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The Nightmarchers
From the award-winning author of Dead Souls and Poe comes an all-new bone-chilling novel where a mysterious island holds the terrifying answers to a woman's past and future.
In 1939, on a remote Pacific island, botanical researcher Irene Greer plunges off a waterfall to her death, convinced the spirits of her dead husband and daughter had joined the nightmarchers—ghosts of ancient warriors that rise from their burial sites on moonless nights. But was it suicide, or did a strange young missionary girl, Agnes, play a role in Irene's deteriorating state of mind?
It all seems like ancient family history to Julia Greer, who has enough problems of her own. A struggling journalist, she’s recovering from a divorce and is barely able to make rent, let alone appeal the court’s decision to give sole custody of their daughter to her ex-husband. When her elderly great-aunt offers her an outrageously large sum to travel to this remote island and collect samples of a very special flower, as well as find out what really happened to her sister Irene all those years ago, Julia thinks her life might finally be on an upward swing. She’s also tasked to connect with the island’s Church of Eternal Light, which her great-aunt suspects knows more about Irene’s tragic death than they’ve said.
But Julia finds this place isn’t so quick to give up its secrets. The Church is tight-lipped about the deaths that have contributed to its oddly large cemetery, as well as Irene’s final fate. The only person who seems to know more is a fellow traveler, Noah Cooper, who thinks that Julia's not the only one on a mission to find the rare flower...which, if the rumors are true, could have world-changing properties.
What Julia does know is that the longer she stays on the island, the more the thin line begins to blur between truth and lies, reality and the fantastical...until she finds herself face to face with the real reason why the island is taboo....
In 1939, on a remote Pacific island, botanical researcher Irene Greer plunges off a waterfall to her death, convinced the spirits of her dead husband and daughter had joined the nightmarchers—ghosts of ancient warriors that rise from their burial sites on moonless nights. But was it suicide, or did a strange young missionary girl, Agnes, play a role in Irene's deteriorating state of mind?
It all seems like ancient family history to Julia Greer, who has enough problems of her own. A struggling journalist, she’s recovering from a divorce and is barely able to make rent, let alone appeal the court’s decision to give sole custody of their daughter to her ex-husband. When her elderly great-aunt offers her an outrageously large sum to travel to this remote island and collect samples of a very special flower, as well as find out what really happened to her sister Irene all those years ago, Julia thinks her life might finally be on an upward swing. She’s also tasked to connect with the island’s Church of Eternal Light, which her great-aunt suspects knows more about Irene’s tragic death than they’ve said.
But Julia finds this place isn’t so quick to give up its secrets. The Church is tight-lipped about the deaths that have contributed to its oddly large cemetery, as well as Irene’s final fate. The only person who seems to know more is a fellow traveler, Noah Cooper, who thinks that Julia's not the only one on a mission to find the rare flower...which, if the rumors are true, could have world-changing properties.
What Julia does know is that the longer she stays on the island, the more the thin line begins to blur between truth and lies, reality and the fantastical...until she finds herself face to face with the real reason why the island is taboo....
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2018
23 people are currently reading
5568 people want to read
About the author
J. Lincoln Fenn
8 books350 followersJ. Lincoln Fenn is the award-winning author of the bestseller POE, which won the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror, and the acclaimed novel DEAD SOULS called 'wickedly entertaining' by The New York Times Book Review.
Fenn grew up in a small New England town and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire, studying with poet laureate Charles Simic, and author John Yount, a mentor to John Irving. She's lived in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area, and Maui. Currently Fenn lives with her husband in Seattle.
https://www.jlincolnfenn.com
"This book is one of the scariest and best to come down the pike in ages....The narrative twists and turns are reminiscent of Dean Koontz or Stephen King at their finest. This story is horribly, horrifyingly awesome." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY starred review for DEAD SOULS
Fenn grew up in a small New England town and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire, studying with poet laureate Charles Simic, and author John Yount, a mentor to John Irving. She's lived in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area, and Maui. Currently Fenn lives with her husband in Seattle.
https://www.jlincolnfenn.com
"This book is one of the scariest and best to come down the pike in ages....The narrative twists and turns are reminiscent of Dean Koontz or Stephen King at their finest. This story is horribly, horrifyingly awesome." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY starred review for DEAD SOULS
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 30, 2018
I read enough horror that I reach a point where I go down a checklist to see what a book will execute well and where it will fail. It's both a joy and a frustration of the genre. I like seeing how each new book goes a different way with the usual beats but I'd love more horror that subverts expectations. THE NIGHTMARCHERS gets high marks for atmosphere and setting, this isn't a book that adds scares to the everyday, this is worldbuilding. We're transported with Julia to an exotic and menacing island, isolated from the world, inhabited only by a mysterious and secretive cult. There will be physical terrors, there will be demanding slogs through jungle, and there will be some serious creepy crawlies of every kind you can imagine and then some.
It also gets points for giving us a nontraditional setup and a feeling of real stakes. Julia has a job to do, and if she does it she has the potential to make her life substantially better. This isn't one of those books where horrors will take a person's whole life away, it's one of those where enduring horrors gets you where you want to go. It's a simple shift but it's meaningful.
Where this book didn't quite work for me was one of my standard horror disappointments. I tend to prefer horror on the simple side, I don't mind the mysterious and unexplained and I'm happy for it all to remain vague and unsettling. But if you're going to start explaining the mysterious, that explanation can sometimes get so complex that I start to tune it out and this is one of those times. It's a pretty elaborate explanation at the end, and while some of the twists and turns where you have to reorient yourself are rewarding, there's just a bit too much of a kitchen sink feeling near the end of the book and I wished for a less complicated story where we really got to bathe in what the story does best.
