Mothtown

Last updated

Mothtown
CarolineHardaker Mothtown.webp
First edition cover
Author Caroline Hardaker
Illustrator Chris Riddell
Cover artistSarah O'Flaherty
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Genres
Publisher Angry Robot
Publication date
14 November 2023
Media typeTrade paperback
Pages360
ISBN 978-1-915202-73-4

Mothtown is a literary fantasy and horror novel by English poet and novelist Caroline Hardaker. It is her second novel and was first published in the United Kingdom and the United States in November 2023 by Angry Robot. The book was illustrated by English political cartoonist and illustrator Chris Riddell.

Contents

Plot summary

Mothtown takes place in Yorkshire in northern England, where ten-year-old David sees strange "mudmen" moving silently about the town, and learns that people are disappearing. Nobody, including his parents, want to talk about it, which leaves David puzzled and frustrated. Then when his beloved grandfather, an astrophysicist, also disappears, David is determined to get to the bottom of what is termed "The Modern Problem".

Years later, David discovers that his grandfather had been investigating dark matter at the University of York and had written a book entitled Hidden Worlds, in which he postulated the existence of a multiverse and wormholes connecting the universes. David is told by his parents that his grandfather had died, but he becomes convinced that his grandfather, and all the other "disappeared", may have found a way to another world. This leads David to turn his back on his family and embark on a quest to find where his grandfather went.

Background

Hardaker said Mothtown is "weird, surreal, and full of secrets", and is "possibly the strangest thing I’ve ever written." [1] She explained that the book began "with no plan at all" other than "a story about a man living in the wilderness and minimising his imprint on the world." [1] But it soon became "twisted in ways I could never have imagined", and grew into "a hybrid creature", sitting "like a gargoyle in the borderlands between science fiction and fantasy, between poetry and prose." [1]

Hardaker said Mothtown's illustrator, Chris Riddell had read early drafts of the book and had had Zoom chats with her about the book and its characters. [1] She admitted that initially she was a little concerned about whether he would get the drawings right, but said, "every single one ... was absolutely perfect". [2] "Chris's style is absolutely perfect for the slightly off-kilter world in the novel". [1] Hardaker remarked, "I really wish there were more illustrations in adult literature". [2]

Critical reception

In a review of Mothtown in Booklist , Lily Hunter wrote that Hardaker's second novel is a blend of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis and Stephen King's Lisey's Story . [3] She described the author's prose as "vividly descriptive" and her storytelling "otherworldly", and "creepy and anguished". [3] American speculative fiction author, Lisa Tuttle wrote in The Guardian that Mothtown is "[a] strange, haunting tale about loneliness, grief and the yearning for transformative experiences". [4] She added that Chris Riddell's illustrations complemented the book's "uncanny atmosphere". [4]

Fabienne Schwizer found Mothtown "haunting, atmospheric and wonderfully uncanny". [5] In a review in Grimdark Magazine, she said the book "tiptoe[s] that fine line between obsession and the supernatural with great skill, leaving the reader feeling uneasy until the very end." [5] Schwizer opined that the novel's "biggest strength" is way it was written. She stated that Hardaker's poetic prose makes the story "exciting and evocative", and Mothtown's horror so effective. [5] A starred review in Publishers Weekly described Mothtown as "an eerie fantastical mystery" that is "alight with shocking twists and bizarre imagery." [6] The reviewer called Hardaker's prose, "gorgeous" and stated that she "blurs the line between fantasy and reality [and] between literary and speculative fiction". [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Haunting of Hill House</i> 1959 novel by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House is a 1959 gothic horror novel by American author Shirley Jackson. It was a finalist for the National Book Award and has been made into two feature films and a play, and is the basis of a Netflix series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tananarive Due</span> American author and educator

Tananarive Priscilla Due is an American author and educator. Due won the American Book Award for her novel The Living Blood. She is also known as a film historian with expertise in Black horror. Due teaches a course at UCLA called "The Sunken Place: Racism, Survival and the Black Horror Aesthetic", which focuses on the Jordan Peele film Get Out.

Robin Spriggs is an American writer, actor, and poet. Known primarily as a dark fabulist, he is the author of the critically acclaimed The Untold Tales of Ozman Droom,Diary of a Gentleman Diabolist, and Wondrous Strange: Tales of the Uncanny. He is the co-author of The Dracula Poems: A Poetic Encounter with the Lord of Vampires and the creator of Capes & Cowls: Adventures in Wyrd City, a "book-in-a-box" superhero board game based on his illustrated series, Capes & Cowls: The Wyrd City Chronicles.

<i>The Graveyard Book</i> 2008 young adult novel by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book is a young adult novel written by the English author Neil Gaiman, simultaneously published in Britain and America in 2008. The Graveyard Book traces the story of the boy Nobody "Bod" Owens who is adopted and reared by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard after his family is brutally murdered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Monette</span> American novelist and short story writer

Sarah Elizabeth Monette is an American novelist and short story writer, mostly in the genres of fantasy and horror. Under the name Katherine Addison, she published the fantasy novel The Goblin Emperor, which received the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and was nominated for the Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.

Rebecca F. Kuang is an American fantasy novelist. Her first novel, The Poppy War, was released in 2018, followed by the sequels The Dragon Republic in 2019 and The Burning God in 2020. Kuang released a stand-alone novel, Babel, or the Necessity of Violence, in 2022. Her newest book is Yellowface, a satirical novel which was published in 2023. Kuang holds graduate degrees in Sinology from Magdalene College, Cambridge and from University College, Oxford, and is currently studying at Yale University.

