A totally different kind of horror. I enjoyed a haunted boat, out on the water. A different kind of scary. Writing style is different.

The Night That Finds Us All is a fantastic, well-written voyage into cosmic horror. Samantha “Sam” Vines is a self-described profane, alcoholic asshole. Struggling to make ends meet as a captain after COVID and expensive ship repairs ground her, she accepts an offer from an old friend to join him on a lucrative job. They’re supposed to deliver the Blackwatch, a massive and old sailboat, from Seattle to England for some wealthy clients. Immediately, there are snags in their plan: Sam has bad blood with the captain and some of the other crew members, her drinking problem is out of control, and the ship seems like it might be haunted. What ensues is a deliciously unwinding and horrific journey that you know won’t end well. The isolation of the ocean setting means that the Blackwatch effectively serves as a haunted house that the characters literally can’t escape, and half the fun is knowing what’s coming and wondering how they will deal with it.

I loved this book, and after reading it I immediately bought John Hornor Jacobs’ back catalogue—it was that good. Sam is a delightful narrator—she’s not a nice person and she makes bad decisions, but I still found myself rooting for her. I know very little about sailing, but Jacobs clearly does, and the terminology felt authentic and not overwhelming. What could have been a straightforward or even cheesy ghost story also veers into cosmic horror, complete with occult rituals and an interesting historical backstory. In some ways, it reminded me of Laird Barron’s work, especially The Fisherman (and to be clear, that is a compliment). I did have some questions about one of the novel’s final reveals, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. I know I will be re-reading this one again soon. If you’re into messy heroines, cosmic or nautical horror, and excellent prose, add this to your list.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

This one was not my cup of tea. The writing felt all over the place and it also felt like there was a whole lot of nothing going on. The main character Sam was snarky so that was funny at times. The idea of the old boat having a supernatural and creepy past was an excellent idea it just wasn't delivered well. I was not creeped out at all unfortunately.

To be honest I did not get passed the first page. The writing style was not for me and I couldn’t relate

John Hornor Jacobs is a very interesting horror writer. I'm so glad to finally get another story from him.
I like books that take place on boats and in the sea. This one was very creepy and the characters were well written.

Deeply snarky. A voice that remembers the TV show Wonderfalls or the recaps on Television Without Pity. Haven’t heard such snark since the last Bush administration, really.

A note also that you can definitely not get a doctor in the U.S. to send a prescription for a controlled medication to a different state or a different country and have the prescription filled!

And lastly, the overarching haunting made no sense in the end.

Still, it was short & entertaining. Thank you for the ARC.