From the outset Gothic has all the promise of being the good 'old fashioned horror' that it's claiming to be: the cover, the title, synopsis, and even the author's name. It had so much promise and then gave me exactly what I wanted.
This is horror. (That isn't to say that horror doesn't come in a variety of forms but I for one am very tired of thrillers being marketed as horror and flooding the market). It does what it says it will and hit all those sweet spots: a writer, a mysterious object that might be cursed/possessed/something else, and mystery. There was only one weird references to boobs (but a little too much fat shaming). It's easily comparable to the likes of Herbert, Laymon, Saul and John Carpenter (I have an overwhelming urge to re-watch At the Mouth of Madness after reading this).

My biggest gripe is that it moved too quickly. I would have preferred a slower decline into madness, a little more resistance. I would have liked

Spoiler

Sarah to have punched him in his stupid face, walked out, and pressed charges

.

All in all it did what it promised and I will be reading more of his work in the future (I'd also like to read Black Altar, but alas...)

I read this as an arc from Netgalley.

Unfortunately, GOTHIC was just not for me. Even as a horror fan (although fairly new the genre) this one took far too long to get going for me and I probably skimmed a good portion of it.

I know that it has amazing reviews elsewhere, so please don't take my word for it. I think this was a "me problem"!

Struggling with writer's block, horror author Tyson Parks needs a new muse in his life. For his 59th birthday, his well meaning partner buys him a new desk she's found in an antique store. Little does anyone know that this desk is in reality a shapeshifting portal to cosmic forces beyond the comprehension of man, hunted by the last member of a powerful family bent on putting an end to its powers. Philip Fracassi blends Lovecraftian horror with the very human tale of a writer descending into obsession and madness a la Stephen King in Gothic.

Pros:
- The premise is fairly wild and the action reflects this: it doesn't pull many punches, is pretty gory in places, and doesn't make sense in a comical way at times.
- It's feels like a love letter to the genre, namedropping various King references and having some strong Lovecraft vibes throughout.

Cons:
- Beyond the main character, the others are all fairly superfluous and could almost be cut from the book without much impact. In particular, the character trying to chase down the artifact has almost no relevance to the plot for how much time is spent with her character in perspective chapters, and her story ends in a comically abrupt way.

Three stars. It's fun in a gratuitous way, but there's not much bubbling beyond the surface here.

FFO: Lovecraft, the Shining.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Cemetery Dance and Netgalley*

This is the first I’ve read by Philip Fracassi, what a ride!
The main character feels familiar- Tyson Parks is a over the hill writer, out of ideas but desperate to stay afloat. He’s too proud to lean on his partner or friend for financial help. He’s full of self-loathing and drinks too much. Instead of suggesting therapy, his partner buys him a desk.
The story has multiple viewpoints and switches chapter to chapter. It started slow but I read the last 200 pages in one sitting. I found myself hating the MC but rooting for him to make the right decision too.
For me, this is great story telling. The slow build at the beginning sets up the chaos that carries to the end. It was original, and peppered with humor and homages to those that came before.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC.
#OldSchoolHorror #NetGalley #CemeteryDance

*trigger warning* domestic violence, rape

Gothic is one hell of a novel. Philip Fracassi preforms a sort of necromancy on the altar of the overdone and tired “struggling writer” trope, breathing new and terrifying life into it. With plenty of nods to icons of horror, Gothic is self-aware enough of its audience and the world it exists in, while also taking the piss when appropriate and poking fun at the very genre it’s a vessel for.

While the characters in Gothic aren’t anything groundbreaking, they are surprisingly fleshed out and developed – even some of the characters who get much less time on the page. Tyson is relatable to anyone who has suffered from Imposter Syndrome or failed at any stage of pursuing their dreams. Sarah is relatable if you’ve ever been the one to help carry a relationship forward and shouldered a burden. Violet was my favorite character and I wish she had been developed more and had more instances from her POV.
As the crux of the plot deepens, Tyson is pushed and pulled in uncharacteristic ways, a hand of pure evil clasped firmly to his throat. Sometimes a Muse wants more than to inspire.

This novel shocked me. It unnerved me. I read a lot of horror and it rarely makes me look around the room and leave a light on when I leave a room. Gothic whispered to me, had me skittering on all fours looking for a safe place to read.

Philip Fracassi is now front and center on my author radar. I’ll be blindly buying whatever he’s done before Gothic and welcoming anything that comes after. Cemetery Dance has a new master of horror among its ranks.

As a fan of vintage horror I would recommend this especially to fans of pulpy horror books from the 80's and 90's.

This is a modern possession, cursed object story that follows a horror writer who is struggling to write the next bestseller. He receives an antique desk as a gift on his birthday and suddenly he is inspired and writing nonstop. He also begins to exhibit some disturbing behavior that threatens to destroy his family lift-but he is at least writing. And not just writing, it's a masterpiece.

This is a pretty straight forward story that doesn't really offer anything new to the possession horror trope, but the authors writing is top notch. His prose was sharp and engaging, sophisticated without being too flowery. I now want to pick up all his work because I just love it when I click with an authors writing style. There were definitely some disturbing moments (please check for trigger warnings) in the story and I was shocked by the ending. Overall great storytelling and I am officially making it a mission to pick up more by this author.

DNF 55%
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read but this one just ain't for me. I'm finding it so boring! And it shouldn't be with what's been happening but I'm throwing in the proverbial towel.

This ARC was provided by Netgalley for review.


This was one hell of a horror! Malevolent objects aren't new as a horror theme, but Philip explored this concept in a unique and interesting way. I noticed that the story started to drag when we went back to the 1700s for more detail on this desk's history. I'm not big into period pieces, so that may have played a part in how I viewed that section. I felt like it could have been more concise, but others may not agree. I could have also done without the SA/domestic abuse section, but the author kept it fairly brief. I think this would do well with a content warning as it's not necessarily an expected theme in horror. The evolution of the malevolent desk was interesting, and I found the characters to be well fleshed out. I think I expected a little more from Violet toward the finale, but it ended a bit abruptly. I'm not sure if that was a setup for a sequel as I felt like the rest of this book closed appropriately. As a whole, I'm glad I picked this book, and would certainly recommend it to other horror enthusiasts.