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Blight
A brilliantly atmospheric horror novel about people disappearing in a small, claustrophobic village and whispers of a terrifying local legend called the tall man.
Perfect for fans of The Loney and Devil's Day.
1897.
James Harringley is summoned home from London to his rambling family mansion in the north of England. His father is sick, deranged, and James must return, confronting the horrors he tried to the labyrinthine house, the madness and secrets which poison their bloodline and, most frightening of all, the spectre of the tall man – an eerie visage who promises to whisk children away and make them royalty in the land of Faery.
James returns to the house and finds his father and brother at war, and the nebulous substance of his childhood brought into unbearable relief. He remembers the whispers about the tall man. But can he trust his own memories?
Then the groundskeeper Janey has had her baby kidnapped, one of many child disappearances connected with the house and the nearby village. There are those who blame the tall man, while others believe a more earthly culprit is responsible.
James must sift through the ramblings of his father, the scepticism of his power-hungry brother and the uncertain fabric of his own memories to discover the truth.
Perfect for fans of The Loney and Devil's Day.
1897.
James Harringley is summoned home from London to his rambling family mansion in the north of England. His father is sick, deranged, and James must return, confronting the horrors he tried to the labyrinthine house, the madness and secrets which poison their bloodline and, most frightening of all, the spectre of the tall man – an eerie visage who promises to whisk children away and make them royalty in the land of Faery.
James returns to the house and finds his father and brother at war, and the nebulous substance of his childhood brought into unbearable relief. He remembers the whispers about the tall man. But can he trust his own memories?
Then the groundskeeper Janey has had her baby kidnapped, one of many child disappearances connected with the house and the nearby village. There are those who blame the tall man, while others believe a more earthly culprit is responsible.
James must sift through the ramblings of his father, the scepticism of his power-hungry brother and the uncertain fabric of his own memories to discover the truth.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2023
6 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 29, 2023
(3.5) Is this the first time someone’s had the idea of inserting Slenderman into a historical gothic novel? Because it works surprisingly well! James Harringley, disgraced son of a landowner, reluctantly returns to the family manor at his brother’s request, only to find the place falling apart, his father diminished, and a suspicious police officer investigating a spate of mysterious deaths. The family – indeed the entire village – live in fear of a terrifying figure they call ‘the Tall Man’. I really enjoyed the first part of the book, which is full of atmosphere, as we learn about James’s past and his encounters with the Tall Man. The book remains engaging after that, but doesn’t live up to the eerie, chilly promise of its first third. I felt similarly about
The Paleontologist
by Luke Dumas, with the same reservation about both: with the exception of one sceptical character, everyone just accepts a wild supernatural explanation for events almost instantly. The book also could’ve done with a more thorough proofread – lots of modern speech patterns and Americanisms for a story set in Victorian-era Yorkshire.
Although I didn’t think it all hung together perfectly, I liked Blight for trying something different (and more ambitious) than your average ‘gothic chiller’. Would recommend to those who enjoyed The House of Footsteps, The Coffin Path, perhaps even The Silent Companions.
Although I didn’t think it all hung together perfectly, I liked Blight for trying something different (and more ambitious) than your average ‘gothic chiller’. Would recommend to those who enjoyed The House of Footsteps, The Coffin Path, perhaps even The Silent Companions.
October 1, 2023
Tom Carlisle steps into the darkness where other writers fear to tread. Armed with many of the tropes of grand and grotesque horror he has etched a chilling debut novel. He has also mastered the difficult art of sustaining a sense of unease from beginning to end.
Anyone who has read the classic stories of Arthur Machen and M.R. James will understand the importance of keeping this genre alive for future generations. Today, there is no-one to match the Master of Horror, Ramsey Campbell, but at last there is a contender with the potential for greatness.
This is a disturbing and disquieting story. It's a literary feast of unnerving images and psychologically frail or damaged characters. A masterpiece of horror.
Anyone who has read the classic stories of Arthur Machen and M.R. James will understand the importance of keeping this genre alive for future generations. Today, there is no-one to match the Master of Horror, Ramsey Campbell, but at last there is a contender with the potential for greatness.
This is a disturbing and disquieting story. It's a literary feast of unnerving images and psychologically frail or damaged characters. A masterpiece of horror.
November 15, 2023
3.75⭐️
I loved the folk horror vibes of the first half of this book, and the writing is very atmospheric. The story develops into a cosmic horror, which is probably my least favourite form of horror, but I was invested enough to finish the book. The end was a bit disappointing, but it was an interesting debut.
