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Lord of Nightmares #3
The Hungering God
The Lord of Nightmares will soon walk the earth leaving destruction and madness in its wake. Only a few souls know the horrifying truth, but can they prevent the imminent ruination of human civilization? A rising tide of strange events and unexplained disappearances have nearly enveloped the small New England town of Arkham, Massachusetts, and now, a handful of unlikely heroes must race to save mankind from an ancient and unspeakable evil!
The Hungering God is the third and final novel in The Lord of Nightmares Trilogy, written by Alan Bligh and John French.
The Hungering God is the third and final novel in The Lord of Nightmares Trilogy, written by Alan Bligh and John French.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 22, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 25, 2015
I'm not sure what happened? I really enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy and then I started the final book and...It was a chore to get through. Sure there were some parts that stood out as gems in scene setting and dialogue, but overall the book felt very disjointed and confusing at times. The ending was definitely lacking and did not seem satisfying at all, which is unfortunate because there was a lot of potential.
August 6, 2024
Too many characters vying for time plus the introduction of several new ones made it hard to keep track of the overarching goal of some of them.
September 1, 2019
As a fan of Lovecraftian horror and the Arkham Horror boardgame that this book is based off of, I had to pick The Hungering God up.
I enjoyed the characterization of several of the characters in this book, specifically Harvey, Daisy, the Witch, and the Doctor, but I was left wanting more insight and 'screentime' on them. The scenes shifted over so many characters and events, and while this allowed for building a robust world, it left me wanting.
I can't say this hit the Lovecraftian mark right on the head, but it tugs at several of those strings and makes it its own. In terms of the Arkham Horror game, I'd say it gives flavor to the world of the boardgame.
As a book in itself, it wasn't a bad read, but had notable flaws. The main one for me, and what made it difficult to read, was that the story didn't pick up until the second half of the book. And even then, there were still many dry moments leading up to the climax.
Overall, it was an interesting concept and, even though they could have been explored further, I felt that the characters stood out.
I wouldn't recommend it unless you've an unquenchable curiosity. I don't regret the read, but I won't be revisiting this book again.
I enjoyed the characterization of several of the characters in this book, specifically Harvey, Daisy, the Witch, and the Doctor, but I was left wanting more insight and 'screentime' on them. The scenes shifted over so many characters and events, and while this allowed for building a robust world, it left me wanting.
I can't say this hit the Lovecraftian mark right on the head, but it tugs at several of those strings and makes it its own. In terms of the Arkham Horror game, I'd say it gives flavor to the world of the boardgame.
As a book in itself, it wasn't a bad read, but had notable flaws. The main one for me, and what made it difficult to read, was that the story didn't pick up until the second half of the book. And even then, there were still many dry moments leading up to the climax.
Overall, it was an interesting concept and, even though they could have been explored further, I felt that the characters stood out.
I wouldn't recommend it unless you've an unquenchable curiosity. I don't regret the read, but I won't be revisiting this book again.
August 20, 2014
I can't quite put my finger on what I disliked about this book but I picked it and put it down twice before fighting my way through it. The writing is certainly competent, and the story is intricate and interesting. It may be that I read the first two volumes in the trilogy too long ago to remember the details, and kept mixing up the characters from this book with characters in other books in a similar series. I couldn't keep track of who was who, and what they were doing, and why they were doing it. I really had to struggle to finish it (it's taken me weeks) and I skimmed the last 50 pages.
Maybe I am developing ADD, or some hey who wants to ride bikes I like ducks look at that cloud where are my shoes we should get ice cream!
Maybe I am developing ADD, or some hey who wants to ride bikes I like ducks look at that cloud where are my shoes we should get ice cream!
August 12, 2016
Really, I just had to finish it because I started the trilogy. Too many typos in my Kindle edition, and while I loved the name-dropping, the plot was pretty convoluted and I had difficulty remembering who was who from the previous book. This may have been my fault, but maybe the writing just wasn't clear enough.
Either way, pick it up only if you are into Arkham Horror. There are a lot more suspenseful and well-plotted horror novels out there than this one.
Either way, pick it up only if you are into Arkham Horror. There are a lot more suspenseful and well-plotted horror novels out there than this one.
November 17, 2022
This book is boring and it should not exist. It tries to wrap the stories of two perfectly fine standalone books into one "epic conclusion" (I guess the editorial market demands everything be a trilogy these days) but not only fails at being a good horror story, or even a good story in general but also to build up from the preceding installments.
It definitely feels perfunctory and unimaginative. The plot is basically a rehash of that of book 1--a hardened criminal is enlisted by Shawcross to search for a girl in possession of a fragment of an elder artifact while both a murderous cult and a mysterious figure with supernatural powers chase after them both--only now devoid of any of the mystery and suspense because we are currently privy to all the backstories of all the characters (except Shawcross, who is never explained before disappearing from the book) and the mechanics of this world. And the climax feels like a step down from book 2, where an orgy of blood and death opened the doors to a temple beyond time. Here we are back to fighting cultists trying to invoke an evil god.