<i>Dreams of Distant Shores</i>

Dreams of Distant Shores is a collection of fantasy stories by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in ebook by Tachyon Publications in May 2016, with the trade paperback print edition following from the same publisher in June 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suyi Davies Okungbowa</span> Nigerian author

Suyi Davies Okungbowa is a Nigerian fantasy, science fiction and speculative writer and academic. He is the author of various novels, including The Nameless Republic epic fantasy trilogy, beginning with Son of the Storm. His debut was the godpunk fantasy novel, David Mogo, Godhunter. He has also written works for younger readers under the author name Suyi Davies, including Minecraft: The Haven Trials. His work is heavily influenced by the histories and cultures of West Africa and Nigeria, and discusses themes of identity, challenging difference and finding home. WIRED referred to him as "one of the most promising new voices coterie of African SFF writers." He is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Ottawa.

<i>The Facts of Life</i> (Joyce novel) 2002 novel by Graham Joyce

The Facts of Life is a historical fantasy novel by English writer Graham Joyce. It was first published in the United Kingdom in December 2002 by Victor Gollancz Ltd, and in June 2003 in the United States by the Atria Publishing Group. It is set in Coventry, England after the end of World War II, with flashbacks to the Coventry Blitz when the Luftwaffe bombed the city on 14 November 1940.

Simone St. James is a Canadian author of mystery, historical fiction, and romance novels. Simon lives outside of Toronto, Canada and had twenty years of experience in the television business before leaving to write full-time.

<i>A Master of Djinn</i> 2021 novel by P. Djèlí Clark

A Master of Djinn is a 2021 fantasy steampunk novel by American writer P. Djèlí Clark, published by Tordotcom. The book is part of Clark's the Dead Djinn Universe and follows the events of the novelette "A Dead Djinn in Cairo", and the novella The Haunting of Tram Car 015.A Master of Djinn is the winner of the 2022 Nebula Award for Best Novel, the 2022 Locus Award for Best First Novel, and the 2022 Compton Crook Award for Best Novel, and was nominated for the 2022 Mythopoeic Award for Fantasy Literature, the 2022 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

<i>The Burning God</i> Grimdark fantasy novel by R. F. Kuang

The Burning God is a grimdark fantasy novel by American writer R. F. Kuang and published by Harper Voyager on November 17, 2020, as the third and final installment in her Poppy War trilogy.

<i>The Stardust Thief</i> 2022 fantasy novel by Chelsea Abdullah

The Stardust Thief is a 2022 fantasy novel by Chelsea Abdullah. It is the author's debut novel and is the first installment in the Sandsea Trilogy. The novel draws inspiration from One Thousand and One Nights. It received positive reviews from critics.

<i>Deep Roots</i> (novel) 2018 novel by Ruthanna Emrys

Deep Roots is a 2018 alternate history, fantasy and horror novel by American science fiction and fantasy writer Ruthanna Emrys. It is the third book in Emrys' three book Innsmouth Legacy series, after The Litany of Earth (2014) and Winter Tide (2017). The series is set in the Cthulhu Mythos universe created by H. P. Lovecraft, and builds on Lovecraft's 1936 novella, "The Shadow over Innsmouth".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunyi Dean</span> Fantasy fiction author

Sunyi Dean is an author of fantasy fiction.

<i>A Cold Season</i> 2012 novel by Alison Littlewood

A Cold Season is a fantasy and horror novel by English writer Alison Littlewood. It is her debut novel and was first published in the United Kingdom in January 2012 by Jo Fletcher Books. It is about a young widow who takes her son to Darnshaw, the village of her birth after her husband went missing in action in Afghanistan; but the village has become sinister and foreboding, and snow storms prevent them from leaving.

<i>The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi</i> 2023 novel by Shannon Chakraborty

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a 2023 historical fantasy novel by Shannon Chakraborty. It is the first novel in a planned trilogy.

Caroline Hardaker (1986) is an English poet and novelist. She was born in North East England, and currently lives in Newcastle upon Tyne. Hardaker has published two collections of her poems, Bone Ovation (2017) and Little Quakes Every Day (2017), described by John Clute as exploring "the permanence of Time, of bones, of the past within a fleece of transmutations". She has also published two science fiction/horror novels, Composite Creatures (2021), set in a near future damaged by climate change, and Mothtown (2023), about loneliness, grief and escape to the multiverse.

G.J. Stoutimore is an American dark fantasy and horror author best known for his novel Murder Baby, which was published in late 2022.

Nicholas Binge is an author of science fiction and horror.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Acquisition Announcement and Interview with Caroline Hardaker (MOTHTOWN)". The Fantasy Hive. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 Lake, Evie (30 October 2023). "'I never intend to write horror': Newcastle author Caroline Hardaker publishes haunting new novel". Newcastle World. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 Hunter, Lily (15 October 2023). "Mothtown. By Caroline Hardaker". Booklist . Vol. 120, no. 4. pp. 33–34. ISSN   0006-7385. ProQuest   2877502770.
  4. 1 2 Tuttle, Lisa (10 November 2023). "The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – reviews roundup". The Guardian . London. ISSN   1756-3224 . Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Schwizer, Fabienne (20 June 2023). "REVIEW: Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker". Grimdark Magazine.
  6. 1 2 "Mothtown". Publishers Weekly . Vol. 270, no. 37. 11 September 2023. ISSN   0000-0019 . Retrieved 17 January 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.