Reviews

In the Valley of the Headless Men by L.P. Hernandez

youraveragedave's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

After recommendations from both C.S. Humble and Neil McRobert I picked up this book.  Grief is the big theme of this novella, and it's set in the Nahanni Valley a national park in far Northern Canada.  This valley is sometimes called the valley of the headless men because some Metís prospectors were found without their heads. There is something mysterious and other worldly going on in this park. 

L.P. Hernandez does a great job with the weirdness of the valley.  You feel that something is off.  

Joseph heads up to the valley in persuit of finding out about his absentee father after finding letters in his recently deceased mother's house.  Joining him are his brother, Oscar, who has his own father issues, and his ex girlfriend, Gillian, who is still mourning the miscarriage she and Joseph experienced 20 years ago.

The supernatural and weird time elements hit strong as or characters get deeper into the valley.  There's another character, Sam, who's been in the valley for a while, and appears to be partially made of wax.  Some pretty good body horror comes into play as well.

edholms's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Loved the mythology of the area. Well written, fast, great read

hauntedpostalworker's review

5.0

Fantastic! LP Hernandez combines the bizarre, esoteric, and mind twisting in this novella about two brothers and an ex wife hunting down clues of an absent father in the middle of a Canadian national park, where things start to take a turn for the unimaginable. Highly recommend if you want something to really wrap your brain around for a long time after you finish.

vantine's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

twilliamson's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 In the Valley of the Headless Men combines folk horror and cosmic horror into a narrative that explores crises of self-worth and relationships to other people and past selves. It is emotionally grounded in the experience of its central character, Joe, and his two travel companions to the Nahanni Valley in Canada.

To say much more about the book would give the whole plot away, but the major takeaways are these:

1) L.P. Hernandez is a powerful storyteller, capable of delivering chilling scares just as readily as he weaves emotionally complex, thematically beautiful stories about human characters.

2) This book has one of the most emotionally vulnerable character arcs I've read in this or any recent year.

Whether you come for Hernandez's breathtaking prose or the emotionally satisfying storytelling, In the Valley of the Headless Men might just be Hernandez's best book yet--mature, vulnerable, and powerfully emotive.

Disclosure statement: I received an e-copy of the book from the author for review. My opinions of the book are authentically my own and have not been influenced in any way by author or publisher. 

talkscaredpod's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

cabinet_13_review's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Gives me Annihilation meets Journey to the Center of the Earth vibes. 

georgesreads's review

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0