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jane_kelsey's review
3.0
This book was interesting, the premise was very interesting and actually quite well executed. I liked our main character quite a bit, but also the secondary characters. I did feel at times that the names of these... things... pulled me out of the storyline for some reason, they just felt so invented. But, the writing was overall good, the plot interesting so I would recommend reading this!
brennanlafaro's review
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.
Fans of cosmic horror unite! Michael Winter digs deep and brings some new lore to the table in his novel, Periphery.
Andy Tate is a paramedic with the Tampa Fire Department, and is just starting to get his life back together. Andy has struggled with alcoholism, the root cause of an accident involving his young daughter, which lead him to walk away from his family and his former unit, as well as the stigma of his father's questionable ideas. Now at a new station, Andy finally feels like he can get a new start until a hostage situation brings to light the reason Andy is estranged from his father.
Now Andy is seeing monsters everywhere, and the worst part? They've always been there. Winter introduces us to the bilantu offalate. These are typically small, yet deadly, creatures from another dimension that exist at the, to borrow a line, periphery of our reality. Most people can't see them, which is good because if you acknowledge their existence, they tend to attack you. However, attacks are becoming more and more frequent, because the bilantu are heralding their masters, the vetro offalate. The vetro are bigger, meaner, more intelligent beings that have been to our world before and are now seeking to return, and not with the best of intentions. It will be up to Andy to put together a team to stop them, all the while convincing the world that he isn't losing his mind.
I don't usually like to eat up so much space with synopsis, but it's important to know that Michael Winter is not simply giving us new humans surrounded by Lovecraft monsters. It was the idea behind the bilantu offalate that got me excited to pick this up. Horror that feeds on primal fears, i.e. the darkness, tends to work for me. When an author launches an investigation into what you actually saw from the corner of your eye, and the result is so visceral, yeah, I'm going to be there for it.
The story and the ideas are strong, but the human characters don't necessarily live up to the potential of the rest of the novel. There's nothing wrong with them per se, but I found myself considerably more invested in creature reveals than the fate or redemption of any of the main characters. They move the story along, but the family drama does not resonate as strong as it could have. To Winter's credit, this could have totally derailed a different story, but the narrative does stand on its own.
If you're looking for a new take on cosmic horror, and a Lovecraftian-type mythos that deviates from the original enough to capture the reader's attention, this just might be for you. Bonus points as well for creating monsters/creatures that somehow transcend description, but are presented in a way that makes for a cache of nightmare fuel.
I received a copy of this book from the author for review consideration.
Fans of cosmic horror unite! Michael Winter digs deep and brings some new lore to the table in his novel, Periphery.
Andy Tate is a paramedic with the Tampa Fire Department, and is just starting to get his life back together. Andy has struggled with alcoholism, the root cause of an accident involving his young daughter, which lead him to walk away from his family and his former unit, as well as the stigma of his father's questionable ideas. Now at a new station, Andy finally feels like he can get a new start until a hostage situation brings to light the reason Andy is estranged from his father.
Now Andy is seeing monsters everywhere, and the worst part? They've always been there. Winter introduces us to the bilantu offalate. These are typically small, yet deadly, creatures from another dimension that exist at the, to borrow a line, periphery of our reality. Most people can't see them, which is good because if you acknowledge their existence, they tend to attack you. However, attacks are becoming more and more frequent, because the bilantu are heralding their masters, the vetro offalate. The vetro are bigger, meaner, more intelligent beings that have been to our world before and are now seeking to return, and not with the best of intentions. It will be up to Andy to put together a team to stop them, all the while convincing the world that he isn't losing his mind.
I don't usually like to eat up so much space with synopsis, but it's important to know that Michael Winter is not simply giving us new humans surrounded by Lovecraft monsters. It was the idea behind the bilantu offalate that got me excited to pick this up. Horror that feeds on primal fears, i.e. the darkness, tends to work for me. When an author launches an investigation into what you actually saw from the corner of your eye, and the result is so visceral, yeah, I'm going to be there for it.
The story and the ideas are strong, but the human characters don't necessarily live up to the potential of the rest of the novel. There's nothing wrong with them per se, but I found myself considerably more invested in creature reveals than the fate or redemption of any of the main characters. They move the story along, but the family drama does not resonate as strong as it could have. To Winter's credit, this could have totally derailed a different story, but the narrative does stand on its own.
If you're looking for a new take on cosmic horror, and a Lovecraftian-type mythos that deviates from the original enough to capture the reader's attention, this just might be for you. Bonus points as well for creating monsters/creatures that somehow transcend description, but are presented in a way that makes for a cache of nightmare fuel.
I received a copy of this book from the author for review consideration.
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