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Sink: A Most Strange and Terrifying Narrative of the Croaking Shadows under the Dreaded Waters of ye Olde Lake Eirie: Being an Account of Horrid ... Phenomena Observed upon that Unhallowed Isle
109 pages, Paperback
Published November 18, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 11, 2025
I’ve really enjoyed B. Harlan Crawford’s work in various small press magazines so I was extremely excited to see Spiral Tower publishing a novella penned by him, especially with that awesome heavy metal demo tape style black and white art.
I really enjoyed this book. First and foremost there is a sense forward momentum to the prose that is just incredible. It’s pure pulp. It’s best of Edgar Rice Burroughs awesome cadence delivered through first person narration. It grabs you and pulls you along for a gruesome ride. It’s enthralling.
The story is very much on the Lovecraftian side of the genre and definitely dips into the genres darker aspects too. Despite this ambiguity the narrator and his main companion are deeply compelling. And while the narrative isn’t ground breaking you still feel deeply invested in seeing it through.
Given that the momentum was this novellas strongest aspect it was a bit interesting that it ended with an epilogue of sorts that was a bit slower paced. It ties back to the main story and fills in some of the gaps but it does slow down what was otherwise a blistering breakneck ride in a way that to me felt a little out of place. Others might find it a bit more cathartic than I did. It’s really a minor quibble. It was still a very good conclusion.
I also really like that this Sword and Sorcery story ties back to classic Americana. It’s a colonial story but with the key elements associated with Sword and Sorcery. Given that S&S sprang from the well of westerns and frontier stories it’s a nice way of going full circle. It also adds another story in all too small pool of S&S influenced by Native American culture. I’m down for more S&S set in America.
Overall, if you like action, if you like Lovecraftian horror, if you like piratical women, you’d be doing yourself a disservice passing on this one.
It’s a really good time. I’m very curious to see where Keen Blades goes next.
I really enjoyed this book. First and foremost there is a sense forward momentum to the prose that is just incredible. It’s pure pulp. It’s best of Edgar Rice Burroughs awesome cadence delivered through first person narration. It grabs you and pulls you along for a gruesome ride. It’s enthralling.
The story is very much on the Lovecraftian side of the genre and definitely dips into the genres darker aspects too. Despite this ambiguity the narrator and his main companion are deeply compelling. And while the narrative isn’t ground breaking you still feel deeply invested in seeing it through.
Given that the momentum was this novellas strongest aspect it was a bit interesting that it ended with an epilogue of sorts that was a bit slower paced. It ties back to the main story and fills in some of the gaps but it does slow down what was otherwise a blistering breakneck ride in a way that to me felt a little out of place. Others might find it a bit more cathartic than I did. It’s really a minor quibble. It was still a very good conclusion.
I also really like that this Sword and Sorcery story ties back to classic Americana. It’s a colonial story but with the key elements associated with Sword and Sorcery. Given that S&S sprang from the well of westerns and frontier stories it’s a nice way of going full circle. It also adds another story in all too small pool of S&S influenced by Native American culture. I’m down for more S&S set in America.
Overall, if you like action, if you like Lovecraftian horror, if you like piratical women, you’d be doing yourself a disservice passing on this one.
It’s a really good time. I’m very curious to see where Keen Blades goes next.
March 2, 2026
Enjoyed the Lovecraftian vibe set in mid-western Ohio and featuring a Welsh pirate named Lady Morwenna Jones, a character that pops up in a number of Crawford's tales. The mash-up works as the author's relentless push in story-telling keeps us anticipating the next weird and creepy horror to meet us around the bend. The supernatural creatures spotlighted here are frog-like demons led by a shaman protecting their isle of ritual and sacrifice. Takes you from start to finish, an enjoyable ride.
March 4, 2026
Book. Excellent short ‘sword and sorcery’ this book basically consists of a short novella and a short story, my review will mainly focus on the novella. So I’m a huge fan of sword and sorcery, so bonus star for that. Keeping that in mind this one tells an American frontier tale but in an S&S style and really nails the format. Plot is simple, characters are flavorful but not deep, it’s all about the story and the action and this book does it really well. Excellent 5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews