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John Langan

The Fisherman Paperback – June 30, 2016

by John Langan (Author)

4.3 3,926 ratings

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In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story. Soon, though, the men find themselves drawn into a tale as deep and old as the Reservoir. It's a tale of dark pacts, of long-buried secrets, and of a mysterious figure known as Der Fisher: the Fisherman. It will bring Abe and Dan face to face with all that they have lost, and with the price they must pay to regain it.

Print length

282 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Word Horde
Publication date

June 30, 2016
Dimensions

6 x 0.64 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1939905214
ISBN-13

978-1939905215
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It’s hard to hold onto any tragedies that aren’t your own for very long.
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Most everyone, I suppose, has felt the gaze of someone whose burden of experience renders their regard a tangible thing.
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She lost him to light the color of the full moon, of the froth on top of a wave, of a burial shroud.
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Word Horde (June 30, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 282 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1939905214
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1939905215
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.64 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #29,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #55 in Sea Stories
- #963 in Horror Literature & Fiction

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4.3 3,926 ratings

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John Langan

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John Langan is the author of two novels, The Fisherman and House of Windows, and three collections of stories, Sefira and Other Betrayals, The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies, and Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters. The Fisherman won the Bram Stoker and This Is Horror Awards for superior achievement in a novel. With Paul Tremblay, Langan co-edited Creatures: Thirty Years of Monsters. He's one of the founders of the Shirley Jackson Awards, for which he served as a juror during its first three years. Currently, he reviews horror and dark fantasy for Locus magazine. In 2020, his fourth collection, Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies, will be published by Word Horde Press.

John Langan lives in New York's Hudson Valley with his wife, younger son, and many, many animals. He holds a first degree black belt in the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do.

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FaithOryx

A Book Club Review of The Fisherman

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2018

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Note: I've now read The Fisherman five times, including two audio book listens. It's simply one of the best books I've ever read. I absolutely love it. My book club read it (they all loved it) and below is a mix of my original take on it, as well as a take on my book club's thoughts.

Our book club read this book this summer. There were eight persons in attendance, ages 32 to 43, of varying backgrounds and lifestyles. We rate books on aspects such as quality, readability, likability, and overall book club cred (discussion, games, themes). This book rated our second highest scored read of all time. The book club absolutely loved this read… perhaps adored is a better word. There was just so much to discuss. The most common feedback was that this book is an absolute FEAST for the imagination. We were wild with it. The discussion was rapid, excited, and deep. We could have easily gone on for several more hours, but time ran short. What surprised everyone is that this genre (the horror/fantasy aspect) is not our usual taste (we love contemporary thrillers and literary pieces) but somehow it just worked for everyone, including the most select of us. We fell down the rabbit hole on this one, shooting literary references back and forth that we found within the pages. Folklore, mythology, religion, and of course the classics…. The list could go on and on. But it’s not a pretentious read. The story is very natural and smooth, with word play, wit, and references just beneath the surface. We loved pretty much all of the characters. I feel like I cannot do this book justice, but here are some of my personal thoughts down below.

I always add book club triggers to these reviews. To avoid spoiler issues, it’s at the very bottom of this review. Please scroll down if you have concerns about this book in a discussion setting.

Personal notes as a reader:
Rarely do I become so obsessed with a book. I am in love with The Fisherman, and have been thinking about it near constantly. Looking at good and bad reviews, it seems like some negative reviews focus on the "story within a story" aspect of this novel. So it's no spoiler to share from the top that this book has two tales in it: the current day story of Abe and Dan, two widowers who find friendship and a mutual love of fishing together, as well as a complete backstory and history of both the region and The Fisherman. These two stories are about equal in length. If you go into this expecting this story to simply be Dan and Abe's story, you could be frustrated. I personally loved the "backstory" portion of this book and I almost wish the description of the novel was clearer in this aspect. I was also pleased that the story didn't go back and forth between times as these stories often do (The Winter People, The Chalk Man, Bring Me Back, etc.). It's a common enough trope to tell a story this way, but it was refreshing to try something new. It basically allows the backstory to roll out in one long narrative, completely enrapturing. I supposed the irony of the Fish Tale may have escaped some (or perhaps, they got the joke, but didn't find it funny) but the middle yarn wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining if it didn't channel the concept of a Fish Tale - perhaps one of the biggest you'll read.

