The Off-Season

by Jodie Robins

It's the off-season in the seaside resort town of Blackpool, where Tommy never imagined he would return. His relationship has broken down, so he returns home to keep an eye on his widower father. While counting down the hours before attending the funeral of a well-loved friend, a mysterious group turns up on the seafront. One by one, the locals are entranced by their presence until Tommy and his father can no longer resist the allure.

Tommy soon discovers a secret desire his father has been harbouring for his entire life.

A story of what it means to be family with a light touch of magic and healing.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Contemporary

96 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2025

Reviews

[Margo Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I'd say you're addicted to loneliness."

This novella (part of a set from Wild Hunt Books on the theme 'Northern Weird') starts off by establishing the everyday ennui of Blackpool in January. A group of locals chat away in a seafront café on the day of a friend's funeral. I liked how believable and relatable these characters are: their chatter in the café feels true to life ("Any news on the job front?"), as do their anxieties and inter-relationships.

Then an old-fashioned bus called a charabanc arrives, and travellers climb out "bare foot onto the cold, damp promenade." The way the story develops feels cleverly layered in meaning, and creates a wonderfully poignant atmosphere. I look forward to reading more by Jodie Robins.

Many thanks to Wild Hunt Books for the advance copy.

[Adrienne L · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Competently written with a setting, set-up, and some images that had the potential to be used to creepy effect, this installment of Wild Hunt's Northern Weird Project was quite a boring let-down, I'm sorry to say. I forced myself to finish it since I paid for it and it was short.

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Off-Season by Jody Robins is about a small town called Blackpool which is a seaside tourist destination and the home of Blackpool Pleasure Beach--a nostalgic, time-warp amusement park from the past, nestled on coast of England. During the summer months, Blackpool is full of life, but during the off-season, the town is sleepy and morose.
I have been to coastal towns like this in the Fall. There are a few in California and a lot in Oregon. All the tourist attractions are closed. The restaurants are empty except for a few locals. The gift shops and novelty tourist traps cling to life.
This story captures these vibes *perfectly* and even though there is a family drama unfolding as the main attraction, it's Blackpool that captured my attention. Oh, and the "dark carnival" aesthetic with the empty boardwalk, creepy clowns, and cotton candy (candy floss in the UK). The mystery of the people suddenly appearing was eerie and created a relentless sense of dread and curiosity.
I enjoyed this offering from Jodie Robins as part of the Northern Weird Project. I have already read the others and have only one left...

[Sophy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far, I've been mightily impressed with the stories from The Northern Weird Project and am looking forward to the next three titles when they come out.

This latest release wasn't quite up to standard for me.

The idea was intriguing but I found the story a little too dialogue heavy which tended to saturate the whole thing. The greasy spoon caf scene was overplayed and went on for what felt like far too long.

Whilst the description of Blackpool off season was atmospheric, the actual events of the tale seemed weak and a little whimsical, as did the ending.

A little disappointing.

[Marguerite Turley · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a constant feeling of dread, Jodie Robins brings us a creepy, grief filled story of a beach town in the off season. A strange group of people suddenly appear on the beach right when Tommy, his Dad and a few other locals are getting ready to attend yet another funeral. Something seems off and unsettling about this group and it’s having a very strange effect on the crowd that assembles. This story is a beautiful look at grief and what happens when we abandon our dreams. I adored Tommy and his father, they were incredibly human and flawed which made them so real. This is another amazing addition to the Northern Weird project from Wild Hunt Books.

[Chiara Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this book is all about the vibes and how places change mood with the seasons! Loved it!

We’re in Blackpool in winter, the off-season and we have a glimpse of the locals’ lives, with their petty lives and dull existence, just content with what they have. But one morning a bus arrives, suddenly transforming the cold and bitter Blackpool into a fair full of exhibitors and magic!

Whilst Tommy and his father try to work out their misunderstandings, they can’t put off the lure of what’s happening any longer and they soon find out that they actually don’t know each other at all! Sometimes it only takes a bit of weird and magic to get things right!

This was a quirky and eerie story, with the author skillfully chilling the reader’s mind from the beginning through the slow chattering of the locals, and the cold relationship between Tommy and his father. This feeling of unease only becomes stronger when this weird bus arrives and all the locals are suddenly sucked into the strange event one by one, leaving the main protagonists and the reader as lasts, now thoroughly weirded out by all of it!

I can say I’ve never read anything like this and after I finished it I was still left with a feeling of unease but I must say also hope! If you want to read something unique, I recommend it.

Thanks to the author and Wild Hunt Books for a copy and this is my honest opinion.

[Blair]

If you’re coming to The Off-Season expecting the pulse-quickening weirdness of the other Northern Weird Project books, adjust your expectations. Jodie Robins trades overt strangeness for a more delicate, emotional magic, making this a quieter but no less affecting entry in the series.

At its heart, this is a story about a father-son relationship. Tommy has returned to Blackpool, his hometown, to look after his ageing, widowed father. Tommy and Al’s dynamic – understated but deeply felt – is the strongest part of the book. Robins captures the unspoken weight of shared history, the push and pull of love and duty, the way grief settles into the cracks of a family.

On a winter’s day, as they prepare for yet another funeral, a mysterious group arrives on the seafront, and in their presence, Al is motivated to reveal something deeply buried. The weird aspect here tends towards the whimsical, and I admit I’d expected more of a ghost story, but the atmosphere and setting are well realised. Robins’ off-season Blackpool is haunted more by memories of better days than by actual ghosts. If you’ve ever visited a seaside town in the dead of winter, you’ll feel the damp chill in your bones while reading this.

If you’re looking for something gentler, introspective with just a shimmer of the otherworldly, The Off-Season delivers. It’s softer and more personal than the other books in the series so far, exploring the things we never say (even to family) and how second chances can arrive in the most unexpected of ways.

I received an advance review copy of The Off-Season from the publisher, Wild Hunt Books.

[Krista Dollimore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novella. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Robins writing really engages the reader. Her sentences carrying you along, and you can’t resist the tide (iykyk 😜).

This was such an interesting way to explore relationship dynamics. What it’s like when you find yourself stuck in between what your life was, and what it could be. When we get trapped into the day to day and forget that our dreams and hopes still matter.
I like how the winter season is reflective of each character’s inner life. And how each person, each relationship has a different kind of winter. And whatever that is, is the antagonist. It’s very interesting. Or at least that’s how I interpreted it. I love Jodi’s uncanny in this story. How wild, mysterious energy cannot be “good or bad”. It’s wild, it’s connected to nature. It is beyond human reasoning. It’s terrifying, and intoxicating. I think it’s extraordinary how much she packed into this tight little story. All of my senses came alive. I think that it’s fabulous that this is her first published work. I am looking forward to reading more.

[Jamie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much Wild Hunt for the early copy!

While the previous novellas in the Northern Weird Project are gripping horror, 'The Off-Season' is more mysterious and strange. Focusing on a Father and Son who are preparing to go to yet another funeral. While they kill time with the regular faces in the cafe an old bus arrives on the beach with a group of people seemingly pulled from another time.

Jodie creates such an atmosphere of dread and coldness that settles in your bones. I went to Blackpool a lot as a kid and Jodie represents it perfectly - Blackpool is a very specific place and she describes it perfectly.
A lot of the plot seems to focus on the sense of duty to family while finding yourself and progressing and understanding grief.
At times Jodie's writing is beautiful and unsettling. I'm excited to see what she does next.

[Magdalena Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was like a great Twilight Zone episode! Ideally to be read in one sitting, Jodie Robins's debut novella is a gripping, haunting read, but it will make you smile a little too. I loved how the story unfolded over just a few hours and I didn't expect the turn it took in the final act - it was a good surprise (not sure I'd call it a twist), though, which then also made me think about Carnival of Souls, the 1962 film. The characters were vivid, the dialogue so authentic; I really enjoyed it. I will definitely check out more in the The Northern Weird Project series and I can't wait to see what Jodie Robins writes next.

[Rach Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the setting and the creepiness of it all. Felt v v unsettling but I struggled a little towards the end, and I'm not sure that I fully understood the meaning of it all at the end as they drove off but I guess that can be up to your interpretation of it. Either way, really liked it but would be interested to see others takes/theories on the end

[Dan Howarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful slice of strangeness set in Blackpool. There's an undertow of creeping dread mixed into the mundanity of everyday life which is very skillfully written.

[Stephen Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Off-Season is a wonderfully written, intimate tale that injects a little magic into neglected places (and neglected relationships).

The heart of the story is a good old-fashioned family drama - the stoic father, the needful son - and their dynamic drives the story. Around them are a cast of acquaintances whose interactions are so naturalistic, so grounded in reality, you’d think you were sat with them at their favourite cafe. But all of this is interrupted by a travelling band of carnival-type folk whose goings-on seem to enthral beyond the normal.

There are plenty of lovely observations and a subtle, cerebral approach to the storytelling on show here in this short but fabulous novella. Highly recommended.

[Katherine Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Off-Season is a delightfully tense haze of despair, doused in regret and drenched in the unsettling, bleak atmosphere of a Blackpool winter. I don't know whether to feel comforted or chilled by the end but I know one thing: I need to read it again soon.

[The Blog Without a Face · Rating 3 out of 5]

BWAF Score: 6/10

Jodie Robins drops a wintry little gut-punch set in Blackpool, that grand old seaside that looks glorious on postcards and terminal on a Tuesday in January. The novella is yet another entry from Wild Hunt’s Northern Weird Project, which already tells you the vibe: salt, rust, and ghosts dressed as memory. Robins writes with a crisp line that lets the cold do the talking.

Tommy and his dad, Al, are grinding through the days around a friend’s funeral when a vintage charabanc rattles into town like a carnival that forgot what month it is. Stalls bloom along the dead promenade, Punch and Judy start cackling as if they’ve unionized, and the locals smile the wrong kind of smile. No spoilers, but the town doesn’t so much wake up as get replaced by a cheerier, hungrier version of itself.

The book’s engine is grief welded to economic decay. Blackpool is a body out of season, and the past arrives offering cotton candy and answers it does not have. The carnivalesque visitors work as a funhouse mirror: community rituals that should console instead cannibalize. A bus named Dorothy might as well be labeled nostalgia, do not feed, will bite. Robins knows that the most dangerous hauntings are the ones you ask for.

As a reading experience, it’s competent and enjoyable with flickers of something sharper. The originality sits in the seaside apocalypse by way of weaponized nostalgia; the mechanics of the weird stay coy, which keeps the mood chilly but occasionally leaves the stakes fuzzy. Pacing is mostly steady, a brisk walk along the front with a few pauses to stare at the gray water. Tommy and Al carry the heart; their prickly father–son banter feels lived in, while the supporting cast mostly functions as atmospheric chorus. Scare factor lands in the uncanny zone. You shiver, you smirk, you do not turn on every light.

It’s good, not great: a salty elegy with a grin full of splinters. I wanted one more gear, one nasty choice that pushed the fable into legend. Still, the wind cuts, the jokes bite, and the last image hangs around like sea mist.

Grief throws a carnival on a dead-cold Blackpool day. Strong atmosphere, sly humor, a memorable duo, and a weird that winks more than it devours. You’ll feel the chill and wish it stabbed deeper.

Recommended for: Readers who like their horror briny, their jokes bitter, and their ghosts disguised as memories with terrible customer service.

Not recommended for: Thrill-seekers demanding chainsaws, or anyone who thinks Punch and Judy is adorable and won’t mind it grinning at them after midnight.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved The Off-Season! From the very first page, I was drawn into the quiet, eerie atmosphere of Blackpool in its bleak off-season which is a complete contrast to its lively, tourist-packed summers. This novella is part of the Northern Weird Project and there are six novellas in total, focusing on mysterious and unsettling events across Northern England.

The Off-Season is an unsettling yet deeply emotional story – not what I expected when picking up the book!

Tommy returns home after his marriage falls apart, hoping to rebuild his life and find a fresh start and to care for his widowed father. He expected home to feel familiar, a place woven into his life for so long, but something felt different.

Just as Tommy is finding his feet and getting settled, a mysterious troupe of entertainers arrives, disrupting the town and stirring buried emotions, revealing hidden truths that may change everything.

I’ve never been to Blackpool, but Jodie Robins’ writing makes it feel so very real, bringing the seaside town vividly to life – it felt so unsettling and foreboding.

This is a book of immense suspense, full of mystery, heaps of tension, unease and unexpected twists. But it is also a book full of emotion. To weave both these elements in so cleverly, is just sheer brilliance and I found it to be a very powerful read.

[DaisyDoesBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short novella, set in the northern English town of Blackpool - a once thriving seaside resort that time has not been kind to.
Our MC is Tommy, a divorced 40-something with no job, who has moved back to his home town to be closer to his widowed father, Al.
The story opens in a dreary seafront cafe, where a group of mismatched acquaintances are preparing to attend a funeral. The writing really captures the somber mood and how this mirrors that of the town on a cold winter morning. Then, an old bus arrives with some odd, colourful characters who seem to enchant everyone around them…
I really enjoyed the start of the novella, the atmosphere building was gripping and I felt like I was sat in the cafe myself. As we progressed, I shared Tommy’s unease and building dread, but the ending just fell a little flat for me.
However, I would still recommend for fans of weird fiction and I can’t fault the writing.
3.5/5
With thanks to Wildhunt Books for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review

[JK · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Off-Season is a beautifully told, insightful look into the bond between a father and son, wrapped in a creeping sense of dread.

Tommy and Al are at their local cafe waiting to go to a friend’s funeral. We feel the disconnect between the two as they chat with the other regulars in this Blackpool seaside cafe during winter. The characters are fully-rounded people, all interesting and unique in their own way.

The setting is a character in itself. Blackpool pier during winter has a miserable kind of loneliness to it, with the lack of people and noise, gift shops with no buyers, and a freezing cold beach with no holiday makers. It is used wonderfully as the backdrop to Tommy and Al’s relationship.

When the travellers arrive the weirdness ramps up and things unfold in a very unexpected way.

I expect this story to stay with me for a long time.

[Sally Bromley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this from Wild Hunt Books.
It's excellent, wonderfully written, authentic characters and setting. A "Pied Piper of Blackpool' story, both intimate and chilling.
Tommy returns to Blackpool for the funeral of a friend. Recently separated and out of work, living down south, he feels adrift from his father and other people he used to know. He meets his father and friends in a local café for breakfast before the funeral. It's winter, cold and grey.
A charabanc arrives bringing a group of colourful travellers and a fairground magically appears on the beach, drawing crowds from the town. Curious,Tommy, his father and their friends join them. But there's something sinister about the fair and the travellers. Once they have you in thrall, they won't let go.

[she.reads.between · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Off-Season by Jodie Robins is a beautifully melancholic novella that blends gothic atmosphere with a touch of eerie seaside magic.

The story follows Tommy, a man grieving the loss of his mother and the end of his marriage, and his withdrawn father. Set against the bleak, wind-swept backdrop of Blackpool in winter, their quiet and repetitive lives are disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious troupe of visitors. 

Unsettling, strange, and deeply human. There is an undercurrent of urgency throughout, as we follow Tommy through his bizarre encounters with the visitors. Tommy has somewhere he is supposed to be, yet for reasons he can’t explain, he can’t seem to get there. This dreamlike tension is something I resonated with, and kept me hooked from beginning to end.

[Ryan Freeland · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐. I quite liked the book, but I think it is important to note that I was expecting (and the book presents itself as) a horror story. I might classify it more as a magical realism, though the VERY last paragraph does leave the reader on a pretty dark final image.

But looking past that initial disappointment, I do quite like the story. I like the irish-isms. I kept learning words and phrases that were european, which was fun. And I'm finding myself really mulling and being drawn to what I feel is the overall theme of the book.

Time will tell if this rating goes up in the coming weeks, but for right now, a solid book that I'm glad I read. Also, LOVE the pocket-sized nature of the publishing of this Wild Hunt Books series.

[Katharine Tyndall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief, creepy, and beautiful, this book definitely played into my fears of clowns and carnivals. A fragmenting relationship between a curmudgeonly father and a down-on-his-luck son plays out in a disturbing carnival on the shores of Blackpool. The carnival sets up on the beach at low tide in the winter, and the residents of the seaside town are drawn in one-by-one to a manic scene which refuses to let them leave. The locals become twisted as the carnival draws on and the tide comes in. By the end, the father and son decide to join the travelling carnival for a while, and the rest of the locals disappear, possibly into the surf, or buried in the sand, leaving only their clothes behind.....

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the idea and the setting of this story. I found that very interesting and I thought the concept was very different. The writing was very easy to read and the dialogue felt quite natural. There was a good sense of creepiness and impending sense of doom throughout that was very effective.

It’s very weird and surreal, which I expected it to be going into it, but I thought that this became weaker as the book went on. The final sort of ‘twist’ involving the main character’s father didn’t work for me at all.

It was an interesting book, just not entirely for me. I enjoyed the author’s style and ideas enough that I’d definitely try something else by her in the future, though.

Content Notes:

Warnings: Death, grief..

[Organized Anarchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really well written. Being more literature than speculative fiction than the usual stuff I read it was difficult to see the point. The book intentionally leaves a few questions.

There is a lot of symbolism in this book and it being set in Blackpool makes the setting rather familiar.

Issues making it not a higher rating. Italics instead of speech marks made it difficult to tell that someone was speaking and it wasn't internal thoughts. The random insert of a flirting fortune teller felt out of place and the anomalistic reactions of some of the characters was weird marking it feel more surreal horror at times where it feels at odds with the rest of the story.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird and nonsensical. I really couldn’t find meaning in this one. Also the author is supposed to be based in Fylde but this reads like she visited Blackpool once as a kid and never went back. And the Laughing Man has never been on a pier, always at the Pleasure Beach!

So much of this felt like reading someone’s creative writing assignment.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure what the hell was going on but I think I liked it