My other quibble was with Julia's initial circumstances. While I like the general setup and stakes, her backstory didn't resonate for me. I like the idea that Julia is haunted by her ex-husband and everything she's lost but I never bought it. How was she with this horrible guy for so long, how has she allowed herself to be so entirely outplayed, how has her spiral been this spiral-y? She's determined, capable, and smart. I get that in the story Fenn wants to tell Julia needs to be at rock bottom, but I needed a bit more convincing of how she got there and I didn't love the device of having her ex in her head the whole time.
I am a picky horror reader, so I suspect many horror lovers will rank this one higher than I do. I'm notoriously hard to please, as much as I love the genre. But I'd recommend this one to almost any horror reader.
It also gets points for giving us a nontraditional setup and a feeling of real stakes. Julia has a job to do, and if she does it she has the potential to make her life substantially better. This isn't one of those books where horrors will take a person's whole life away, it's one of those where enduring horrors gets you where you want to go. It's a simple shift but it's meaningful.
Where this book didn't quite work for me was one of my standard horror disappointments. I tend to prefer horror on the simple side, I don't mind the mysterious and unexplained and I'm happy for it all to remain vague and unsettling. But if you're going to start explaining the mysterious, that explanation can sometimes get so complex that I start to tune it out and this is one of those times. It's a pretty elaborate explanation at the end, and while some of the twists and turns where you have to reorient yourself are rewarding, there's just a bit too much of a kitchen sink feeling near the end of the book and I wished for a less complicated story where we really got to bathe in what the story does best.
My other quibble was with Julia's initial circumstances. While I like the general setup and stakes, her backstory didn't resonate for me. I like the idea that Julia is haunted by her ex-husband and everything she's lost but I never bought it. How was she with this horrible guy for so long, how has she allowed herself to be so entirely outplayed, how has her spiral been this spiral-y? She's determined, capable, and smart. I get that in the story Fenn wants to tell Julia needs to be at rock bottom, but I needed a bit more convincing of how she got there and I didn't love the device of having her ex in her head the whole time.
I am a picky horror reader, so I suspect many horror lovers will rank this one higher than I do. I'm notoriously hard to please, as much as I love the genre. But I'd recommend this one to almost any horror reader.
September 28, 2018
There’s a slow and sultry feel to The Nightmarchers that may, unfortunately, irritate people who like a quick, action-packed read. Instead, we have a slow build up of suspense, sadness, and ultimately, horror.
Although the story takes place in a more exotic location, the book has sort of the feel of a Southern Gothic – strange characters and that kind of hot, languid terror that smiles politely as it destroys you.
Julia was very likable. Her aunt wasn’t very nice, but oh I liked her as well!
And the author draws her island so very well that I could smell and feel the humidity.
Simply an excellent read!
ARC Provided via Net Galley
Although the story takes place in a more exotic location, the book has sort of the feel of a Southern Gothic – strange characters and that kind of hot, languid terror that smiles politely as it destroys you.
Julia was very likable. Her aunt wasn’t very nice, but oh I liked her as well!
And the author draws her island so very well that I could smell and feel the humidity.
Simply an excellent read!
ARC Provided via Net Galley
October 10, 2024
This was a slow burn, twisty mystery. It took some time to get to the horror. I was intrigued by the opening which starts off with journal entries from the now deceased Irene Greer. Her writings are increasingly more alarming as we are not sure if she has spiraled into madness or been besieged by something supernatural.
In the present day, we meet her descendant Julia, who is struggling with finances and depression because her ex-husband has left her with nothing after their divorce. With no way to pay her bills and no way to scrape up funds to visit her daughter, she accepts a strange offer from her great aunt, the sister of Irene, to travel to the island where Irene died to find out what really led to her demise all those years ago.
I liked the atmosphere of this mysterious island. What was once a religious group in Irene's day has turned into a cult in the present day. I liked Julia but I didn't care for the way every negative or intrusive thought she had was attributed to her ex-husband.
I enjoyed the parts about the past and the secrets that were revealed in Julia's family. The scientific parts didn't always work for me. There is a lot going on here: science, horror, the mysterious properties of the island, family secrets, dark history... It was a lot to take in. Knowledge is power, but some things are best left undisturbed!
My thanks to Gallery Books
In the present day, we meet her descendant Julia, who is struggling with finances and depression because her ex-husband has left her with nothing after their divorce. With no way to pay her bills and no way to scrape up funds to visit her daughter, she accepts a strange offer from her great aunt, the sister of Irene, to travel to the island where Irene died to find out what really led to her demise all those years ago.
I liked the atmosphere of this mysterious island. What was once a religious group in Irene's day has turned into a cult in the present day. I liked Julia but I didn't care for the way every negative or intrusive thought she had was attributed to her ex-husband.
I enjoyed the parts about the past and the secrets that were revealed in Julia's family. The scientific parts didn't always work for me. There is a lot going on here: science, horror, the mysterious properties of the island, family secrets, dark history... It was a lot to take in. Knowledge is power, but some things are best left undisturbed!
My thanks to Gallery Books
January 28, 2025
A scientific horror book based in Hawaii with zombies… I was definitely in for this one. I actually read this one while I was on Kauai which made it all the more atmospheric. Imagining what it would be like to be a scientist, trapped in the dense jungles with all sorts of unknown deadly plants was super easy. I’ve read a few of these trapped on an island ‘locked room’ type mysteries and I’d say this one was the most thoroughly detailed and although kind of bananas totally believable. I wanted a little bit more of the spooky night marcher interactions, I think there was more real horror from actual living humans than supernatural. But I really liked how it all came together in the end and felt the ending was really plausible.
January 10, 2025
WTF did I just read? The actual writing is great; hence, the 2 stars. But the story? Not so much. None of the whys were answered. None of the mysteries dangled in front of us were resolved. I thought I must have missed a few pages, or maybe I'm just dense, but I didn't get half the shit that was going on.
August 16, 2024
I’m not sure it’s a common lesson in the fiction I read or just fiction in genre, but I’ve noticed an awful lot of books that warn readers not to mess with things they discovered because there are always consequences. There’s Dr. Faustus, of course, and Jurassic Park. Actually, a lot of Michael Crichton fits here. There’s Mira Grant’s Newsflesh series. And now there’s J. Lincoln Fenn’s The Nightmarchers. In this incarnation of the “don’t play with that thing you found” genre-let, a botanist in the 1930s discovered something on a Pacific island somewhere near Hawai’i that has remarkable properties. Decades later, her great-niece Julia returns to the island to figure out what happened in return for a payout that will help her reclaim her daughter from her ex-husband...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley, for review consideration.
September 28, 2018
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
'The jungle can do tricky things to the Western mind that lacks spiritual protection.'
Julia Greer’s life has crumbled, formerly living in an enormous Victorian in Palto Alto with her now ex-husband Ethan and their daughter Evie, she is now trapped in a bleak apartment off the freeway longing for her child, whom Ethan has fully custody of. Money is power, and Ethan has it all, why did she sign the prenuptial agreement? Why did she ever give up her work as an investigative journalist to be the sort of wife that reflected beautifully on the very man who has taken everything she loved from her? Is he really the great cold manipulator she tells us?
Then comes a letter from her estranged and very wealthy great-aunt , Dr. Lydia Greer. Julia’s memories aren’t fond ones of the old woman, whom surely must be ancient now. Too young at their last meeting, she hasn’t spent much time ruminating over why her mother left so abruptly, ending the visit. Certainly there hasn’t been any communication from her great aunt since, but if she’s learned anything lately, its that money is the only chance she has to tackle her mounting debts, and more importantly, have a chance at getting her daughter back. Money matters, her Aunt is asking her to tea, what could it hurt? This may well be the means to hire a good lawyer to help set things right for she and Evie.
What Julia learns is that her Aunt will give her a lot of money to travel to a remote island, her task simply to smuggle samples of a mysterious flower that her sister Irene had written about decades ago before her suspicious death. The leader of the Church of Eternal Light, according to her aunt, must be hiding not just the real reason for her sister’s demise, but the true properties of the plant. It is risky, but she will have tools to communicate, unlike the others that go for escape from the modern world. Lydia has the means to help her get Evie back. What choice does Julia have? Others would agree to more for far less, and she is desperate!
1939 Irene Greer has set up camp in Kapu and is forging ahead collecting specimens for her sister back home, while tolerating the occasional visits from the Reverend. She is nursing her wounds, after the horrible touch of tragedy. As time stretches, her ‘ignorant foreign ways’ wears off, and she befriends a young orphan Agnes, who shares her knowledge of Kapu with Irene. Letters home are filled with the thrill of discoveries until she writes of illness, and her musings turn dark, strange. Is it madness that led her to believe she saw a line of warriors marching with her dead husband Charles and daughter Lila? Are the locals supersitions eating into her common sense? Was it simply illness that caused her to jump to her death into the falls, following them into some other world? There couldn’t possible be truth in her mad writings, could there? After all this time, as much as then, Lydia isn’t convinced by the Reverend’s assurance that it was all just a tragedy, possibly a plant that caused delusions. Irene’s body was never returned home. It is the perfect cover for Julia’s visit, there only to solve the mystery with disinternment- while in truth she searches for the plant.
Present day, deep into the challenge set forth by her aunt, Julia is beginning to think there is far more to the tale than her aunt let on. The religious cult is odd, it’s leader menacing, treating outsiders like her as if they are a disease. He is special, born of the island, a survivor. There are strange rules, dangerous insects and Noah. Noah, who seems to have his own motives for being on the island, can she trust him? Can she trust herself? The place begins to play with her mind, both she and her deceased aunt Irene had lost their child and spouse (to death or abandonment). Maybe with their family history, losing her grip on reality like Irene did all those years ago, is the product of stress, sadness? Who is this child now helping her? Why always a child?
The island itself is an important character, not just for the atmosphere. It is rooted in superstition, true, but nature itself is deadly, mysterious particularly to an outsider. It can be friend or foe. At every turn she is forced to face off with the elements, more alive than the visitors, more dangerous even. Still it remains the nature of human beings that are the real scary part of this novel. I enjoyed Irene’s letters, and Aunt Lydia is a tough bird, a perfect character for this story (though I won’t go into why), someone whose intelligence is still sharp and can pierce you even in her years of decline.
The motives of some are downright chilling. The advance of science can sometimes be monstrous too. We are all ‘hungry’, we want the answers, we want to play God. Sometimes Science can make convincing excuses for it’s horrors, but nature can be just as brutal.
I liked the beginning with Irene, I have a thing for the past. I didn’t necessarily feel invested in Julia’s plight, I began to think – maybe you just offer yourself to be a victim. The ending, I get it… I think… but it is weird. Will she take Kapu with her, or will Kapu take her? Maybe even her ‘clever’ aunt is out of her element too, doesn’t truly know just how powerful this thing is. Is the Reverend just a creepy cult leader, high on the mysteries of the island or is he on the verge of Eternal Light? I still don’t know for sure. I am not sure the ending resolved all my questions.
Publication Date: October 1, 2018
Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books
'The jungle can do tricky things to the Western mind that lacks spiritual protection.'
Julia Greer’s life has crumbled, formerly living in an enormous Victorian in Palto Alto with her now ex-husband Ethan and their daughter Evie, she is now trapped in a bleak apartment off the freeway longing for her child, whom Ethan has fully custody of. Money is power, and Ethan has it all, why did she sign the prenuptial agreement? Why did she ever give up her work as an investigative journalist to be the sort of wife that reflected beautifully on the very man who has taken everything she loved from her? Is he really the great cold manipulator she tells us?
Then comes a letter from her estranged and very wealthy great-aunt , Dr. Lydia Greer. Julia’s memories aren’t fond ones of the old woman, whom surely must be ancient now. Too young at their last meeting, she hasn’t spent much time ruminating over why her mother left so abruptly, ending the visit. Certainly there hasn’t been any communication from her great aunt since, but if she’s learned anything lately, its that money is the only chance she has to tackle her mounting debts, and more importantly, have a chance at getting her daughter back. Money matters, her Aunt is asking her to tea, what could it hurt? This may well be the means to hire a good lawyer to help set things right for she and Evie.
What Julia learns is that her Aunt will give her a lot of money to travel to a remote island, her task simply to smuggle samples of a mysterious flower that her sister Irene had written about decades ago before her suspicious death. The leader of the Church of Eternal Light, according to her aunt, must be hiding not just the real reason for her sister’s demise, but the true properties of the plant. It is risky, but she will have tools to communicate, unlike the others that go for escape from the modern world. Lydia has the means to help her get Evie back. What choice does Julia have? Others would agree to more for far less, and she is desperate!
1939 Irene Greer has set up camp in Kapu and is forging ahead collecting specimens for her sister back home, while tolerating the occasional visits from the Reverend. She is nursing her wounds, after the horrible touch of tragedy. As time stretches, her ‘ignorant foreign ways’ wears off, and she befriends a young orphan Agnes, who shares her knowledge of Kapu with Irene. Letters home are filled with the thrill of discoveries until she writes of illness, and her musings turn dark, strange. Is it madness that led her to believe she saw a line of warriors marching with her dead husband Charles and daughter Lila? Are the locals supersitions eating into her common sense? Was it simply illness that caused her to jump to her death into the falls, following them into some other world? There couldn’t possible be truth in her mad writings, could there? After all this time, as much as then, Lydia isn’t convinced by the Reverend’s assurance that it was all just a tragedy, possibly a plant that caused delusions. Irene’s body was never returned home. It is the perfect cover for Julia’s visit, there only to solve the mystery with disinternment- while in truth she searches for the plant.
Present day, deep into the challenge set forth by her aunt, Julia is beginning to think there is far more to the tale than her aunt let on. The religious cult is odd, it’s leader menacing, treating outsiders like her as if they are a disease. He is special, born of the island, a survivor. There are strange rules, dangerous insects and Noah. Noah, who seems to have his own motives for being on the island, can she trust him? Can she trust herself? The place begins to play with her mind, both she and her deceased aunt Irene had lost their child and spouse (to death or abandonment). Maybe with their family history, losing her grip on reality like Irene did all those years ago, is the product of stress, sadness? Who is this child now helping her? Why always a child?
The island itself is an important character, not just for the atmosphere. It is rooted in superstition, true, but nature itself is deadly, mysterious particularly to an outsider. It can be friend or foe. At every turn she is forced to face off with the elements, more alive than the visitors, more dangerous even. Still it remains the nature of human beings that are the real scary part of this novel. I enjoyed Irene’s letters, and Aunt Lydia is a tough bird, a perfect character for this story (though I won’t go into why), someone whose intelligence is still sharp and can pierce you even in her years of decline.
The motives of some are downright chilling. The advance of science can sometimes be monstrous too. We are all ‘hungry’, we want the answers, we want to play God. Sometimes Science can make convincing excuses for it’s horrors, but nature can be just as brutal.
I liked the beginning with Irene, I have a thing for the past. I didn’t necessarily feel invested in Julia’s plight, I began to think – maybe you just offer yourself to be a victim. The ending, I get it… I think… but it is weird. Will she take Kapu with her, or will Kapu take her? Maybe even her ‘clever’ aunt is out of her element too, doesn’t truly know just how powerful this thing is. Is the Reverend just a creepy cult leader, high on the mysteries of the island or is he on the verge of Eternal Light? I still don’t know for sure. I am not sure the ending resolved all my questions.
Publication Date: October 1, 2018
Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books
November 16, 2024
This novel is set against environmentally rich backgrounds and incorporates Hawaiian folklore (the nightmarchers). I found the story captivating, noting its well-developed characters and immersive atmosphere. The folklore delves into themes of cultural preservation in an ever-changing world, while also addressing the challenges posed by religion and cults within these narratives.
J. Lincoln Fenn combines horror, mystery, and exploration elements to create a rich and immersive reading experience that goes beyond simple ghost folklore. However, I found the latter half of the book to be overly supernatural, chaotic, and confusing, which caused me to lose interest.
J. Lincoln Fenn combines horror, mystery, and exploration elements to create a rich and immersive reading experience that goes beyond simple ghost folklore. However, I found the latter half of the book to be overly supernatural, chaotic, and confusing, which caused me to lose interest.
April 6, 2025
This story was disturbing in a slow birds way, and left me feeling as though I'd read someone's nightmare.
October 21, 2025
Great beginning but completely lost me at the end. Truly had me scratching my head like hello? What was that? Felt like she was throwing so much at me the last 50 pages I was confused and perturbed.
August 28, 2018
First, thanks to Net Galley and Gallery books for the chance to read the ARC of this book. I read it in one sitting, I enjoyed it so much!
I spent a steamy southern Monday lost in the tropical world of The Nightmarchers by J. Lincoln Fenn. The novel hooked me immediately with the first chapter. Way back in 1939, on a creepy Pacific Island, a troubled scientist named Irene Greer disappears. The local cultish missionaries claim she jumped off a waterfall after seeing the spirits of her dead daughter and husband marching along a beach-having joined the titled Nightmarchers who are ghosts of ancient warriors. I did some research and found out there is a real legend in the Hawaiian Islands about Nightmarchers and a god-awful movie about them too. But wait. The book gets better.
In current times, an investigative reporter named Julia Greer is down on her luck. Dumped by her ultra-rich husband who won custody of her precious daughter, Julia's great aunt contacts her and offers her a fortune and possibly the custody of her daughter back, if Julia will only go to the remote and spooky island to retrieve her sister Irene's body from the weirdo religious there and find and bring back a sample of an unusual flower. With nothing to lose, Julia sets out for the island.
I hate spoilers in a book and I really want lovers of mystery and isolated islands to read this one so I will only give my impressions and hints about what is inside. I was surprised to see Amazon puts this in the suspense and thriller category. To me, it is more mystery and my kind of horror book. It is kind of like a mixture of the TV series Lost, the movie (and book) Invasion of the Body Snatchers and a traditional adventures in the jungle yarn. All I will say is go for the ride along with Julia and remember nothing is as it seems on this island. And old ladies can be seriously sneaky.
I will be reading this one again to pick up on the little clues I missed before. By the way, I had a dream I was on an island last night. A little Gekko was chirping in the corner...
I spent a steamy southern Monday lost in the tropical world of The Nightmarchers by J. Lincoln Fenn. The novel hooked me immediately with the first chapter. Way back in 1939, on a creepy Pacific Island, a troubled scientist named Irene Greer disappears. The local cultish missionaries claim she jumped off a waterfall after seeing the spirits of her dead daughter and husband marching along a beach-having joined the titled Nightmarchers who are ghosts of ancient warriors. I did some research and found out there is a real legend in the Hawaiian Islands about Nightmarchers and a god-awful movie about them too. But wait. The book gets better.
In current times, an investigative reporter named Julia Greer is down on her luck. Dumped by her ultra-rich husband who won custody of her precious daughter, Julia's great aunt contacts her and offers her a fortune and possibly the custody of her daughter back, if Julia will only go to the remote and spooky island to retrieve her sister Irene's body from the weirdo religious there and find and bring back a sample of an unusual flower. With nothing to lose, Julia sets out for the island.
I hate spoilers in a book and I really want lovers of mystery and isolated islands to read this one so I will only give my impressions and hints about what is inside. I was surprised to see Amazon puts this in the suspense and thriller category. To me, it is more mystery and my kind of horror book. It is kind of like a mixture of the TV series Lost, the movie (and book) Invasion of the Body Snatchers and a traditional adventures in the jungle yarn. All I will say is go for the ride along with Julia and remember nothing is as it seems on this island. And old ladies can be seriously sneaky.
I will be reading this one again to pick up on the little clues I missed before. By the way, I had a dream I was on an island last night. A little Gekko was chirping in the corner...
November 25, 2018
A lot of promise here but just didn’t execute fully. Still kept me reading and the premise is interesting.
October 14, 2018
The Nightmarchers by J. Lincoln Fenn was a totally nerve-wracking tale. While reading, you won't be able to guess what happens next.
At the start of the book, we see a series of letters from Irene Greer, a botanical researcher that had traveled to a remote island in the Pacific. Things start out fine, but a bit tense. But soon we see Irene begin to act strange. Next we learn that Irene has fallen down a waterfall to her death. In her letters she had been convinced that the spirits of her dead husband and daughter had joined the night marchers, which were the ghosts of ancient warriors that rise from their burial sites on moonless nights and wander the island.
Then we jump to the present and meet Irene's descendant, Julia Greer, who is recovering from a nasty divorce. Her previous life and daughter had been suddenly taken away from her, and now she is barely able to make rent and she has no electricity because she hasn't paid that bill for awhile. When her elderly great-aunt (sister of Irene) offers Julia an outrageously large sum of money to travel to the remote island and collect samples of a flower and bring back Irene's remains, Julia can't turn it down. But while traveling to the island, she learns that there was a lot that her great-aunt had kept from her, and it only gets worse as her trip continues. Soon, Julia doesn't know who to trust and she begins to lose her grip on reality....
While reading, I really felt horrible for Julia when we first met her. Not just because she was going through the divorce and losing everything that she had once had, but because watching her try to keep up the façade of the rich when she met with her great-aunt was so heartbreaking. This was her family, and she felt that she needed to play the meeting like a game. This made me wish we could have gotten to know more about Julia before she met her ex-husband...
After the meeting with her great-aunt, I was so interested to see what was going to happen! While Julia was traveling, I started to feel super anxious and that feeling didn't let up until the last page. I was so intrigued by the overall mystery; I couldn't wait to start getting answers. Especially when things started to get really strange!
I really enjoyed the characters, even though, just like the main character, I could never really decide who to trust. Unfortunately, that's all I can say there without totally spoiling things!
There was one bit of the book that totally gave me The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon vibes! Julia went wandering into the jungle. Though she was warned not to touch many of the plants that she may encounter, one second of frustration put her in quite a scary situation! She had already been having trouble with keeping a grip on reality, and then she kicked a plant that snapped and oozed a sap that smelled funny and made Julia very lightheaded. Things suddenly weren't looking good; she was about to black out, couldn't stand up, her eyes were swollen, and she was having trouble breathing. And to make things worse, she had fallen into a bog that was full of twig-like leeches... I read this scene twice because it was so horrifying! I loved it!
I was SO into this book up until the very last few chapters. Unfortunately, it then took a turn that totally threw me... Perhaps I missed something, but it was so odd that I didn't care enough to go back and reread it...
My favorite passages:
She doesn't notice the letter at first. Buried in the pile of mail threatening to become a paper avalanche, it takes her a good minute to pull all of it out of her mailbox, which resists her mightily, like there's something on the other side trying to pull her in.
Nothing poisons quite so well as rejection.
The thing that hides itself in plain sight, that's always the thing you have to watch out for.
Something inside Julia tears a little. Her soul maybe.
The greatest lie we ever tell our children is that we can protect them. The truth is, the world has teeth, and people are ferocious creates, and yes, half the world is trying to eat the other half. The truth is, there are witches in the woods with houses made of candy, who entice you inside with promises of cake, but have a dark purpose.
At the start of the book, we see a series of letters from Irene Greer, a botanical researcher that had traveled to a remote island in the Pacific. Things start out fine, but a bit tense. But soon we see Irene begin to act strange. Next we learn that Irene has fallen down a waterfall to her death. In her letters she had been convinced that the spirits of her dead husband and daughter had joined the night marchers, which were the ghosts of ancient warriors that rise from their burial sites on moonless nights and wander the island.