Although I adored this love letter to Melville (my heart be still) as an examination of the pasteboard mask (and indeed, I feel like Langen succeeded at punching through a wall between our void and the next) as well as the white whale and Leviathan, I was far more enraptured by the love letter to Lovecraft. I was obsessed with Lovecraft when I was younger, and this novel brought back so much joy and imagination to my adult heart. I haven't felt so carried away by fantasy since I was much younger, when this type of macabre seemed real, when magic seemed like a possibility. My cynical adult mind enjoys fantasy in novels with the Knowing that it's simply not real - like watching a horror movie but seeing the cowl edge in the mask, knowing it's only silicon and red paint. I love horror and fantasy, but I'm too skeptical at this point to be taken away. The Fisherman, in all its glory, was the first book I've read in years that I literally forgot my surroundings and was transported to a fantastical world where anything seemed possible. The child inside of my heart was terrified, excited, thrilled, sad, amazed.... and for that I gave this book the full amount of stars. I found myself quite literally in this magical place.

Triggers: Please do not read if you do not want spoilers. The purpose of this review is, again, as a candidate for a book club setting. I used to get asked a lot about discussion “triggers” (concepts that could cause harm a person in discussion if not handled properly). This particular book has a single topic that comes to mind that could present a trigger issue. This book is about widowership. There are at least half a dozen different explorations of men being widowed. Not only the two main characters, but many of the side characters, including the villain and his sponsor. To be completely honest, and though there was at least more than one person there who could relate to this trigger, not a single person was affected in a negative way and, in fact, thought the exploration was beautiful and elegant. This is also not a huge spoiler as the concept is laid out right away, within the first few chapters. Otherwise, this book handles many of the common tropes in horror and fantasy... death, magic, religion, etc.

36 people found this helpful

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Hakim Briki

Horrifying

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2023

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I've been keeping my distance from the horror genre in the past few years due to a perceived lack of originality in modern offerings. The books I read failed to accomplish the core mission of a horror story: to scare me. <i>The Fisherman</i>, however, provided one hell of an adrenaline rush. It pumped my blood full of cortisol... in a good way. It is one <u>terrifying</u> book. Bleak, deeply Lovecraftian, shocking, and immensely vivid, complete with an impressive mythos. It is also a novel with heart, written beautifully. It reflects on loss, grief, and friendship. Mr. Langan, I shall read you again, soon.

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Mike_Duke

A tale rooted in man’s will to change reality no matter the cost

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2020

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Wow. That’s the overall gist of my feelings about this book.

First, up front, it’s a slow build, but I think this book lends itself to audio better. It is, after all, a series of big fish stories, so to say. Also, The narrator is pitch perfect. He has that older man voice that gives you the authentic Big Fish Story vibe while weaving in the cosmic / occult / folk horror menace that lies at the heart of this tale. The threat is of cosmic proportions, both multifaceted and far reaching, though rooted in man’s will to change reality and the lengths to which he will go and the powers he will struggle to enslave so that he may shape the world as he sees fit and restore what he has lost. I love the idea of the black waters, where they originate and the horror of their influence and the things that dwell within. It’s a fantastic story of interconnecting threads and one I would love so see the author revisit and expand on some of the things he mentions but does not pursue, like the city by the dark sea. There is more here he could mine for sure.

Second, this book’s structure is layered like a parfait or something. Starts with our main characters, who are then told an incredible and hard to believe fish story of cosmic horror proportions by a person who had it delivered to them by someone else who received it from first hand witnesses. So, it’s enough to make you wonder whether the facts have been skewed in the passing down but your gut tells you probably not by much. And boy is that “big fish story” a doozie!! Then as the main fish story, which takes up over half of the book, concludes, the story continues with our two main characters and their journey to fish in the Dutchman’s Creek, which was the source of the main fish story they just finished listening to.

While the tale they are told is wild and incredible and epic with moments of horror, the final adventure into Dutchman’s Creek is where events become far more disturbing. And damn, that last line.

I really have very few complaints about this book. Really only one about the book itself. At times when there are large portions of running dialogue, the authors strict use of “said”, “says” etc dialogue tags becomes annoying, particularly in audio format. But it’s tolerable for those short sections. My other complaint is that the author and publisher did a horrible job of pitching this novel to the average reader. As you can see in the picture, the cover art communicates nothing in particular. It is absolutely vague and could just as easily be on the cover of a general fiction novel as one of cosmic horror. The synopsis doesn’t help either. “A possibility too fantastic to be true” and the suggestion of a “dark pact” is all we are given to hint at the nature of the story. Which is why it has taken so damn long for me to take the plunge and tackle this book. Despite hearing and seeing so many great reviews, nothing about the cover or synopsis grabbed me. Zilch. Not one bit. Which made me pass it over for something else more interesting time and time again. But, after many friends kept encouraging me to give it a shot, I finally decided to make it happen. And holy hell, am I ever glad I did. This is probably the best novel I’ve read or listened to in the last few years. The ones sitting at the top of my list until now are Song of the Death God by William Holloway, The City by S. C. Mendes, and Last Days by Adam Nevill. That’s been my top three for awhile. But damn, now The Fisherman is playing king of the hill for the top spot.

If you don’t mind slow burns, and you enjoy cosmic / folk horror with some occult aspects, then you should absolutely buy and read this book. And I also highly recommend the audible version. The narration was fantastic, imo.

11 people found this helpful

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Chris E.

couldn’t put it down

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2023

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Fantastic writing. Two tales in one, which might be off putting to others - but let me say for my own taste, this was a riveting tale full of proper penmanship. No cheap thrills, just good ol fashioned suspense. I wish it were longer, because like Dutchman’s Creek - I never wanted to leave.

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Paul M. Feeney

The Ocean At the End of the World...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2016

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Having heard the name of John Langan mentioned multiple times wherever discussions of emotive, literary dark fiction occurred, yet having never read a word of his fiction, I was intensely curious - eager, perhaps - to sample what talents he was reputed to possess. When I saw the promos and cover for the - at the time I heard of it - forthcoming novel, The Fisherman, I knew I just had to get it and read it (partly this was also because of a lifelong love of the ocean and all things watery; I find stories - especially dark and horror stories - which revolve around the sea and water to be very evocative when done well). So I did. But what did I think? Well, read on and find out...

First off, let me get this out of the way; this story is firmly in the tradition of the literary, the subtly emotive, the slow burn. Though you will find monsters and violence and true horror here, they are secondary to the main point of the story, which revolves around themes of grief, loss, love, friendship, depression, loss of purpose, and other, very human concerns. There is also a hefty dose of the portentous, of a deeply ingrained cosmic horror which pervades nearly the entire piece almost from beginning to end. It gives a sense of the epic to what is, ostensibly, a very intimate portrait of two friends trying to deal with grief in their own ways.

I won't say too much about the plot, suffice it to recount that the book is narrated by Abe who has lost his wife. He details his feelings in beautifully written lines and passages, talks about finding some kind of way back through fishing, and tells us about Dan, who loses his wife and children to a car crash. It is Abe's attempts to provide Dan with a similar solace that sets the main wheels of the novel rolling.

The book is divided into three parts (or two parts with one part smack in the middle of the other, if that makes more sense). The first part deals with, as I've said Abe's history, and then Abe and Dan's friendship, all of which is delivered in one of the most inviting, homely 'voices' I've read this side of Stephen King. Abe draws you in from the first line, immediately feeling like a fully realised, living, breathing person and it's wonderful. It makes reading the book that much more enjoyable, but also serves to really immerse you in the story and its details. It even manages to make fishing - an activity I'm ambivalent towards, at best - seem deeply therapeutic and desirable. It's obvious these sections are written by someone who either knows their subject inside out, or has researched way beyond the call of duty. Equally, those parts dealing with the feelings of grief indicate a writer who just *knows* (one way or the other) how it feels to lose someone, who is deeply empathetic of that immense pain; essentially, showing the insight that makes a great writer. This first section runs on, neither rushed nor laboured, until we start to get into the rather stand-offish friendship between Abe and Dan. For at this point in time, Dan's grief is too recent, too keen, and he is perhaps not quite ready for the therapeutic powers of fishing that have helped Abe. Yet he does respond in a way, except...where Abe finds a kind of solace in fishing, Dan's attraction to it seems to take him down a slightly darker path, especially when he discovers mention of a certain Dutchman's Creek in an obscure book on fishing spots. Something in this book - something he won't share with Abe - lights a sick fire within him to find this creek. And one day, on their way to find it, they stop at a diner and are told a long story about the history of that particular fishing spot.

Now this is where the second part of the story comes in, a narrative within a narrative which is first recounted to Abe, then by Abe to us with apparently no loss of detail or content. And for me, this is where some of the power of the novel began to unravel. Don't get me wrong, it is a section absolutely filled with wonderful dark imagery, of a foreboding sense of tragedy and darkness, of cosmic horror, of the weird and the strange, as we're given the somewhat doom-laden account of Dutchman's Creek and the tragedies that befell it. However, I found that as this second section went on, it felt almost like a stream-of-consciousness piece, and whilst there's not necessarily anything wrong with that, it kind of jarred with what had come before it. The scenes and imagery piled on almost by rote, a sort of verging on monotone cadence; and while I enjoyed much of what transpired in this part, I also found it a struggle as it went on. Perhaps that was part of the point, to make the reader weary, but for me, it had the effect of pulling me out of the story in mild frustration. It also seemed a little too much to accept that all of this was being told in a diner to our two main characters in the space of perhaps a couple of hours. Eventually, though, we're reunited with Abe and Dan, and find out - partly through the mid-section narrative - just why Dan wants to find this creek so much. And rest assured, there's little that's good concerning his desires; though it is, tragically, eminently understandable why he would want to seek the creek (pardon the rough rhyming). Ultimately, I found the voice - and tale - of Abe and Dan to be the centre-piece of the novel, and it was perhaps a little unsettling to abandon them partway through for a very long section detailing the history of the location they're trying to reach. Perhaps this could have been cut down somewhat, or delivered in some other way, or perhaps this is simply me imagining how *I* would write it, how *I* would have preferred it. As it is, it's a very subjective mark-down (I can't stress just how subjective it is with regards to this particular work, given the almost universal accolades it's received), but that coupled with the frequent typos, and need for a little more editing work just let the book down for me a little. The ending is wonderful, apocalyptic and epic, and very satisfying. There is much to enjoy here, from the warm if melancholic tones of Abe, to the almost Barker-esque levels of dark awe and majestic horror. For me, it only just falls short of being perfect, but I would certainly read more from Langan, and, indeed, I'd be open to rereading The Fisherman, especially as I now know what to expect in terms of tone and pace.

Definitely a worthy addition to the halls of literary dark fiction, if not quite up there for me with the best in my estimation.

8 people found this helpful

David Brian

A fondness for Moby Dick?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2017

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A solid 4.5 stars.
The Fisherman by John Langan reads like a sprawling generational epic of a tale; albeit, it's a story which the author somehow manages to squeeze onto 266 pages. Still, for the most part it's a job well done.

The novel actually turns out to be a story within a story, and as the book first opens we begin to learn about two men, Abe & Dan, workmates who develop a bond inspired by the grievous losses each has suffered in their lives, and strengthened by the common interest they both hold for fishing. The characterization in this portion of the novel is exceptionally good, and it is difficult not to share Abe and Dan's turmoil.

The duo relish trying new locales, and as they are on the lookout for new sites to fish, they make a decision to try their lines in the waters of the little known Dutchman's Creek. This, along with a torrid rainstorm, and a chance conversation with a man named Howard, leads into a story of bygone days, and we begin to learn about Der Fischer.

Der Fischer begins generations ago, and is centered around a German immigrant named Rainer Schmidt, and his family members. Rainer is a man of books; Arcane books, and it is the knowledge he has garnered from these tomes - particularly his knowledge of extra-normal realities, and entities - will be called upon to provide salvation for the entire community in which he lives and works.

