Don’t be scared
"The greatest damage caused by this technology is that people can no longer concentrate, can no longer enjoy concentrating. Reading a long novel is one of my greatest sources of pleasure. But most people refuse to do it because reading a long novel isn’t fun if you’re constantly interrupted."
— William T. Vollmann
What William T. Vollmann says can be seen as a manual for reading the 1,232 pages of Tom's Crossing. And if you apply it, you’ll experience the joy of diving into one of the greatest sources of pleasure.
So, reader, don’t be scared and earn this "western" that will repay you a hundredfold.
The quotation marks above are important, and we’ll come back to that.
Mark Z. Danielewski is primarily known for House of Leaves, an extraordinary novel, a work of art in its own right, published in 2000, which, even 25 years later, has not aged a bit, still arousing interest, intrigue, to the point where it is read, reread, and gives rise to all sorts of theories — each reader with their own theory, one might say; in other words: this is definitely for you.
We won’t revisit the other projects/works of Mark Z. Danielewski, all equally interesting and innovative.
Tom’s Crossing.
"Western"
(again, note the quotation marks)
We won’t revisit the story summary, which is very brief, unlike the novel itself.
Just know that you’ll find all the ingredients of a "western" here: Stetsons (including on the cover), horses, poker games, legends passed down orally by the campfire, "duels," villains, the mountains of Utah, etc. Nothing is missing.
But it goes much further than that.
The structure, the words used, their double meanings, their sounds, the poetic beauty of some descriptions, the rhythm (Clop-Clop-clip-Clop), the cinematography of the scenes, the musicality — all of this, and more, pulls you in, forcing you to devour these 1,232 pages while, yes, forgetting everything around you.
The characters? Some are endearing, so much so that you’ll shudder, laugh, and even get teary-eyed. Others are despicable, violent, liars, killers — you’ll want to clench your fists and wish them a horrible death.
And there are secondary characters whose names sometimes sound very Pynchonian, stepping in like the timeline in Only Revolutions.
Not to mention... the ghosts.
(Don’t flinch, it’s so well done that you’ll believe in them too).
Is that the Mark of a good novel?
Certainly.

But Danielewski goes further.
Nothing is left to chance in Tom’s Crossing: from the alteration of certain words to mythological references, and much more.

Everything.

Has.

Meaning.

Even the Easter eggs for HOL, Only Revolutions and The Familiar’s readers.
And it will require a second reading.
Because Tom’s Crossing will haunt you long after you’ve finished it.
We almost forgot: why the quotation marks around "western"?
Because if it is one, it’s much bigger, it goes much deeper on the inside than on the outside.
So: don’t be scared.

And read!

[side note: even for a non native English, don’t need a dictionary to read Tom’s Crossing, its “music” is largely speakable]


Spécial thanks to Pantheon Books for the Teaser Edition (paper) and the e-version of the full book.
And of course: thanks to Allways sixteen Mark.

Oof, this was a long one. Danielewski is hit or miss for me and this one landed somewhere in the middle of that, even. To write a book so long you have to REALLY care about the characters and, occasionally, they fell flat to me. Overall interesting, but one that would be difficult to recommed except for my strongest of readers.

Mark Z. Danielewski is one of those rare writers who can make 1200 pages feel both terrifying and luminous. House of Leaves showed what he could do with form, but this new novel shows what he can do with scope. Set in Orvop, Utah, in 1982, Tom's Crossing starts with two horses and ends with dead that rise, a mountain that falls, and an act of courage.

I was utterly absorbed. The length is huge, yes, but every detour, side path, and fragment adds to the sense that you’re living inside a local legend that has grown too large for one storyteller to contain. Characters come alive almost instantly, with whole lives sketched in a few paragraphs that still manage to wreck you. Some moments are pure horror, others are unexpectedly funny.

By the final pages, I felt as if I had lived inside an epic local legend that had grown too large for a single storyteller. Exhausting, yes, but also exhilarating. House of Leaves redefined what the novel could look like; this work redefines what it can contain.

#HouseofLeaves #MarkZDanielewski #literaryfiction #horrorfiction #epicnovel #knopfpantheonVintageanchor

This book is 1232 pages of beauty. Both in language and plot. I cried several times and laughed out loud even more. Several scenes in this book had my heart literally racing. I could feel the tension in my chest as if I were on that mountain. And the characters truly feel alive. There are several characters who within the span of a few paragraphs become fully realized, reach out, and seize your heart. And of course, there are MZD’s trademark rumination on any topic under the sun. They pull you away from the narrative to drop some of the most gorgeous lines I have ever read only to lead you right back into the plot. They felt like the small side paths on a hike that bring you to the most spectacular view. Don’t be afraid to sit and revel in the view.

1232 pages is daunting for any book, but it is well worth it. I guarantee if you read the first three chapters, you won’t be able to stop yourself from continuing. Perhaps my biggest praise is that I’m already planning a reread.

This book tries to be everything: a western, coming of age, academic, legal procedural, literary and a bunch more I’m sure I didn’t catch because I was working through 1,200 pages. Usually I tear through book; this one tore through me. I couldn’t tell how much was done as an artistic choice and how much was done as a way to mess with me (readers). I don’t know how to feel about this book. There’s some really high highs where I’m like “this is the good stuff. This is worth the slow slow slow build.” And then there’s the slow slow slow build. Perhaps as a reader, I was challenged in my patience and belief in the author. But I finished, and what do I have to show for it? A new appreciation for short books, brevity and the like. This would’ve been a masterpiece in 800 pages. At 1200, I can’t get over the length and the pacing and the decision-making that got us here. I’ll stop my rambling here. Brevity.

This book reads like a forgotten local legend passed down in hushed tones—part horror, part myth, and entirely unforgettable. Set in the seemingly quiet town of Orvop, Utah, the story builds from the chilling mystery of a 1982 crime into something far more expansive and eerie: the dead rising, a mountain collapsing, and a singular act of defiance that redefines what it means to be brave.

What begins as true crime unravels into a heart-pounding supernatural saga rooted in place and character. Kalin March is a protagonist for the ages—haunted, heroic, and deeply human.

The writing is rich and rhythmic, filled with unforgettable turns of phrase and a tone that blends Appalachian folklore with postmodern grit. Pillars Meadow and the Katanogos massif feel mythic, yet grounded—like real places tucked between our world and something older, darker, and more sacred.

Whether you’re here for the horror, the mystery, or the aching weight of sacrifice, this story delivers. It’s a tale of courage, consequence, and how legends are born from what we survive, but from who we choose to become.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The review of this novel has been submitted to Library Journal for upcoming print or online publication.