Then we jump to the present and meet Irene's descendant, Julia Greer, who is recovering from a nasty divorce. Her previous life and daughter had been suddenly taken away from her, and now she is barely able to make rent and she has no electricity because she hasn't paid that bill for awhile. When her elderly great-aunt (sister of Irene) offers Julia an outrageously large sum of money to travel to the remote island and collect samples of a flower and bring back Irene's remains, Julia can't turn it down. But while traveling to the island, she learns that there was a lot that her great-aunt had kept from her, and it only gets worse as her trip continues. Soon, Julia doesn't know who to trust and she begins to lose her grip on reality....
While reading, I really felt horrible for Julia when we first met her. Not just because she was going through the divorce and losing everything that she had once had, but because watching her try to keep up the façade of the rich when she met with her great-aunt was so heartbreaking. This was her family, and she felt that she needed to play the meeting like a game. This made me wish we could have gotten to know more about Julia before she met her ex-husband...
After the meeting with her great-aunt, I was so interested to see what was going to happen! While Julia was traveling, I started to feel super anxious and that feeling didn't let up until the last page. I was so intrigued by the overall mystery; I couldn't wait to start getting answers. Especially when things started to get really strange!
I really enjoyed the characters, even though, just like the main character, I could never really decide who to trust. Unfortunately, that's all I can say there without totally spoiling things!
There was one bit of the book that totally gave me The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon vibes! Julia went wandering into the jungle. Though she was warned not to touch many of the plants that she may encounter, one second of frustration put her in quite a scary situation! She had already been having trouble with keeping a grip on reality, and then she kicked a plant that snapped and oozed a sap that smelled funny and made Julia very lightheaded. Things suddenly weren't looking good; she was about to black out, couldn't stand up, her eyes were swollen, and she was having trouble breathing. And to make things worse, she had fallen into a bog that was full of twig-like leeches... I read this scene twice because it was so horrifying! I loved it!
I was SO into this book up until the very last few chapters. Unfortunately, it then took a turn that totally threw me... Perhaps I missed something, but it was so odd that I didn't care enough to go back and reread it...
My favorite passages:
She doesn't notice the letter at first. Buried in the pile of mail threatening to become a paper avalanche, it takes her a good minute to pull all of it out of her mailbox, which resists her mightily, like there's something on the other side trying to pull her in.
Nothing poisons quite so well as rejection.
The thing that hides itself in plain sight, that's always the thing you have to watch out for.
Something inside Julia tears a little. Her soul maybe.
The greatest lie we ever tell our children is that we can protect them. The truth is, the world has teeth, and people are ferocious creates, and yes, half the world is trying to eat the other half. The truth is, there are witches in the woods with houses made of candy, who entice you inside with promises of cake, but have a dark purpose.
November 21, 2024
Actually I would give this book 4.5 stars. I dislike synopses of books for that is readily available from the publisher and other reviews, instead I like to review the essence of a book as storytelling and literature.
A key element of any book is to tell a story one wants to continue and which draws you along as it develops, giving bits of information, adding to them and developing them. Ms. Fenn succeeds on all points. I was intrigued by the writing and story development which did not fall into many of the pitfalls and clichés of the Horror genre; gore, extreme supernaturalism, unbelievable character actions placing themselves in easily avoidable situations (why enter a dark basement in a deserted house with dead bodies on the first floor?). I personally not a fan of exhaustive character ensembles; I had no trouble keeping everyone in mind even when they appeared later in the book.
I must also say that I found her literate skill was far above average for horror. The introspective, sometimes almost philosophical musings when entwined respectfully with Hawaiian myth gave me pause for further reflection. Her ending was plausible while open ended enough to stimulate one to further thought and research on the "real" Nightmarchers of myth. The author truly took me from the "trap of linear time" where I no longer saw what was in front and behind me.
My only criticism is that I am not a fan of italicized sections to differentiate past events or hand written passages. I am capable of separating these facts with a minimal of advanced warning from the author. I just find this difficult to read and often skim through, missing things that I must return to for later clarification (just a personal grimace).
An enjoyable and entertaining read. I thank the publisher Gallery Books for sending me a paperback release to read and review.
A key element of any book is to tell a story one wants to continue and which draws you along as it develops, giving bits of information, adding to them and developing them. Ms. Fenn succeeds on all points. I was intrigued by the writing and story development which did not fall into many of the pitfalls and clichés of the Horror genre; gore, extreme supernaturalism, unbelievable character actions placing themselves in easily avoidable situations (why enter a dark basement in a deserted house with dead bodies on the first floor?). I personally not a fan of exhaustive character ensembles; I had no trouble keeping everyone in mind even when they appeared later in the book.
I must also say that I found her literate skill was far above average for horror. The introspective, sometimes almost philosophical musings when entwined respectfully with Hawaiian myth gave me pause for further reflection. Her ending was plausible while open ended enough to stimulate one to further thought and research on the "real" Nightmarchers of myth. The author truly took me from the "trap of linear time" where I no longer saw what was in front and behind me.
My only criticism is that I am not a fan of italicized sections to differentiate past events or hand written passages. I am capable of separating these facts with a minimal of advanced warning from the author. I just find this difficult to read and often skim through, missing things that I must return to for later clarification (just a personal grimace).
An enjoyable and entertaining read. I thank the publisher Gallery Books for sending me a paperback release to read and review.
October 31, 2025
💫 "I can't promise you a happy ending, or that everything will be all right. The greatest lie we ever tell our children is that we can protect them. The truth is, the world has teeth, and people are ferocious creatures, and yes, half the world is trying to eat the other half. The truth is, there are witches in the woods with houses made of candy, who entice you inside with promises of cake, but have a dark purpose."
✏️ Julia is a recently divorced, down-on-her-luck journalist who gets an offer she can't refuse from her creepy great aunt: travel to a secretive Pacific island, retrieve a flower, and find out what happened to her other great aunt, Irene, who perished on the island in 1939. Things on the island are not what they seem, and neither is Julia.
❤️ I don't typically read horror so I didn't quite know what to expect. The book is well written, the fictional Hawaiian island of Kapu (which means forbidden in Hawaiian) rendered well, as were the tourists. The horror creeps up on you, part environmental and part human, in the second half.
Also, as someone who has at times carried the voice of a man I'd rather not hear from inside her head, the regular commentary from Julia's ex hit close. Some might find it annoying but it'll click for a certain audience.
👥 This would appeal to general fiction readers who can stomach some terror, some evil people with evil ideas and few morals. And an ambiguous ending, you won't have the answers fed to you here.
📍 Read during spooky szn in DC, but I bought this copy on Kauai at the iconic Talk Story Bookstore in February (before they moved buildings!). I was taken there by my friend Jon when he so kindly showed me around the island.
✏️ Julia is a recently divorced, down-on-her-luck journalist who gets an offer she can't refuse from her creepy great aunt: travel to a secretive Pacific island, retrieve a flower, and find out what happened to her other great aunt, Irene, who perished on the island in 1939. Things on the island are not what they seem, and neither is Julia.
❤️ I don't typically read horror so I didn't quite know what to expect. The book is well written, the fictional Hawaiian island of Kapu (which means forbidden in Hawaiian) rendered well, as were the tourists. The horror creeps up on you, part environmental and part human, in the second half.
Also, as someone who has at times carried the voice of a man I'd rather not hear from inside her head, the regular commentary from Julia's ex hit close. Some might find it annoying but it'll click for a certain audience.
👥 This would appeal to general fiction readers who can stomach some terror, some evil people with evil ideas and few morals. And an ambiguous ending, you won't have the answers fed to you here.
📍 Read during spooky szn in DC, but I bought this copy on Kauai at the iconic Talk Story Bookstore in February (before they moved buildings!). I was taken there by my friend Jon when he so kindly showed me around the island.
October 19, 2018
The Nightmarchers starts with the diary entries from Irene Greer who is on a remote Pacific Island. She's convinced that her dead husband and daughter are haunting her by joining the Nightmarchers - ancient warriors that rise from the dead on moonless nights. She has befriended a young girl, Agnes, who seems to know more and more about the island and it's secrets. She also jumps to her death...or did she?
In modern day, Julia Greer is struggling. Divorced, living below bare necessities and drinking just to survive, she is contacted by her great aunt and offered a large sum of money to go to the island and retrieve Irene's bones and samples of a corpse flower that is only present on the island. Julia uses this as an opportunity to rebuild her life....but the island has other plans.
J. Lincoln Fenn has created a horror story on a tropical island. Inner voices, "zombies", a cult like church, a strange little girl....it's everything I love. It was nerve-wracking to read...because you didn't know who or what to believe. This is the perfect book for this time of year (Halloween).
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
In modern day, Julia Greer is struggling. Divorced, living below bare necessities and drinking just to survive, she is contacted by her great aunt and offered a large sum of money to go to the island and retrieve Irene's bones and samples of a corpse flower that is only present on the island. Julia uses this as an opportunity to rebuild her life....but the island has other plans.
J. Lincoln Fenn has created a horror story on a tropical island. Inner voices, "zombies", a cult like church, a strange little girl....it's everything I love. It was nerve-wracking to read...because you didn't know who or what to believe. This is the perfect book for this time of year (Halloween).
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
November 11, 2024
This book was rather interesting. It is a slower paced mystery full of suspense and a dabble of horror. I loved the setting of the book, a remote island off Hawaii, just perfect and really set the mood. The atmosphere is one of the best things about this book and the author wrote it so vividly that it was easy to transport there with the characters. The mysterious religious group, or cult on the island added to the creepy vibes and also help set the tone. Julia was an interesting character. I wish the author had gone more into the circumstances that caused her to be so desperate and go on the mission from her great Aunt. I understand that she needed money and had a bad ex, but how that came to be really wasn’t explored. Despite not really understanding her, I did enjoy her character. I liked her as a person and empathized with her situation. I was rooting for her the whole time. I normally prefer my reads to be on the faster side pacing wise, but this one wasn’t bad, and I was invested in the story, waiting to put all the pieces together and I enjoyed it.
Thank you to @gallerybooks for sending me a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
Thank you to @gallerybooks for sending me a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
February 5, 2025
Uau. This was awesome. Jurassic Park (humans on an island who have no clue how to get away from a predator who they think they control? Yes, please) with the Island of Dr. Moreau vibes (humans trying to play god? Yes, please).
I didn't care for the subplot of her being a divorced mother who lost the rights to her daughter and her ex-husband being a trauma in her mind all the time, but it did play an important part in the end, and the end was awesome. I listened to the audiobook, but this one goes to my Jurassic Park bookshelf as a physical soon.
After recently reading a non-fiction book on how plants were as badass as dinosaurs and continue to be living next to humans, the nature elements of this one just made the creepy scenes even better.
It is all well described and easy to visualize scenes. I want to watch this movie. Plus, it includes a very mysterious, creepy little girl in the forest.
I didn't care for the subplot of her being a divorced mother who lost the rights to her daughter and her ex-husband being a trauma in her mind all the time, but it did play an important part in the end, and the end was awesome. I listened to the audiobook, but this one goes to my Jurassic Park bookshelf as a physical soon.
After recently reading a non-fiction book on how plants were as badass as dinosaurs and continue to be living next to humans, the nature elements of this one just made the creepy scenes even better.
It is all well described and easy to visualize scenes. I want to watch this movie. Plus, it includes a very mysterious, creepy little girl in the forest.
February 7, 2025
3 1/2 stars.
A mysterious island, folklore, religious cult, rare flower… just what in the holy wtf is happening? Fenn brings us a “bone-chilling novel where a mysterious island holds the terrifying answers to a woman’s past and future”.
There’s a whole lot going on in this read and I wasn’t sure what I was going to think at first. Once our MC, Julia, makes it to the island, things got very interesting and I was absolutely hooked on what was going to happen. It certainly didn’t go in the direction that I thought it would and I’m still unsure how I feel about how it all wrapped up. I do like that it’s a thinker for sure and unique blending science with folklore and familial dark secrets. I fear going into too much might give some things away so I’ll keep it simple and stop here. You can, however, read my full review once it’s up on Cemetery Dance online.
A mysterious island, folklore, religious cult, rare flower… just what in the holy wtf is happening? Fenn brings us a “bone-chilling novel where a mysterious island holds the terrifying answers to a woman’s past and future”.
There’s a whole lot going on in this read and I wasn’t sure what I was going to think at first. Once our MC, Julia, makes it to the island, things got very interesting and I was absolutely hooked on what was going to happen. It certainly didn’t go in the direction that I thought it would and I’m still unsure how I feel about how it all wrapped up. I do like that it’s a thinker for sure and unique blending science with folklore and familial dark secrets. I fear going into too much might give some things away so I’ll keep it simple and stop here. You can, however, read my full review once it’s up on Cemetery Dance online.
October 19, 2018
The story is slow, hot and humid, sort of Southern Gothic mixed with those horror films of the 30s set on remote and spooky islands (think Island of the Lost Souls), with strange characters. It’s suspense, a ghost story, monsters, and a slow burn to terror. It is layers of secrets, that once stripped away, petal by petal, reveal a frightening story old as time and yet, our possible future. It’s the Frankenstein baby made if they used the DNA of Invasion of Body Snatchers and mixed it with the Lost TV series along with those scary remote island horror flicks of the 30s. It just might give you pause the next time you take a trip to Hawaii or Tahiti.
Read the rest of the review at http://www.ismellsheep.com/2018/10/bo....
Read the rest of the review at http://www.ismellsheep.com/2018/10/bo....
December 10, 2024
The concept and characterization in this novel started out wonderfully but lost its footing after a while, becoming ever more jumbled, rushed, and confused after such a promising start. While this went in a direction with the nightmarchers legend that I didn't anticipate--which I appreciate--it ended up becoming a retread of what I've come too call "sporror": the horror of spores. (Think Last of Us, Midsommar, Haga Zussa, Annihilation.) What I found more genuinely terrifying was the novel's exploration of classism, which was surprisingly sharp and bracing. There were also a few good horror set pieces. Still, as a resident of Hawaii, I wish the author had done just a tiny bit more research, as some of the glaring errors about actual Hawaii could have been easy to avoid with a closer look at Wikipedia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2019
I just finished this novel last night. It was great! The novel starts with the journals of Irene Greer in 1939 on a remote Pacific island. Mysterious things happen and then she dies. We fast-forward to the present where her descendant Julia Greer, a woman on the edge of financial collapse, gets drawn into the family mystery. As things progress, we see that nothing is what it seems, including Julia's family. It was a very entertaining tale, one I highly recommend.
January 13, 2025
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book as it was a new author to me. I felt it started slow - and there were a few confusing parts in the story that could be left out. But the. There was also a lot that I felt wasn’t fully explained. Either way - I could not figure out how the book was going to end the entire time. And I do find myself thinking about the whole concept after I finished the book.
January 23, 2025
This is an incredibly atmospheric read with some pretty dynamic characters and a beautifully creepy setting.
I listened to the audio book and I loved the eloquence of the narrator.
This is a thriller that will give you the creepy crawlies. There were some parts in between the bigger moments that dragged a little, but ultimately this was a great read. I love any kind of nature horror and the few aspects we get of that are fascinating!
I listened to the audio book and I loved the eloquence of the narrator.
This is a thriller that will give you the creepy crawlies. There were some parts in between the bigger moments that dragged a little, but ultimately this was a great read. I love any kind of nature horror and the few aspects we get of that are fascinating!
December 4, 2025
book is trying to be anti-eugenics but is itself obliquely racist (where are the indigenous islanders, why is the only Black character a militant athletic self-serving traitor, why is the central Eve-child blonde and white instead of being herself an indigenous islander …). however, book has interesting if not original ideas and is fun to read, despite its issues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2024
I absolutely loved this book. It's a very very slow burn with lots of overlapping threads. I received this book through the giveaways and didn't really know what to expect, but it was a gripping ride through and through!
December 19, 2024
It’s like Lost, but they go there on purpose and the “others” are definitely a cult.
I don’t fully understand what happened but this was still an amazing psychological horror book, and it honestly seems like it was supposed to be confusing in parts.
I don’t fully understand what happened but this was still an amazing psychological horror book, and it honestly seems like it was supposed to be confusing in parts.
November 1, 2018
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.
After a devastating divorce, Julia is left flat broke and on the brink of losing everything. A call from a long lost great aunt presents her with the opportunity to get back on track, and even better, get her daughter back. Yet, this gift comes with life changing and even life threatening challenges.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Julia is an interesting character, and kept me involved in the narrative. The pace was fairly quick and engaging. I liked the mystery, and how it stayed one step ahead the entire time. However it was sometimes confusing what was going on, and at times that would draw me out of the narrative. It's one of those books I think you have to read a couple of times to really understand.
After a devastating divorce, Julia is left flat broke and on the brink of losing everything. A call from a long lost great aunt presents her with the opportunity to get back on track, and even better, get her daughter back. Yet, this gift comes with life changing and even life threatening challenges.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Julia is an interesting character, and kept me involved in the narrative. The pace was fairly quick and engaging. I liked the mystery, and how it stayed one step ahead the entire time. However it was sometimes confusing what was going on, and at times that would draw me out of the narrative. It's one of those books I think you have to read a couple of times to really understand.
November 26, 2023
Loved the writing, the setting, and the unique plot.
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