Rainer's section of the story provides a backdrop of understanding to the events that occur, and Der Fischer is a splendidly unsettling read that takes up a good 150 pages of the book. For the last 60 odd pages we return to the present day, and events affecting Abe and Dan. This, at least for me, was the least satisfactory part of the book. Although it wraps the story up competently, and it produces a finale that matches the overall tone of the book, these final scenes still felt kind of rushed.

Also, given how well the characters of Abe and Dan had been developed early on, I felt a level of disconnect with them following the lengthy Der Fischer. Dan's character in particular didn't seem like the same person I'd met early in the book. I guess his behavior could be explained by grief, but given that parts 1&3 of the book are separated in real time by little more than an hour, there seemed a sizable shift in Dan's character.

Nevertheless, despite what is a minor gripe on my part, The Fisherman really is a splendid read; one which I recommend to everyone who enjoys quality dark fiction.
One more thing: I have the paperback edition, and what a gorgeous cover it is.

4 people found this helpful

Crazydog

Exactly as ordered

Reviewed in Canada on August 23, 2023

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purchased as a gift. Brought great smiles

L E L

I never realised I was in love with it until I finished it and couldn't stop ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2017

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Jesus Christ... this book!

I never realised I was in love with it until I finished it and couldn't stop thinking about it, dreaming about it. So I read it again. It is dark and beautiful and horrific and wonderful. I think I know a book's good when I struggle to find words for it, and I really struggle for words when it comes to The Fisherman. It's one of my favourite books I've read in a while, it's one of my favourite Weird Fic books I've read in a while, and it was just a wonderful and capivating read.

Okay, I'm gushing. This is a book which has a lot to say and a lot of moods. It's horror, and it's horrific. It's weird fiction, and it's very damn weird. It's Lovecraftian, and boy does it love Lovecraft. It's dark fantasy, and it really is dark and it really is fantastical. And there are veins of human stories and human compassion, veins of straight-foreward adventure and pure fantasy, historical elements and personal elements... it's a mish-mash river of things which flow through the reader in a torrent. I felt this was a story Langan had been ruminating on for a long time, and urgently wanted, or had, to tell.

I liked but never loved Langan's short stories, they were interesting but never spoke to me, and I ordered this book on a whim after seeing good reviews. I didn't expect to like it. The amount of dark enjoyment and sheer joy got from this floored me. I think in his short stories, Langan tries to be too clever, too weird and too subversive, because if he can write like he wrote in this book, he can *write*. This book really dragged me into it's world, and I loved it.

So, I've gushed - a few things I didn't like.

Firstly - Well, I'd have liked to know more about Rainer. I love Rainer, I'm invested in Rainer, I want the continued occult adventures of Rainer. He put all the other characters in the shade, more or less.

Secondly, I hate to sound like a prude, but I work in a school library, and when I was 90% through the book I was thinking 'This would be a fantastic introduction to Weird Lit for young adults/older teens. I'd like to put this on our shelves, I have so many ideas about an initiative to get kids reading horror/sci-fi/weird-lit' and then...bam...detailed sex scene. Maybe we can still put it on our shelves, but...hmm... don't get me wrong, I'm in no way anti-sex scenes, it's just that it changed the book from being the perfect intro to sinister and scary Weird Lit for teens and young adults to something that I'd feel cautious about recommending to younger folks. Not a true complaint, just that I wish I could recommend it to my young library patrons.

Third, I desperately want more. I know this is best as a stand-alone book. But I want so much more.

Total score: 5/5 stars, or maybe 4.99/5 stars. Stunningly wonderful, but with tiny little complaints that are mostly just my personal comments. A lot of fun, and a hell of ride for a cosmic horror book.

16 people found this helpful

Donatroc

Awesome Book of Weird Fantasy

Reviewed in Canada on August 1, 2023

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It’s been a long time since I read such an awe-inspiring book!

Very engaging story and great storytelling!

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The Fisherman Paperback – June 30, 2016

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John Langan