Stars: 4 out of 5
This was a solid anthology of short stories centered around fishing and strange things that avid anglers sometimes encounter along the desolate stretches of the rivers and lakes they spend so much time by. It was a good palate cleanser between longer novels I was reading.
Sometimes you catch the elusive big one… sometimes you bring up something unsettling instead. And sometimes something otherworldly observes you cast your line and can take offence to how you treat the fish and the waters. And once it takes offence, well, sometimes you don’t come back home.
As I mentioned, the stories are short and a good distraction when wanting to read something quick or needing a break from a longer novel. However, none of them are particularly memorable or actually scary. They didn’t hold my interest as much as some other anthologies I read before, maybe because I am not an angler. In fact, I don’t think I ever held a fishing rod or cast a line in my life. I’m sure people who love fishing will derive more pleasure from these short stories than I did.
PS: My thanks to NetGalley for sending me a review copy.