The narration in this book is so uninspired that the pandemonium of chaos and destruction at the end of the book and its descriptions of violence and body horror feel less threatening and impactful than even the nightmare sequences in this very book, let alone the endings of the previous ones. Reading this at times feels like a chore, it somehow feels at the same time padded and rushed.
Again, this book is trying to be the conclusion to a story that did not exist. All the characters from both books are thrown together in a confusing and incoherent mess, and plot points and important elements from the previous stories are completely abandoned in order to accommodate for this melange. Overall, there are too many characters and competing factions. The narration does a poor job of characterizing each one in a clear and recognizable way, or of properly juggling all the points of view. The plot feels disjointed, with threats appearing and disappearing haphazardly, and the main bad guy being at the same time entirely predictable and not at all built up to.
The character of Lemaitre in particular seems to be demoted from a sophisticated and somewhat complex villain in book 2, who is actually trying to invoke the Lord of Nightmares in order to wish away his immortality, into the caricature of a Lovecraftian villain. Raker is another character who, while somewhat weak in his original, here becomes merely a tool for the plot, not doing more than serving as a point of view, and carrying information and objects around when needed.
But the worst character by far is Grace Zabriski. She feels like a microcosm for most of what is wrong with this book: she is an uninteresting side character, with no direct stakes in the conflict, and with no meaningful personality or internal conflict, but who somehow becomes a pov character for extended sequences, offering lengthy monologues about things we already know, and who feels like a cheap padding tool for getting to that 300-page mark until she performs her one duty for the plot (moving the mcguffin around) and completely disappears from the book.
The ending feels so unsatisfying not only because it is the disjointed child of two stories that have no place being stitched together and the underwhelming conclusion to a weak story, but also because it does not offer a satisfying conclusion to any of its characters' arcs. As Raker dies, we are not treated to even a single mention of his internal monologue or his memories of Vivian, and Morgan is pulverized by the main baddie after plowing through the horrors of the apocalypse for... no particular reason at all. His help was not needed, after all, it seems. All of the main protagonists die unceremoniously before being revived in an epilogue that feels even more unsatisfying and undeserved. A pathetic use of "and it was all a dream" that robs the characters of all their achievements, all their growth, and which not only leaves them as hollowed shells of the characters we learned to cherish but which also does not make any sense at all. Does killing Lemaitre prevent all the protagonists from becoming involved with the supernatural? Was Lemaitre the underlying influence behind Shawcross and Cormac and the Valusian Book of Days? To be honest it is hard to understand what is going on at the end of it all. And a happy ending that writes off all the evil and the destruction feels not only cheap and unsatisfying but especially out of place in an effing Lovecraftian horror story.
--
In its defense, I will say: the duel scene between Raker and Dr. Fields is for me the high point of the book, and some of the nightmare scenes struck me as very powerful and vivid. Moreover, Harvey Walters was a great addition to the cast, not only it was nice to explore what was previously a side character in greater detail but it was nice seeing a minor character being put in a crucial position and rising up to the challenge. Together with the charm of his personality, Harvey's pov sections were among the most enjoyable for me in this book.
All of this, however, is not enough for me to be willing to give this book more than 1 star. If not for anything else, for how it renders both its prequels worse by association.
It definitely feels perfunctory and unimaginative. The plot is basically a rehash of that of book 1--a hardened criminal is enlisted by Shawcross to search for a girl in possession of a fragment of an elder artifact while both a murderous cult and a mysterious figure with supernatural powers chase after them both--only now devoid of any of the mystery and suspense because we are currently privy to all the backstories of all the characters (except Shawcross, who is never explained before disappearing from the book) and the mechanics of this world. And the climax feels like a step down from book 2, where an orgy of blood and death opened the doors to a temple beyond time. Here we are back to fighting cultists trying to invoke an evil god.
The narration in this book is so uninspired that the pandemonium of chaos and destruction at the end of the book and its descriptions of violence and body horror feel less threatening and impactful than even the nightmare sequences in this very book, let alone the endings of the previous ones. Reading this at times feels like a chore, it somehow feels at the same time padded and rushed.
Again, this book is trying to be the conclusion to a story that did not exist. All the characters from both books are thrown together in a confusing and incoherent mess, and plot points and important elements from the previous stories are completely abandoned in order to accommodate for this melange. Overall, there are too many characters and competing factions. The narration does a poor job of characterizing each one in a clear and recognizable way, or of properly juggling all the points of view. The plot feels disjointed, with threats appearing and disappearing haphazardly, and the main bad guy being at the same time entirely predictable and not at all built up to.
The character of Lemaitre in particular seems to be demoted from a sophisticated and somewhat complex villain in book 2, who is actually trying to invoke the Lord of Nightmares in order to wish away his immortality, into the caricature of a Lovecraftian villain. Raker is another character who, while somewhat weak in his original, here becomes merely a tool for the plot, not doing more than serving as a point of view, and carrying information and objects around when needed.
But the worst character by far is Grace Zabriski. She feels like a microcosm for most of what is wrong with this book: she is an uninteresting side character, with no direct stakes in the conflict, and with no meaningful personality or internal conflict, but who somehow becomes a pov character for extended sequences, offering lengthy monologues about things we already know, and who feels like a cheap padding tool for getting to that 300-page mark until she performs her one duty for the plot (moving the mcguffin around) and completely disappears from the book.
The ending feels so unsatisfying not only because it is the disjointed child of two stories that have no place being stitched together and the underwhelming conclusion to a weak story, but also because it does not offer a satisfying conclusion to any of its characters' arcs. As Raker dies, we are not treated to even a single mention of his internal monologue or his memories of Vivian, and Morgan is pulverized by the main baddie after plowing through the horrors of the apocalypse for... no particular reason at all. His help was not needed, after all, it seems. All of the main protagonists die unceremoniously before being revived in an epilogue that feels even more unsatisfying and undeserved. A pathetic use of "and it was all a dream" that robs the characters of all their achievements, all their growth, and which not only leaves them as hollowed shells of the characters we learned to cherish but which also does not make any sense at all. Does killing Lemaitre prevent all the protagonists from becoming involved with the supernatural? Was Lemaitre the underlying influence behind Shawcross and Cormac and the Valusian Book of Days? To be honest it is hard to understand what is going on at the end of it all. And a happy ending that writes off all the evil and the destruction feels not only cheap and unsatisfying but especially out of place in an effing Lovecraftian horror story.
--
In its defense, I will say: the duel scene between Raker and Dr. Fields is for me the high point of the book, and some of the nightmare scenes struck me as very powerful and vivid. Moreover, Harvey Walters was a great addition to the cast, not only it was nice to explore what was previously a side character in greater detail but it was nice seeing a minor character being put in a crucial position and rising up to the challenge. Together with the charm of his personality, Harvey's pov sections were among the most enjoyable for me in this book.
All of this, however, is not enough for me to be willing to give this book more than 1 star. If not for anything else, for how it renders both its prequels worse by association.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2015
Disjointed and poorly plotted, with a weak and anticlimactic ending.
May 2, 2016
Apparently things had to be wrapped up quickly at the end
October 15, 2020
I was going to give this book two stars, but the epilogue was ... well, what just happened?
July 26, 2018
It's not as brutal as the second book, following more the steps of the first one, but the gore is there. And the ties are neatly connected, giving the story a proper ending. A very good and surprising trilogy this is, and I recommend it to anyone who likes that eldritch cosmic horror that Lovecraft introduced to us.
September 10, 2021
It's decent. A few too many characters for what it's trying to do and the ending is anti-climatic.
March 21, 2025
The ending is again abrupt and makes no sense. A great disappointment.
February 9, 2014
The Hungering God is, as I recently heard an old saying describe, a camel. The old saying being that a camel is a horse built by a committee. Allow me to explain, The Hungering God by both Alan Bligh and John French is the sequel to two very different books (that share a lot of basic similarities) which Fantasy Flight Games tried to market as a trilogy. All the books in this series are based on the Arkham Horror board game, which is, in turn, based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Book #1 in the Lord of Nightmares "trilogy" was Dance of the Damned by Alan Bligh, following the exploits of Daisy Walker and Tony Morgan (both heroes of the Arkham Horror gaming universe) among others trying to stop a murderous cult (The Legion of Rapture) from awakening the Lord of Nightmares--an evil Ancient One who is never named specifically. I quite enjoyed Dance of the Damned and looked forward to the sequel.
Book #2, however, was called The Lies of Solace and was written by a different author--John French--and told a different (yet similar) story about a determined group of Investigators (Jacqueline Fine among them) trying to stop an ageless evil wizard named Lemaitre from using a cult (The Hand of Solace) to summon the Lord of Nightmares to unmake reality. The story of the first book is not continued in any way in the second. All the characters are different and the overall tone is much more bleak and downbeat. I didn't like The Lies of Solace nearly as much as Dance of the Damned.
So...book #3: The Hungering God is what happens when you try to combine the characters and plotlines from two different novels set in the same general universe. In short, it's kind of a mess. There is way too much going on in this novel to really ever get a clear narrative thread. Having two authors--even though I suspect they are friends--working on the same book is also a detriment to the cohesiveness of the story as a whole. The focus zigs and zags all over the place.
My main criticism is not the writing (though I still like Bligh's work much better than French's) but the thinking behind the writing. The Hungering God is not necessarily badly written--hence my somewhat generous three-star rating--but it was very badly planned and edited. A horse by committee, in other words.
It is hard to make specific criticisms of the story without giving away too much of the convoluted plot. Let's just say it's hard to know who in the story is really who they claim to be and why they are doing what they're doing. Once the myriad groups of villains begin to attack each other, the confusion of the plotlines increases exponentially. Even at the end, the explanations of the many motivations and clever-ish gambits is vague and underwhelming.
By the end of the book, even though the world does end...sort of, the various plotlines all implode into a messy, hard to follow mishmash of multiple half-developed climaxes. The ending isn't incredibly satisfying, but it does undo most of the harm the authors (in tandem) did to the world of Arkham, Dunwich and Kingsport.
What should have been done by Fantasy Flight was to market the first two books as separate entities (similar though they were) and not try to combine both books into a mega-sequel that was composed of too many disparate elements to really satisfy readers of either of the first two books. But what I suspect happened is that Alan Bligh started out just fine but was unable to continue writing the trilogy and John French stepped up to write book two from scratch. Then book three was the attempt to set it all right and finish both stories simultaneously. It's almost like the authors were trying to undo reality as well, but they succeeded about as much as the Hand of Solace did.
Book #1 in the Lord of Nightmares "trilogy" was Dance of the Damned by Alan Bligh, following the exploits of Daisy Walker and Tony Morgan (both heroes of the Arkham Horror gaming universe) among others trying to stop a murderous cult (The Legion of Rapture) from awakening the Lord of Nightmares--an evil Ancient One who is never named specifically. I quite enjoyed Dance of the Damned and looked forward to the sequel.
Book #2, however, was called The Lies of Solace and was written by a different author--John French--and told a different (yet similar) story about a determined group of Investigators (Jacqueline Fine among them) trying to stop an ageless evil wizard named Lemaitre from using a cult (The Hand of Solace) to summon the Lord of Nightmares to unmake reality. The story of the first book is not continued in any way in the second. All the characters are different and the overall tone is much more bleak and downbeat. I didn't like The Lies of Solace nearly as much as Dance of the Damned.
So...book #3: The Hungering God is what happens when you try to combine the characters and plotlines from two different novels set in the same general universe. In short, it's kind of a mess. There is way too much going on in this novel to really ever get a clear narrative thread. Having two authors--even though I suspect they are friends--working on the same book is also a detriment to the cohesiveness of the story as a whole. The focus zigs and zags all over the place.
My main criticism is not the writing (though I still like Bligh's work much better than French's) but the thinking behind the writing. The Hungering God is not necessarily badly written--hence my somewhat generous three-star rating--but it was very badly planned and edited. A horse by committee, in other words.
It is hard to make specific criticisms of the story without giving away too much of the convoluted plot. Let's just say it's hard to know who in the story is really who they claim to be and why they are doing what they're doing. Once the myriad groups of villains begin to attack each other, the confusion of the plotlines increases exponentially. Even at the end, the explanations of the many motivations and clever-ish gambits is vague and underwhelming.
By the end of the book, even though the world does end...sort of, the various plotlines all implode into a messy, hard to follow mishmash of multiple half-developed climaxes. The ending isn't incredibly satisfying, but it does undo most of the harm the authors (in tandem) did to the world of Arkham, Dunwich and Kingsport.
What should have been done by Fantasy Flight was to market the first two books as separate entities (similar though they were) and not try to combine both books into a mega-sequel that was composed of too many disparate elements to really satisfy readers of either of the first two books. But what I suspect happened is that Alan Bligh started out just fine but was unable to continue writing the trilogy and John French stepped up to write book two from scratch. Then book three was the attempt to set it all right and finish both stories simultaneously. It's almost like the authors were trying to undo reality as well, but they succeeded about as much as the Hand of Solace did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2015
Hrozně mě to nebavilo. Zmatené. Pointa by šla, ale dobrat se k ní... nějak jsem nezvládla pocítit nějakou atmosféru.
Ale na konci to zase vypadá fakt jako v deskovce, to zase jo. Monstra v ulicích, probouzející se Prastarý, detektivové zavření v blázinci... ale číst to bylo úmorné.
Ale na konci to zase vypadá fakt jako v deskovce, to zase jo. Monstra v ulicích, probouzející se Prastarý, detektivové zavření v blázinci... ale číst to bylo úmorné.
May 20, 2015
This was an interesting conclusion to the trilogy. Considering the two different authors for the first two books, they worked together well with a single voice to tie all the strands together. Having a few of the more prominent characters from the games feature more heavily was also very welcome.
February 3, 2017
Not how I anticipated the series to end. Well done.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews