February 15, 2022
Irish author Shine takes a common trope from Irish myths and folktales and expands it to creature-feature territory. Near Connemara, a region in the west of Ireland, there is a black forest that is not on the map. Cell phones, cars, and bicycles stop when a person reaches the forest's edge, and there's no turning back. A couple, John and Ciara, ended up there after a wrong turn. Then, Madeline, a lean, scruffy fighter, helps artist Mina survive her descent into the forest. Their lives exist in a concrete shelter where they eat, rest, and try to plan how to make it through each day. Readers get an intimate glimpse into the fraying edges of each character's psyches, the constant hunger, the paranoia, the loss of hope, and far worse. Eventually, the four find a method of escape, but Mina learns the hard way that some creatures will never stop trying to hide the truth. A combination of supernatural and psychological horror, The Watchers will appeal to fans of Kealan Patrick Burke, Josh Malerman, and Scott Smith.
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