paragraphs from John’s own perspective that give us absolutely nothing of interest to latch on to and no breaks (because this 400 page book has only 5 chapters). The timeline is muddy as John skips around a bit in the telling - still without giving us anything interesting to look forward to.

I will admit, I didn’t make it far, but with the first 10% being this much of a slog I genuinely don’t think I’m missing much.

I had been looking forward to this one and unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I’m saving myself the time and stopping things at 37% because I can tell I’ll feel the same at the end. I hate to do that to an ARC but I think I can still give a fair approximation of my would have been rating and provide enough thoughts to still “review” it.

I’ll just start with the biggest issue I had this far: the pacing. The first part is horrendously slow in pacing, made even worse by a lot of dense historical and religious world building/back story type info-dumps. It felt more like a college lecture rather than an actual novel. I’m all about learning and education but that’s not what I pick up fiction for. Maybe if you head into this with the correct mindset, you might be better off than me. I came for cannibalism horror, instead I got a history lesson.

On top of the pacing issue, the structure also did it no favors. This is told in 3 storylines, each broke up into parts. Meaning storyline one, part one, ended at the 30%-ish mark and we had only JUST gotten the main plot set up to get started. And the way it was done…the first like 20% of the book really ended up feeling unnecessary. I read more into storyline two, part one, and found myself with completely different characters, save one, and feeling pretty unmoored from how the stories connect. I’m sure they do connect but I don’t feel invested enough to find out. I read this first 37% in one afternoon, put the book down, and then didn’t think about it again.

I think if you like heavily historical gothic books, you might like this more than I did. But it just ended up not being for my tastes.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and write an honest review. I fell in love with this cover. It is absolutely beautiful and who doesn't love a good gothic horror book! I started this book with high expectations, but I was honestly a little disappointed. I enjoyed the concept of this book but I struggled with the execution personally. I enjoyed the lyrical dialogue and the characters, but I had the urge to skip ahead to the end just to be finished. The first half of the book was a breeze to get through, but I struggled with the second half. I am not sure whether is was because it was getting too winded or because I just wanted to know how everything ended. This was a solid book and I would recommend it but with caution.

I think the actual substance of the story was interesting it was just a long-winded execution. I enjoyed the writing style but felt there was just too much information. The good parts were really good but I was bored waiting for those parts to come along.

A thrilling, heartbreaking, epic work of fantastical horror that centered a beautiful gay love story. I couldn’t put it down. It won’t be for everyone. It’s a slow burn and there’s a lot of talking and history and religion, but I ate it up. It was everything I love and push the boundaries of what horror can be. it was executed with care and passion and meticulous detail. One of the best things I’ve read this year.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review..

"John Sackville will soon be dead. Shadows writhe in the corners of his cell as he mourns the death of his secret lover and the gnawing hunger inside him grows impossible to ignore."

The black hunger promised to be a queer gothic horror much in line with some of the classics of the genre, however, what it is instead is incredibly pedantic and extremely dull, with only passing moments of exceptionality and plot.

Technically speaking, it is written well and it is well researched... but that is about as much as it has going for it. The biggest crime of this book is that while the premise is exciting and enticing, it is bogged down with pages and pages within a single scene of meaningless detail that pulls the reader right out. By the end I was skipping whole paragraphs of detail just to finish the book because I had had enough.

The cover of The Black Hunger immediately caught my eye with its eerie vibe. After reading the synopsis, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I ended up enjoying it. The story was quite different and heavily focused on historical aspects, so if you're looking for a supernatural or straight horror book, this might not be for you. However, if you enjoy slower stories with rich details, I recommend giving this book a chance. One thing I particularly loved about this book is the author's thorough research, and the historical aspects of the story are truly captivating. Although the story was a bit slow-paced, it managed to hold my interest. Overall, I found it to be a unique horror story and I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'll post my review closer to the publication date.

The Black Hunger

Description:
John Sackville will soon be dead. Shadows writhe in the corners of his cell as he mourns the death of his secret lover and as the gnawing hunger inside him grows impossible to ignore.

He must write his last testament before it is too late.

The story he tells will take us to the darkest part of the human soul. It is a tale of otherworldly creatures, ancient cults, and a terrifying journey from the stone circles of Scotland to the icy peaks of Tibet.

It is a tale that will take us to the end of the world.



Review:

A spine chilling queer gothic horror debut novel, slow paced but engaging and honestly, I did struggle a bit to get into it at first but then it completely sucked me in and I couldn’t put it down and the world building is fantastic with historical elements.
In general, very intriguing, very dark and devastating, perfect for gothic horror fans!I’ll definitely be looking forward for more by this author.

This book comes out on October 8!

Thanks to the author, Netgalley and Orbit books US for the arc!