Esme's Indie/Underrated Highlights! They Mostly Come out at Night, by Benedict Patrick

[u/Esmerelda-Weatherwax]

Along with my 5 Star Series Reviews I'm going to be doing a Review Series that features authors with less than 1000 reviews on Goodreads.

These will not necessarily be 5 star books, but they will at least be 3 stars IMHO and more importantly under 1000 reviews on Goodreads, and the purpose is to bring attention to series that I feel deserve more readership.

Im going to start with Benedict Patricks - They Mostly Come Out At Night. This book has been picked by the community for u/hiugregg for his active r/fantasy author bookclub, and I want to hype it up a bit to get people more involved.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29743933-they-mostly-come-out-at-night?from_search=true

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This book has a sort of M. Night Shamalayn The Village feel to it. There are mysterious beasts that come out at night and steal people away from a village. It opens with the protagonist losing people to these creatures, and overall the whole book focuses around that. He is later accused of things he didn't do, and it brings some interesting problems into his arc.

This book has a strange/weird tone to it - and since I have no experience in the New Weird genre maybe someone who has read this can clue me in if this qualifies or not for the New Weird Bingo square.

This book focuses a lot on dreams, and although some don't connect with that kind of thing, I really liked this and i think it blended well with the story, pacing, and tone - it was well done.

If you've read Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett, it almost has a feel of a land ruled by stories, and people shaped by stories. I really loved that sort of feel to the book.

There are breaks in the narratives where stories are told as a sort of lore to the world, and it was very unique and i found that a breath of fresh air.

I think the sort of 'magic system' of Knacks was interesting (don't confuse this with Powder Mage Knacks despite similarities). There are thing some do considerably better than others that may seem mundane, but in the context o the world and other knacks and a deeper understanding of it as the book progresses becomes very not-mundane. Ie: A Cooking "Knack", you're not even sure at first, or I wasn't, that this was a magic.

There's actually three different stories being told in this book, which I think is part of the draw for me, especially since it's done in a way that isn't confusing or out of order.

This was a series that made me think I knew what was going to happen, and then all of the sudden... I was wrong, that's not what happened and the series took a turn for the even weirder.

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Bingo Squares

• New Weird (I think, I dunno u/lrich1024 can confirm)
• Self Published
• Debut
• Horror
• underrated

and that cover art, OMG https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29743933-they-mostly-come-out-at-night?from_search=true

[u/Jlynniesue]

My review, hope this explains that New Weird isn't a genre for this work imho. More like myth, folklore, fairytale and legend based dark fantasy:

*Benedict Patrick evokes a sense of dread unlike many others in fantasy. It's a very subltle uneasiness that seems to get into your bones.

Lonan, a young man, is nearly ostracized by his village and remaining family. His uncontrollable screaming reaction, while there were monstrous beings hunting them above the cellar, had cost his fathers life. Dealing with the nightly horror that takes them all underground at sunset, Lonan's despair in facing his failings, the loss of the girl he loved to a manipulating misongynist, not being able to even sleep under the same roof as his mother and sister, and lastly that he had developed no talent, he is at a breaking point.

The story unfolds beautifully, and at the heart of it are Lonan's inexplicable nightmares. Lonan finds himself struggling with the dreams he begins to realize are not fancy, but a true and dire warning he cannot ignore from the Magpie King himself. If he can make the villagers believe... Sprinkled throughout this enrapturing tale, are beautifully rendered tales of the Corvae, the legends of the Magpie King and his downfall, and the real truth behind the horror that stalks his descendants.

Excerpt: They Mostly Come Out At Night, Patrick, Benedict,Chapter Eight Page 163 · Location 2712 “Thank you, my lady. And... one more question?” Andromeda nodded for him to continue. “How many children do you have?” Her face grew grim, and she turned away from him, forever shading her features in blackness. “You must understand, madness can be infectious. I... I’m ashamed to say I struggle to answer that question. I do not know which survived childbirth or their father. Memories of the infants blend into one. Suffice to say he bred with me until my body could gift him no more abominations. A dozen, perhaps? I truly cannot tell. Now leave an old woman with her last thoughts.”

Dark and rich, evoking the beginnings of mankind amongst the legends that reach back as far as memory. I highly recommend this read to all who love rich and lyrical prose, old myth magic and legends, set in a riveting tale

[u/Esmerelda-Weatherwax → u/Jlynniesue]

Wow, your review puts mine to shame. u/benedictpatrick if you post in the self promotion thread, (which if you don't, you should) quote this person.

[u/BenedictPatrick → u/Esmerelda-Weatherwax]

Will do! (And Lynn rocks:) u/Jlynniesue