Emily Costecalde, contributor from the 20 Minutes Books reading group, recommends “Cold Moon over Babylon” by Michael McDowell, published on October 4, 2024 by Éditions Monsieur Toussaint Louverture.
His favorite quote:
“ Horror is one of the best ways to express, to say that there are things out there, forces, vibrations that strike without warning, they strike without reason, they strike without us being capable of doing anything against them. »
Why this book?
- Because it is a novel that will undoubtedly please to the readers of Blackwater. Michael McDowell wrote Cold Moon Over Babylon before, and we sense the influence of this early novel on his later major work: a certain fascination with waterways, and the strange, dead things they can carry…
- Because it’s a horror novel which is familiar with the grim without ever sinking into unnecessary gore, despite the author’s obvious fascination with macabre details. The fantastical is distilled just enough, leaving the reader to assess what the plot owes to madness and guilt or to an evil and centuries-old presence in the river.
- Because like his friend Stephen King, Michael McDowell had a certain talent for describing life in small towns lost in the depths of the United States, in modest towns forgotten by everyone. In a few chapters, he paints an entire community, with its qualities and its many faults. The characterization of the characters was one of its strong traits.
- Because this new edition, resulting from the collaboration between Monsieur Toussaint Louverture and Pedro Oyarbide, is a very beautiful object, which will look great in your library alongside the author’s previous reissues.
- Because with the release of the film Beetlejuice2, this is the opportunity more than ever to discover the romantic work of the man who wrote and scripted the famous Tim Burton film!
The essentials in 2 minutes
The plot. Since the Larkin couple disappeared during a boat trip, their family has had bad luck. When the family’s teenager suddenly disappears, a strange, macabre mechanism is set in motion…
The characters. Evelyn, Jerry and Margaret Larkin are the only survivors of this peasant family… Surviving at all costs despite money problems, the clan is united. Until Margaret disappears in the middle of a storm…
The places. The story takes us to Babylon, a modest hamlet in Florida on the banks of the enigmatic Styx, with such an evocative name…
The era. The novel takes place at the very beginning of the 1980s.
The author. Michael McDowell is the prolific author of numerous novels, including the Blackwater saga.
This book was read with a lot of fear.
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