I loved the folk horror vibes of the first half of this book, and the writing is very atmospheric. The story develops into a cosmic horror, which is probably my least favourite form of horror, but I was invested enough to finish the book. The end was a bit disappointing, but it was an interesting debut.
January 30, 2024
A well contoured portrayal of a backwood society, stooped in folklore, superstition and myth to the extent that fear and horror become mundane, a believable - albeit grim and unfair - reality of life for those trapped under the 'rule' of the Tall Man.
Combine this with the fall of a once great house, noble in its' cause and scope at large, and add the predictable twists and turns that are bound to orbit such a long lineage, and you should have a marvel of folk horror writing.
Sadly, to my taste, it lacked the kick and punch towards the end, the fluidity and closure I was expecting from the would be conclusion of the story.
With many characters that simply do not get the chance to have the entirety of their voice heard and the overwhelming feeling of having been rushed towards what, in my view, was an anticlimactic ending, I found myself wishing for Tom Carlisle to have added a magnifying glass for me to look in depth at what could have been an overall delightful story, if not for several hiccups.
Combine this with the fall of a once great house, noble in its' cause and scope at large, and add the predictable twists and turns that are bound to orbit such a long lineage, and you should have a marvel of folk horror writing.
Sadly, to my taste, it lacked the kick and punch towards the end, the fluidity and closure I was expecting from the would be conclusion of the story.
With many characters that simply do not get the chance to have the entirety of their voice heard and the overwhelming feeling of having been rushed towards what, in my view, was an anticlimactic ending, I found myself wishing for Tom Carlisle to have added a magnifying glass for me to look in depth at what could have been an overall delightful story, if not for several hiccups.
September 21, 2023
I enjoyed this one.
The big house, the village, all the villagers, and the story of the tall man.
The family dynamics between the father and two sons was good too.
There were a few nice turns in the plot, and the whole thing builds well to the end.
I'm not sure I personally would class it as a horror.
The big house, the village, all the villagers, and the story of the tall man.
The family dynamics between the father and two sons was good too.
There were a few nice turns in the plot, and the whole thing builds well to the end.
I'm not sure I personally would class it as a horror.
May 7, 2024
It had so much potential, but my mind kept wandering off, because in my opinion the world building was done a little poorly and I constantly kept wondering "Where are they now? Is this a flashback? Are they above ground or under ground?" Maybe it was the writing style that confused me some of the times.
Overall I do think it was a nice story and the Tall Man was very eerie but also somehow really intriguing and he didn't scare me at all. There was one scene in the book that was really well written and gave a certain jump-scare moment that I really enjoyed. A big plus was that the book had a real gothic vibe to it.
After I finished the book I did kind of feel like it had an unresolved ending. There was no real pay-off. But maybe that is just my experience.
Overall I do think it was a nice story and the Tall Man was very eerie but also somehow really intriguing and he didn't scare me at all. There was one scene in the book that was really well written and gave a certain jump-scare moment that I really enjoyed. A big plus was that the book had a real gothic vibe to it.
After I finished the book I did kind of feel like it had an unresolved ending. There was no real pay-off. But maybe that is just my experience.
November 6, 2023
I don’t usually read horror / gothic novels but this came highly recommended from a friend so I gave it a try.
From the first paragraph we know we are in the hands of a skilled writer, especially when it ends with the beautifully juxtapositional phrase, used of the paper of a letter summoning the protagonist to his childhood home, ‘pointless opulence’.
Pointlessly opulent is something that this book is not. The writing is parsimoniously precise, more like, with the result that it gives rise to vivid mental images.
For the first few pages it reads like a Victorian family drama—not that I’ve read many of those either, at least since my school days. Interesting. Fine enough.
But then we get a mention of the Tall Man and the void.
It’s almost comical when it first appears, this supernatural element that the novel asks us to buy into. But then, like the foreboding, creeping sense of dread that works its way into our protagonist’s psyche as he returns to his childhood home to confront his outer demon [sic] there, the supernatural element worms and tricks its way into our own psyche, assisted by ambiguous possibly-dream sequences and possibly unreliably-reported memories that keep you guessing right until the last moment, until we have to keep reading to find out the answers to our questions and in the process we have been scared shitless.
It probably didn’t help that I read a lot of this book very late at night (one of the only times it feels like I ever have to read…) and finished it on Hallowe’en, but some of it genuinely unnerved me—particularly some of the reported memory scenes about the Tall Man and the climactic scene of the storyline set in the past.
BLIGHT is extremely cleverly structured, no doubt the result of the multiple rounds of painstaking structural edits mentioned in its Acknowledgements: one storyline follows the protagonist in the present returning to his childhood home to address some nasty goings on there; the other follows him in the past as we discover the roots of the nasty goings on there and why he left in the first place. These two storylines overlap and interpenetrate each other, as well as it not always being clear whether what is happening in one or other of them is actually happening, without ever disintegrating into self-indulgent ‘maybe it was all a dream’ waffle. A remarkable achievement.
The writing is crisp and lucid throughout, the characters nuanced and sympathetic with clear, discernible motivations, and as mentioned the plot is very carefully layered, but also highly unpredictable so that it pulls you irresistibly forward through the book.
My only complaints are of a few notes that clashed with my long-held Christian faith (faith being a theme of the book that emerges organically, without being heavy-handed), but maybe further reflection will bring out some harmonies here I hadn’t noticed before.
I read BLIGHT in one week, which for this reader who reads very slowly, has two young children and an ill wife, is extremely fast, a testament to how compelling it is.
Highly recommended now by another of your friends as well.
From the first paragraph we know we are in the hands of a skilled writer, especially when it ends with the beautifully juxtapositional phrase, used of the paper of a letter summoning the protagonist to his childhood home, ‘pointless opulence’.
Pointlessly opulent is something that this book is not. The writing is parsimoniously precise, more like, with the result that it gives rise to vivid mental images.
For the first few pages it reads like a Victorian family drama—not that I’ve read many of those either, at least since my school days. Interesting. Fine enough.
But then we get a mention of the Tall Man and the void.
It’s almost comical when it first appears, this supernatural element that the novel asks us to buy into. But then, like the foreboding, creeping sense of dread that works its way into our protagonist’s psyche as he returns to his childhood home to confront his outer demon [sic] there, the supernatural element worms and tricks its way into our own psyche, assisted by ambiguous possibly-dream sequences and possibly unreliably-reported memories that keep you guessing right until the last moment, until we have to keep reading to find out the answers to our questions and in the process we have been scared shitless.
It probably didn’t help that I read a lot of this book very late at night (one of the only times it feels like I ever have to read…) and finished it on Hallowe’en, but some of it genuinely unnerved me—particularly some of the reported memory scenes about the Tall Man and the climactic scene of the storyline set in the past.
BLIGHT is extremely cleverly structured, no doubt the result of the multiple rounds of painstaking structural edits mentioned in its Acknowledgements: one storyline follows the protagonist in the present returning to his childhood home to address some nasty goings on there; the other follows him in the past as we discover the roots of the nasty goings on there and why he left in the first place. These two storylines overlap and interpenetrate each other, as well as it not always being clear whether what is happening in one or other of them is actually happening, without ever disintegrating into self-indulgent ‘maybe it was all a dream’ waffle. A remarkable achievement.
The writing is crisp and lucid throughout, the characters nuanced and sympathetic with clear, discernible motivations, and as mentioned the plot is very carefully layered, but also highly unpredictable so that it pulls you irresistibly forward through the book.
My only complaints are of a few notes that clashed with my long-held Christian faith (faith being a theme of the book that emerges organically, without being heavy-handed), but maybe further reflection will bring out some harmonies here I hadn’t noticed before.
I read BLIGHT in one week, which for this reader who reads very slowly, has two young children and an ill wife, is extremely fast, a testament to how compelling it is.
Highly recommended now by another of your friends as well.
December 5, 2023
This was a peculiar one for me. Peculiar in the fact that it had such an intriguing concept, a great start and a bit of a lacklustre fizzle out kind of feel from the midway point to the end.
I love the idea of a Victorian Slenderman of sorts, but felt that he was more effective as a bogeyman when he was an unknown entity to the reader. When he became an actual character that had speech etc ... it really lessened the spooky vibes for me. Lessened it to the point where I'd say it didn't feel like a horror in the slightest.
I also struggled with the time jumps. There wasn't any real obvious point to when present day ended and a part in the past would begin other than the author hitting the enter key twice. Some form of 'present day' mark, or a date sub-heading might have made things easier. This sounds like an overreaction, but neither the writing style nor the character groups changed much/if at all during these switches. So it sometimes took tired eyes longer than needed to realise James was a child during certain parts rather than a grown man. I feel the over-abundance of time jumps really hit the pacing of the novel and made things even less spookier. I did get this via Netgalley, so in the actual hard copy this clear/defined moment of a time jump might have been addressed.
