Low Lords

by T.R. Pearson

Eighteen-year-old Hoyt MacKenna — friends and family call him Mack — was born a Low Lord in Cumberland, Tennessee. That makes him part of a secret society founded by statesman and inveterate caver Thomas Jefferson. Low Lords are cavern minders, each group a family unit. The clans rotate to new sites every eight years or so and, as much as possible, live apart from the general population so as to devote themselves to their sole duty of keeping what’s under down.

What’s under? Alabastards — an ancient blend of humanoid and reptile built for cavern living and increasingly determined to get out into the light.

Low Lords is a family-friendly, quasi-historical freak show of a fantasy, a coming-of-age story with headlamps and monsters

Genres: Fiction

327 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 2, 2016

About the author

Thomas Reid Pearson is an American novelist born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is the author of seventeen novels and four works of non-fiction under his own name, including A Short History of a Small Place, Cry Me A River, Jerusalem Gap, and Seaworthy, and has written three additional novels -- Ranchero, Beluga, and Nowhere Nice -- under the pseudonym Rick Gavin. Pearson has also ghostwritten several other books, both fiction and nonfiction, and has written or co-written various feature film and TV scripts.

Reviews

[Adam Armour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two independent statements I once thought would never have any relation to each other:

1.) T.R. Pearson is my favorite author

2.) Horror (and sci-fi and fantasy ... that kind of good stuff) is my favorite genre.

Lo and behold, T.R. Pearson has written a horror (sort of) novel, and all the things I love about his writing -- memorable characters, dry wit, a way of with descriptions that makes me envious -- have come along, too.

There's something about the way Pearson writes that just works for me, a casualness to his prose that makes his narrators, flawed though they often are, immediately likable. He then uses these narrators to spin out dozens of smaller stories over the course of a novel, usually about ancillary characters. It's a kind of slow, character-focused world building, and I love it.

In LOW LORDS, Pearson's storytelling prowess is on full display. I don't think it's my favorite of his novels -- his debut, A SHORT HISTORY OF A SMALL PLACE, probably still tops that list, although his most recent novel, THEORY OF A CASE, comes pretty damn close -- but it's a great addition to his canon. And because it dabbles in a new genre (although RED SCARE flirts with horror, too) it potentially be a great primer for new readers, a way to introduce Pearson's style of writing to someone who might not normally pick up his forays into "mystery" or "slice of life" or whatever genre you want to pigeonhole his novels in.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a TR Pearson fan since the early days (A Short History of a Small Place, waaaay back in the mid-80s) and this latest novel is a departure from his usual small-town oddness, but it still has all my favorite things about TR Pearson books – engaging and believable characters, peculiar situations that are a bit off-kilter but are so real they suck you right in, and masterful details that make you forget you’re just reading a book. This one is a bit different though, in that it has…. monsters! Not just unsavory southern humans, but very very creepy underground cave dwelling creatures that are suddenly not cooperating with the Low Lords who are charged with keeping them underground, and are getting bigger and smarter and starting to bubble up and make scary appearances in New York City. Mack, the narrator, has grown up in a Low Lords family, which is kind of like growing up in a quiet and unobtrusive cult devoted to saving humanity without anyone realizing it. They move from the more peaceful rural land around Tennessee and Virginia to New York while battling the Alabastards, and scariness and humor both ensue. It’s fun, hilarious, and weirdly believable, like all TR Pearson novels… but with monsters!

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who'd a Thunk It?

I was all ready to quickly read and forget this novel at first, because when there is a Dog, it worries me. Faithful dogs with hearts of gold tend to up and die so I try to avoid stories that have dogs. But this is a terrific story and I decided the Dog and her human, Mack, were worth learning about.

Mack is a Low Lord. The Low Lords are a warrior tribe, on the down low, living among humans. They are charged with keeping creatures that live in Earth's caverns off the surface. The Low Lords have a complex, ancient tradition, governed by a rigid administration based in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

Trouble is, the rigid beliefs that are Canon in Carlsbad are challenged by development underground. The subterranean creatures are beginning to behave in innovative ways. Adapting, evolving, strategizing.

Mack and his whole Low Lord family don't have much time before they need to adapt, too.

[Mary Stenvall · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all I am a Pearson fan - love his stuff!! This one ventures into science fiction and fantasy or some such and is delightful. Loved it. Each word that Pearson writes is to be savored so it takes a little longer to read but well worth the trip. Thanks, T.R. for another fantastic trip!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book combines Pearson's always-excellent character descriptions and dialogue with a Stephen King-like creature story. A quick and enjoyable read. I may never look at a cavern or a subway tunnel the same way again!

[Mark Trautman Jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good.

I began reading Low Lords without any idea what it was about. Once I realized what was going on, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I've read a dozen or so TR Pearson books and am very rarely disappointed. MT

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't recall this much fictional excitement in a cave since Adela Quested had her freak-out at Marabar. The creepy quotient of this book for me was rather high: I get anxious if I have to go underground into a subway, and I am not over fond of unexpected encounters with reptiles. And “a dog in jeopardy” theme makes me nervous. Nevertheless, this book is a breezy romp through various subterranean locales, in the earth and in the human psyche. A light touch, a page-turning plot, and Pearson's wonderful prose and characterizations combine to make for a fun, entertaining book that I very much enjoyed.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A premise that shouldn't work, but totally does. And it works because Pearson finds the humanity in the marginalized. His characters speak true. I do loves me some T. R. Pearson.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a T. R. Pearson fan, you'll love this book. You'll recognize the characters and their humor and humanity.

If you're not a T. R. Pearson fan, you should be!