One aspect I did like was the atmospheric writing style. It served to raise the bar that had been somewhat lowered by the above gripes. I can't say I've seen the time jump thing moaned about in other reviews, so it could just have been a personal thing on my part. But, with that in mind, reading is an incredibly personal and subjective past-time.
Overall, I feel I'd have enjoyed it more if the Tall Man was probably more a glimpsed figure than a fully-fledged one. I feel that, and that alone, would have made this way more of an exciting page-turner for me.
I love the idea of a Victorian Slenderman of sorts, but felt that he was more effective as a bogeyman when he was an unknown entity to the reader. When he became an actual character that had speech etc ... it really lessened the spooky vibes for me. Lessened it to the point where I'd say it didn't feel like a horror in the slightest.
I also struggled with the time jumps. There wasn't any real obvious point to when present day ended and a part in the past would begin other than the author hitting the enter key twice. Some form of 'present day' mark, or a date sub-heading might have made things easier. This sounds like an overreaction, but neither the writing style nor the character groups changed much/if at all during these switches. So it sometimes took tired eyes longer than needed to realise James was a child during certain parts rather than a grown man. I feel the over-abundance of time jumps really hit the pacing of the novel and made things even less spookier. I did get this via Netgalley, so in the actual hard copy this clear/defined moment of a time jump might have been addressed.
One aspect I did like was the atmospheric writing style. It served to raise the bar that had been somewhat lowered by the above gripes. I can't say I've seen the time jump thing moaned about in other reviews, so it could just have been a personal thing on my part. But, with that in mind, reading is an incredibly personal and subjective past-time.
Overall, I feel I'd have enjoyed it more if the Tall Man was probably more a glimpsed figure than a fully-fledged one. I feel that, and that alone, would have made this way more of an exciting page-turner for me.
January 13, 2025
The concept is strong. The writing is okay. The narrative is decent but stretched thin.
A promising debut. One that does have me looking forward to Carlisle's next book but I couldn't really recommend people pick this up. The idea of the void and the Tall Man and a community that is holding back the dark through their sacrifice is a great one but the plot begins to unravel whenever you think about it. On a page-by-page basis, it works but as soon as you ask "Why here?", "Why do the village people seem to worship the Tall Man?", "What was James' father's end game?", it doesn't add up.
Worse than that is how high pitched the tone is throughout. Everything is turned up to eleven from so early in the novel and then it continues to insist that everything, even a night's sleep, must be similarly stressful. The big set pieces would hit harder if the reader had time to reset between them. It's no fun to be on edge for hundreds of pages.
But the imagination here is something worth revisiting.
A promising debut. One that does have me looking forward to Carlisle's next book but I couldn't really recommend people pick this up. The idea of the void and the Tall Man and a community that is holding back the dark through their sacrifice is a great one but the plot begins to unravel whenever you think about it. On a page-by-page basis, it works but as soon as you ask "Why here?", "Why do the village people seem to worship the Tall Man?", "What was James' father's end game?", it doesn't add up.
Worse than that is how high pitched the tone is throughout. Everything is turned up to eleven from so early in the novel and then it continues to insist that everything, even a night's sleep, must be similarly stressful. The big set pieces would hit harder if the reader had time to reset between them. It's no fun to be on edge for hundreds of pages.
But the imagination here is something worth revisiting.
November 3, 2025
The premise of this book was promising, however the execution of the plot structure was chaotic and frustrating. The continuous one sentence teasers about James' past were pointless and did not build tension in the way that the author intended. Character motivations were so unrealistic as to be confounding, and I did not find myself rooting for any of them in particular. A more linear unfolding of memories or the timeline might have clarified the relationships at least, which was the weakest part of this book to me.
I was hoping for a twist or reveal in the second act that never came either, and because of the murky characterization of the brothers and even their father, none of the emotions at the ending made sense to me.
The descriptions were strong, and this author loves clearly loves the horror and folktale genres, but it could have used a clearer narrative to increase by contrast the strangeness of the backdrop of The Tall Man (whose origin and motive are also not very clear).
I was hoping for a twist or reveal in the second act that never came either, and because of the murky characterization of the brothers and even their father, none of the emotions at the ending made sense to me.
The descriptions were strong, and this author loves clearly loves the horror and folktale genres, but it could have used a clearer narrative to increase by contrast the strangeness of the backdrop of The Tall Man (whose origin and motive are also not very clear).
October 30, 2023
James left his family home a long time ago, and never planned to return, until he gets a letter about his ailing father and feels an obligation to return home.
He is met by his brother, and new wife and baby... and also stories of recent disappearance that may be linked to the tale of The Tall Man
The Tall Man is a horror from James' childhood and is all tied up with his family history. What exactly has James' father promised to the Tall Man and can his sons, and grandson, survive what is to come.
Or is the Tall Man just a fabrication to cover up other horrors in the Village
We join James and his family as they uncover the truth, and just how far people will go for family ties
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the chance to read and review this book. Definitely a good choice for this time of year!
He is met by his brother, and new wife and baby... and also stories of recent disappearance that may be linked to the tale of The Tall Man
The Tall Man is a horror from James' childhood and is all tied up with his family history. What exactly has James' father promised to the Tall Man and can his sons, and grandson, survive what is to come.
Or is the Tall Man just a fabrication to cover up other horrors in the Village
We join James and his family as they uncover the truth, and just how far people will go for family ties
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the chance to read and review this book. Definitely a good choice for this time of year!
November 16, 2025
More surprise queer horror! The queerness is not at all the focal point in this book, but it was a nice touch.
This book is about fae, and not the kind from ACOTAR. I will say one slight issue I had with this book was that the antagonistic fae king is known amongst the village folk as “the Tall Man” and described as wearing a top hat, which kept making me think of the benadryl meme. That aside, this was an enjoyable story. The classic “fairy comes to collect the firstborn children of the household” story. It was nothing special and didn’t do anything particularly unique for me, but it was a fun read.
My main hangup with this book was that we went back and forward in time a lot, but there was no real indicator for this. I wish there could have been a “past” and “present” indicator along with the chapter numbers or something just to make it a bit easier to follow.
This book is about fae, and not the kind from ACOTAR. I will say one slight issue I had with this book was that the antagonistic fae king is known amongst the village folk as “the Tall Man” and described as wearing a top hat, which kept making me think of the benadryl meme. That aside, this was an enjoyable story. The classic “fairy comes to collect the firstborn children of the household” story. It was nothing special and didn’t do anything particularly unique for me, but it was a fun read.
My main hangup with this book was that we went back and forward in time a lot, but there was no real indicator for this. I wish there could have been a “past” and “present” indicator along with the chapter numbers or something just to make it a bit easier to follow.
May 19, 2024
Very interesting take on old village folklore and ancient deals/dealings. There are a lot of twists and turns and some very atmospheric moments, especially with the Tall Man. However, I'm not entirely sure this book was my cup of tea. Some areas didn't have the punch I would have liked. I would still recommend people give it a read, especially if they like Victorian atmospheric horror.
October 23, 2023
It really is not a horror. It is scary that some readers got to the end with more than one star. Not a page turner and reads like something a teen would write. Maybe it is aimed more at a teen market or for those new to fiction. Reads like a short story that goes on for too long.
November 9, 2023
I enjoyed this. Corking premise and good locations and characters. I felt it was slightly let down by a slightly passive narrative voice and being (in parts) overly long.
Overall, will definitely read the next one from Carlisle
Overall, will definitely read the next one from Carlisle
February 26, 2024
I'm not a fan of horror stories. I picked this book from a magazine recommendation. It was ok. An easy read. But not my cup of tea. As usual with horror stories, it left me with more questions than answers.
But I think horror books enthusiasts would emjoy it.
But I think horror books enthusiasts would emjoy it.
October 31, 2024
Does a good job of capturing the Victorian Horror/Fantasy spirit, if not the structure or tone. Utilises the setting to explore its themes fantastically but gets a little messy by revealing things to the audience and characters at different rates.
December 9, 2023
This story is lifted straight from resident evil 😈 It isn't fresh but it has some interesting twists. Characters are odd though
January 15, 2024
A lot of tell and not show. It has some roots but it was a lot of characters saying the same stock sentences over and over
June 13, 2024
Pretty pissed at the blurb that described it as thrillingly original because it definitely was not
July 7, 2024
It would have been better as a self published short story. Terribly drawn out and characters that are forgettable
February 18, 2025
Absolutely gripping from start to finish and just the right pacing that you put things together as James does. Bloody brilliant.
Read
September 17, 2025I only read half of this but it just isn't very good so...
December 20, 2025
A gothic horror with fantasy overtones. Interesting, but also kind of hopeless and depressing.
October 26, 2023
This was a wonderful novel. I read it in one setting and couldn't put it down. These are the kind of books that draw me in. Folk horror is my absolute go to. This author is extremely talented and I look forward to future endeavors.
March 28, 2025
big haunted house in out in t’yorkshire moors. eldritch horror but everyone comes from Barnsley
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews