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Devil's Day
Every autumn, John Pentecost returns to the Lancashire farm where he grew up to help gather the sheep from the moors. Generally, very little changes in the Briardale Valley, but this year things are different. His grandfather - known to everyone as the Gaffer - has died and John's new wife, Katherine, is accompanying him for the first time.
Every year, the Gaffer would redraw the boundary lines of the village, with pen and paper but also through the remembrance of folk tales, family stories and timeless communal rituals which keep the sheep safe from the Devil. This year, though, the determination of some members of the community to defend those boundary lines has strengthened, and John and Katherine must decide where their loyalties lie, and whether they are prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to join the tribe...
Gripping, unsettling and beautifully written, Andrew Michael Hurley's new novel asks how much we owe to tradition, and how far we will go to belong.
Every year, the Gaffer would redraw the boundary lines of the village, with pen and paper but also through the remembrance of folk tales, family stories and timeless communal rituals which keep the sheep safe from the Devil. This year, though, the determination of some members of the community to defend those boundary lines has strengthened, and John and Katherine must decide where their loyalties lie, and whether they are prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to join the tribe...
Gripping, unsettling and beautifully written, Andrew Michael Hurley's new novel asks how much we owe to tradition, and how far we will go to belong.
295 pages, Paperback
First published October 19, 2017
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About the author
Andrew Michael Hurley
23 books843 followersAndrew Michael Hurley (born 1975) is a British writer whose debut novel, The Loney, was published in a limited edition of 278 copies on 1 October 2014 by Tartarus Press[ and was published under Hodder and Stoughton's John Murray imprint in 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 611 reviews
February 16, 2018
Andrew Michael Hurley is an extraordinarily gifted writer with his lyrical and atmospheric prose, with his eye for details, inundated with beautiful descriptions. There is a subtle tone of portentous menace within the narrative, set in Briardale Valley, Endlands in Lancashire. In this gothic novel, there is much that is reminiscent of The Loney, whilst providing us with a different tale. Looming large throughout is the isolated bleak, harsh, wild and ravaged landscape, battered by extreme winds, heavy rains and snow blizzards, a bitter place that takes no prisoners, where the struggle to survive and make a living demands everything. In a narrative that goes back and forth in time, John Pentecost is a schoolteacher, working at a Suffolk public school, with a pregnant new wife, Katherine. He returns home with Kat, for his grandfather, aka The Gaffer's, funeral and to join in bringing the sheep down from the moors. Locals gather for the ritual tradition of celebrations, and storytelling from local folklore, known as the Devil's Day. This harks back to tales of the Devil coming to Endlands, infiltrating and cursing the place, brewing an epic snowstorm where 13 locals die, devastating the tiny community. The festival is intended to ameliorate the curse with their songs and by redrawing the boundaries. This is a dark story of secrets and family, of memories, of Endlands, a historical anomaly, separate from the rest of the world, clinging to and mired in the timeless past and its superstitions.
With his grandfather dead, John has the responsibility of redrawing the boundaries, an act fraught with difficulties amidst the tensions and feuds. John feels a strong, instinctive attachment and pull to stay with his memories overflowing. For Kat, this was meant to be a visit, she feels uncomfortable, out of place, unable to comprehend or connect with the locals who view her with the suspicions that an outsider merits. They have different visions of their future, but a frightened Kat succumbs to John, who brooks no opposition. The only person who seeks Kat's company is psychic teenager Grace Dyer. Strange accidents and arson occur, as the levels of unease rise with these ominous signs as people wonder if they have let the Devil in. John's memories, of his bullying, his inability to connect with his father, are part of his history as secrets in his family and those of the locals are slowly revealed.
This may not be a book that appeals to everyone, some people are likely to be frustrated by the slow pace and insufficient action, it demands patience from the reader. However, I adored it, I particularly relished and savoured the language, the sense of claustrophobia, ambiguity, timelessness and anxiety within the novel. The unsettling depiction of Endlands leaves an indelible impression on the reader, a brutal landscape that exacts a terrible price from the inhabitants. A fantastic read which I recommend highly! I cannot wait to read Hurley's next offering. Many thanks to John Murray Press for an ARC.
With his grandfather dead, John has the responsibility of redrawing the boundaries, an act fraught with difficulties amidst the tensions and feuds. John feels a strong, instinctive attachment and pull to stay with his memories overflowing. For Kat, this was meant to be a visit, she feels uncomfortable, out of place, unable to comprehend or connect with the locals who view her with the suspicions that an outsider merits. They have different visions of their future, but a frightened Kat succumbs to John, who brooks no opposition. The only person who seeks Kat's company is psychic teenager Grace Dyer. Strange accidents and arson occur, as the levels of unease rise with these ominous signs as people wonder if they have let the Devil in. John's memories, of his bullying, his inability to connect with his father, are part of his history as secrets in his family and those of the locals are slowly revealed.
This may not be a book that appeals to everyone, some people are likely to be frustrated by the slow pace and insufficient action, it demands patience from the reader. However, I adored it, I particularly relished and savoured the language, the sense of claustrophobia, ambiguity, timelessness and anxiety within the novel. The unsettling depiction of Endlands leaves an indelible impression on the reader, a brutal landscape that exacts a terrible price from the inhabitants. A fantastic read which I recommend highly! I cannot wait to read Hurley's next offering. Many thanks to John Murray Press for an ARC.
October 31, 2018
3.5 This is one of those books that is not only hard to rate, but hard to describe. A book that because of it's slow pace will not appeal to everyone. The writing though is wonderful, the descriptions so vividly detailed that it allows the reader to see, feel and hear what the characters are thinking and feeling. The limited amount of characters, let the reader notice the things that change, and what changed them. Local lore, superstitions, a devil that skips from person, to animal, farmers that attempt to draw lot lines away from him. Is he real?
A friend of mine at work read this book before me and he gave me some good advice. Don't skim or skip, because needed information is imparted amongst the details. So true, things would appear innocent with the significance only noted later by this reader. The more one recognizes what is happening, the deeper the dread. A strange book, but one so fitting for the Halloween season.
ARC from Edelweiss.
A friend of mine at work read this book before me and he gave me some good advice. Don't skim or skip, because needed information is imparted amongst the details. So true, things would appear innocent with the significance only noted later by this reader. The more one recognizes what is happening, the deeper the dread. A strange book, but one so fitting for the Halloween season.
ARC from Edelweiss.
May 30, 2018
Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.
What an absolutely mesmerising read! This has the seemingly simple synopsis of following John Pentecost make his annual trip to his family home in the Endlands. This year, however, is different. He is accompanied by a new wife and one face is missing when he returns.
This is a very slow tale. The reader is drip-fed the action in-between long bouts of inactivity. But instead of feeling stalled, this gentle and slow unfurling of events allowed suspense rather than action to reign supreme. There was enough plot to keep me intrigued but it was the little details that held me captivated.
The power of this was in the telling of it, and each minute facet of this harsh and bleak landscape was transcribed to fully ensure the reader lived in and understood this world. Only then could they truly understand how beholden the characters were to it. The Endlands felt separated from the rest of humanity. It was a place that acted a reminder of a different time and its occupants lived a largely isolated life, relegated from the laws that governed the rest of the world and, instead, ruled by superstition and the surroundings. The atmosphere was evoked by an abundance of detail and depiction, until the landscape itself became the central character in this piece and denoted all of the events that followed with its swiftly changing moods.
I found myself enthralled with this setting and this quiet cast of characters. Sublimely beautiful writing and vivid depictions of time and place brought the reader to what this book was ultimately about: the interplay between man and nature. There is a power in simplicity and this book is dedicated to that.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Abdrew Michael Hurley, and the publisher, John Murray, for this opportunity.
What an absolutely mesmerising read! This has the seemingly simple synopsis of following John Pentecost make his annual trip to his family home in the Endlands. This year, however, is different. He is accompanied by a new wife and one face is missing when he returns.
This is a very slow tale. The reader is drip-fed the action in-between long bouts of inactivity. But instead of feeling stalled, this gentle and slow unfurling of events allowed suspense rather than action to reign supreme. There was enough plot to keep me intrigued but it was the little details that held me captivated.
The power of this was in the telling of it, and each minute facet of this harsh and bleak landscape was transcribed to fully ensure the reader lived in and understood this world. Only then could they truly understand how beholden the characters were to it. The Endlands felt separated from the rest of humanity. It was a place that acted a reminder of a different time and its occupants lived a largely isolated life, relegated from the laws that governed the rest of the world and, instead, ruled by superstition and the surroundings. The atmosphere was evoked by an abundance of detail and depiction, until the landscape itself became the central character in this piece and denoted all of the events that followed with its swiftly changing moods.
I found myself enthralled with this setting and this quiet cast of characters. Sublimely beautiful writing and vivid depictions of time and place brought the reader to what this book was ultimately about: the interplay between man and nature. There is a power in simplicity and this book is dedicated to that.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Abdrew Michael Hurley, and the publisher, John Murray, for this opportunity.
October 18, 2017
After the unexpected success of The Loney, high expectations surround Andrew Michael Hurley's second novel. Can it possibly live up to his award-winning debut? In my opinion, it certainly does (and then some), but it is a very different animal. Readers hopeful that Hurley would continue to mine the seam of folk horror and weird fiction he so effectively employed in The Loney might be a little disappointed. Owing much to its rural setting, Devil's Day is a story about family and nature, imbued with unrest and tragedy; a bucolic tale that may owe a greater debt to Hardy than Aickman.
John Pentecost belongs to a Lancashire sheep farming family. Though he's moved away to Suffolk and married Kat, he feels a deep connection to his home community, the Endlands (the small cluster of farms, kept by the same families since time immemorial, can hardly be called a town). Yet the place also holds difficult memories: of being bullied as a boy, his mother's death, the strained relationship he has with his taciturn father. When his grandfather – a colourful local character known to all the Endlands as 'the Gaffer' – passes away, John is compelled to return home.
Local legend has it that a hundred years ago, the Devil disguised himself among the farmers' flocks and brought a terrible snowstorm to the valley. Thirteen people died – a catastrophic loss for such a small community. In the aftermath, a number of odd customs sprang up, and the Endlanders still observe them. Devil's Day falls around the same date as Halloween, and takes place the night before the Gathering, when the sheep are rounded up and brought down from the moors. The prize ram is crowned with a handmade wreath; there's a bonfire, and a stew made with the first lamb of spring; everyone is expected to dance and sing along to traditional rhymes. The Endlanders regard Kat with suspicion; for her part, she finds the apparent sincerity of their superstitious beliefs bemusing. John is more cautious. He doesn't necessarily believe in Devil's Day, but seems to find it wise to participate... just in case.
Needless to say, the Endlands is remote and old-fashioned. It seems almost to exist outside time. My craving for the macabre dissolved as I found instead a more subtle evocation of dread in which attention to detail, the authenticity of the context, is key. Every moment of Devil's Day feels genuine; Hurley's restraint and ability to pace his story are awe-inspiring. There are quirks of language that recall The Loney. John's parents are always 'Mam and Dadda'; the Endlanders often refer to the Devil as 'the Owd Feller'. The place names are redolent of history and folklore – Fiendsdale Clough, Archangel Back, Reaper's Walk. The setting, its otherness, emerges as inherently uncanny. (For John, literally: this place is his home, yet he is forced to see it through the eyes of an outsider, his wife.)
At its heart, this is a novel about the relationship between man and nature. One might conclude that there is no God here, only the fruits of the land; no Devil, only the whims of the weather. 'Nothing was ever settled,' says John: 'Everyone here died in the midst of repairing something.' The 'corrosive urges of nature' are always trying to reclaim the farms. When we glimpse anything unnerving, unnatural, those moments are all the more powerful and strange for being contained within this pastoral diorama. Even the closing scene, ostensibly hopeful, is not without an underlying note of horror.
I enjoyed The Loney, but Hurley's sophomore novel is better in every way. I wanted to turn back to page one and start all over again the moment I finished it. For me, Devil's Day is one of the finest books of the year.
I received an advance review copy of Devil's Day from the publisher through NetGalley.
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John Pentecost belongs to a Lancashire sheep farming family. Though he's moved away to Suffolk and married Kat, he feels a deep connection to his home community, the Endlands (the small cluster of farms, kept by the same families since time immemorial, can hardly be called a town). Yet the place also holds difficult memories: of being bullied as a boy, his mother's death, the strained relationship he has with his taciturn father. When his grandfather – a colourful local character known to all the Endlands as 'the Gaffer' – passes away, John is compelled to return home.
The road had always been at the mercy of the weather and he remembered the Cutting being nothing more than a dirt track that softened to butter in the autumn, and in the summer kicked up dust that marked its meander in a thick brown haze. After even the briefest of rainstorms, the top layer of it would run like a river and horses would have to trudge the miles knee-deep, dragging the carts like sledges. In the worst winters the valley could be cut off for days. After the Blizzard, it was weeks before anyone got in or out. By that time, what had happened there, what the Devil had done, was already fable.
To this day there's no road sign to the village of Underclough or the few houses of the Endlands. Anyone who needs to come to the Briardale Valley knows where they are, and if a stranger asks for directions then they're told to turn between the abattoir and the three beech trees that keep that part of the lane in permanent shade.
Local legend has it that a hundred years ago, the Devil disguised himself among the farmers' flocks and brought a terrible snowstorm to the valley. Thirteen people died – a catastrophic loss for such a small community. In the aftermath, a number of odd customs sprang up, and the Endlanders still observe them. Devil's Day falls around the same date as Halloween, and takes place the night before the Gathering, when the sheep are rounded up and brought down from the moors. The prize ram is crowned with a handmade wreath; there's a bonfire, and a stew made with the first lamb of spring; everyone is expected to dance and sing along to traditional rhymes. The Endlanders regard Kat with suspicion; for her part, she finds the apparent sincerity of their superstitious beliefs bemusing. John is more cautious. He doesn't necessarily believe in Devil's Day, but seems to find it wise to participate... just in case.
Needless to say, the Endlands is remote and old-fashioned. It seems almost to exist outside time. My craving for the macabre dissolved as I found instead a more subtle evocation of dread in which attention to detail, the authenticity of the context, is key. Every moment of Devil's Day feels genuine; Hurley's restraint and ability to pace his story are awe-inspiring. There are quirks of language that recall The Loney. John's parents are always 'Mam and Dadda'; the Endlanders often refer to the Devil as 'the Owd Feller'. The place names are redolent of history and folklore – Fiendsdale Clough, Archangel Back, Reaper's Walk. The setting, its otherness, emerges as inherently uncanny. (For John, literally: this place is his home, yet he is forced to see it through the eyes of an outsider, his wife.)
At its heart, this is a novel about the relationship between man and nature. One might conclude that there is no God here, only the fruits of the land; no Devil, only the whims of the weather. 'Nothing was ever settled,' says John: 'Everyone here died in the midst of repairing something.' The 'corrosive urges of nature' are always trying to reclaim the farms. When we glimpse anything unnerving, unnatural, those moments are all the more powerful and strange for being contained within this pastoral diorama. Even the closing scene, ostensibly hopeful, is not without an underlying note of horror.
I enjoyed The Loney, but Hurley's sophomore novel is better in every way. I wanted to turn back to page one and start all over again the moment I finished it. For me, Devil's Day is one of the finest books of the year.
I received an advance review copy of Devil's Day from the publisher through NetGalley.
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March 17, 2019
A slow-moving horror story that asks the reader to consider what may be the truth behind ancient customs and myths, and what secrets a small, isolated community may be hiding from the rest of the world.
"One late October day, just over a century ago, the farmers of the Endlands went to gather their sheep from the moors as they did every autumn. Only this year, while the shepherds were pulling a pair of wayward lambs from a peat bog, the Devil killed one of the ewes and tore off her fleece to hide himself among the flock." pg 1
The small gathering of farms, Underclough, is as much a character in this story as the actual characters.
"When the first buildings appeared, I could tell that Kat was disappointed. I think she'd expected to find Underclough nestled in the valley, not dark and cramped like something buried at the bottom of a bag." pg 24
There's a sense of inevitability about the whole thing. You're not just born in this place. You live, work and die here, on the edge of the wilderness and the known world.
"Living on the farms was one endless round of maintenance. Nothing was ever finished. Nothing was ever settled. Nothing. Everyone here died in the midst of repairing something. Chores and damage were inherited." pg 38
John Pentecost knows from his childhood that there are forces in nature that cannot be explained. There are whispers in the woods and shadows beneath the trees that move with their own power. There's a reason why the farmers have a "Devil's Day" each year, to put the spirit to sleep while they gather their flocks in peace.
"As the Devil watched me, the same question ran through my mind as incessantly as the river. Did I like stories? Did I like stories? I answered yes." pg 146
Andrew Michael Hurley uses the environment and setting to slowly create a feeling of dread, but then I felt like he never delivered on the story that he so painstakingly sets up. The pace is glacially slow.
That being said, there are one or two scenes from Devil's Day that haunted me when I read them. I just happened to be reading this the night a record-breaking windstorm blew through town. I heard eerie shrieks and groans coming from outside my windows throughout the evening.
I couldn't help but wonder what I would say if the Devil asked me if I like stories...
"One late October day, just over a century ago, the farmers of the Endlands went to gather their sheep from the moors as they did every autumn. Only this year, while the shepherds were pulling a pair of wayward lambs from a peat bog, the Devil killed one of the ewes and tore off her fleece to hide himself among the flock." pg 1
The small gathering of farms, Underclough, is as much a character in this story as the actual characters.
"When the first buildings appeared, I could tell that Kat was disappointed. I think she'd expected to find Underclough nestled in the valley, not dark and cramped like something buried at the bottom of a bag." pg 24
There's a sense of inevitability about the whole thing. You're not just born in this place. You live, work and die here, on the edge of the wilderness and the known world.
"Living on the farms was one endless round of maintenance. Nothing was ever finished. Nothing was ever settled. Nothing. Everyone here died in the midst of repairing something. Chores and damage were inherited." pg 38
John Pentecost knows from his childhood that there are forces in nature that cannot be explained. There are whispers in the woods and shadows beneath the trees that move with their own power. There's a reason why the farmers have a "Devil's Day" each year, to put the spirit to sleep while they gather their flocks in peace.
"As the Devil watched me, the same question ran through my mind as incessantly as the river. Did I like stories? Did I like stories? I answered yes." pg 146
Andrew Michael Hurley uses the environment and setting to slowly create a feeling of dread, but then I felt like he never delivered on the story that he so painstakingly sets up. The pace is glacially slow.
That being said, there are one or two scenes from Devil's Day that haunted me when I read them. I just happened to be reading this the night a record-breaking windstorm blew through town. I heard eerie shrieks and groans coming from outside my windows throughout the evening.
I couldn't help but wonder what I would say if the Devil asked me if I like stories...
October 13, 2017
I was very impressed by, “The Loney,” and so I was interested to read Andrew Michael Hurley’s latest offering, “Devil’s Day.” Again, we have a bleak and isolated community; in this case, The Endlands, where John Pentecost grew up as a boy. Now he is returning, with his pregnant wife, Kat, for the funeral of his grandfather, ‘the Gaffer.’
One hundred years ago, the locals believe that the devil got into a sheep in the Endlands. Those in the local village of Underclough blamed the farmers for the bad luck that befell them. Shortly after the Gaffer’s funeral, it is the Gathering, when the Gaffer would reset the boundaries of the land and locals would celebrate ‘Devil’s Day,’ with their own songs, superstitions and celebrations. For Kat, feeling out of her depth and unused to the locals, this is a time she is looking forward to just passing, so she can get back to normal life. However, for John, the land, the place and the memories of the Endlands are calling him home…
This is a dark and disturbing tale of secrets, both past and present. As the novel progresses and you begin to get insights into the locals lives, their feuds, past and present, their motivations, their self sufficient lifestyle, their history and their protective secrecy, you have a sense of unease which only grows as the book progresses. This is beautifully written, well realised and I am full of admiration for Hurley as an author. Without doubt, this would be an excellent choice for a reading group, with lots to discuss. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
One hundred years ago, the locals believe that the devil got into a sheep in the Endlands. Those in the local village of Underclough blamed the farmers for the bad luck that befell them. Shortly after the Gaffer’s funeral, it is the Gathering, when the Gaffer would reset the boundaries of the land and locals would celebrate ‘Devil’s Day,’ with their own songs, superstitions and celebrations. For Kat, feeling out of her depth and unused to the locals, this is a time she is looking forward to just passing, so she can get back to normal life. However, for John, the land, the place and the memories of the Endlands are calling him home…
This is a dark and disturbing tale of secrets, both past and present. As the novel progresses and you begin to get insights into the locals lives, their feuds, past and present, their motivations, their self sufficient lifestyle, their history and their protective secrecy, you have a sense of unease which only grows as the book progresses. This is beautifully written, well realised and I am full of admiration for Hurley as an author. Without doubt, this would be an excellent choice for a reading group, with lots to discuss. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
October 18, 2017
As with The Loney, it is the writer's ability to so effectively evoke a sense of place and time that sets it apart, yet this offering has a stagnant, suffocating feeling. Centred on a sheep farming family in a rural and insular setting in Lancashire, the Endlands, the book follows John Pentecost as he returns home after the death of his grandfather, The Gaffer.
Local life is a swirl of old resentments, local traditions, superstition, and the power of nature; all of which would have made for a interesting book if the pacing hadn't been so glacial. Nothing significant seems to happen until the last quarter and the reader is trapped here for what seems like a very long time. This an essential characteristic of the book; the gradual building of unease, the insular and secretive community forced together by place and circumstance, but, for me, the people were not engaging enough to overcome my inclination to indifference.
ARC via Netgalley
Local life is a swirl of old resentments, local traditions, superstition, and the power of nature; all of which would have made for a interesting book if the pacing hadn't been so glacial. Nothing significant seems to happen until the last quarter and the reader is trapped here for what seems like a very long time. This an essential characteristic of the book; the gradual building of unease, the insular and secretive community forced together by place and circumstance, but, for me, the people were not engaging enough to overcome my inclination to indifference.
ARC via Netgalley
August 9, 2019
I loved this book so much that I finished it in one sitting. Having also enjoyed The Loney I felt certain this would be my kind of book. What makes it so appealing is the quality of the writing. The author has created a tale full of tradition, tensions, magic and superstition supported by a brooding Lancashire setting where making a living is full of hardships not least of which is the weather. This is demonstrated very clearly in the latter part of the book in The Gathering where the sheep are brought down from high pasture when John and his father get into difficulties. Set in Endlands and featuring various generations of the Pentecost family this is a soaring tale. John and Kat Pentecost return to the place of Johns birth for the funeral of his grandfather known as Gaffer. What follows is a story underpinned by the local beliefs in the constant presence of the Devil who jumps from person to person or animal and who has exacted a huge price from the inhabitants of the area over the centuries. The rituals that are performed to keep the devil contained are fascinating and I loved the way the history of the area from Vikings to Normans to more recent industrial revolution developments were woven seamlessly into the story. Kat Pentecost who originates from Suffolk found it all very confusing and frightening not least when young neighbour Grace takes a shine to her but also believes she is possessed. Throughout the author dangles a mystery of what happened to a local bully Lennie Sturzacker who drowned as a young boy. The truth is revealed towards the end. Ultimately Kat resigns herself to staying and helping on the farm. This brilliantly told story kept me hooked right to the optimistic end.
March 17, 2019
I couldn't connect with this story or the characters. I should have known better and stopped reading it. I tried multiple times to continue reading. I forced myself to finish it when I think I should have quit instead.
Why didn't it work for me?
Mostly, because nothing happens. The prose is so slow that became irritating. The book is very (VERY) descriptive but I felt a lack of substance to the story. I don't think anything important happened in the first 25% of the book. Lastly, the main character was flat to me.
I'll proceed to give you an idea of what the book is about.
John Pentecost is moving back to the Endlands to help his father. He brings his pregnant wife Kat with him. His grandfather, Gaffer recently passed away. The Gaffer had many responsibilities including delineating limits. John is back to the Endlands to help gather the sheep and help them come down from the moors. This is what the residents of the Endlands called the Gathering. The day before the Gathering, they have a celebration called the Devil's Day. Legend says the devil came to the Endlands a hundred years ago and killed many people and the animals too.
As you can see, the story is intriguing from the outside. I thought when I was reading the synopsis that pregnancy and the devil reminded me of Rosemary's Baby but it was nothing like it.
I'm sad this didn't work for me but I'm sure others might enjoy it.
Cliffhanger: No
2/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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November 10, 2019
This is a story about "the land" and the people who have lived there for generations. It simply reeks with atmosphere and is not to be missed. It is slowly paced, though mesmerizing. If you liked "The Loney", you're in good hands. I will be waiting for the next book from Mr. Hurley.
Read
January 2, 2018a 3.5 and no apologies for it.
Andrew Michael Hurley is a gifted author; there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I will be reading every book this man writes. He has this uncanny ability to bring nature and landscape to life to the point where they are inextricably bound to plot and characters. The Loney is a perfect example of how he does this, and he's managed it once again here, in Devil's Day, set in a remote farming village in Northern Lancashire.
The book starts out with a bang. As the back cover blurb reveals, "All stories in the valley have to begin with the Devil," and this one is no exception:
"One late October day, just over a century ago, the farmers of the Endlands went to gather their sheep from the woods as they did every autumn. Only this year, while the shepherds were pulling a pair of wayward lambs from a peat bog, the Devil killed one of the ewes and tore off her fleece to hide himself among the flock."
As we will also learn, there are hundreds of stories that can be told about this place, but as our narrator, John Pentecost, reveals,
"The problem is that in the Endlands one story begs the telling of another and another and in all of them the Devil plays his part."
If you need plot outline, I've posted about this at my reading journal.
I can't really explain in writer or reviewer terms (because I'm neither -- just an average reader person) the depth that this man can reach in his writing but his ability to get there is, for me, what sets him apart from a number of writers these days. Now, having said that, I felt that the pace of this novel was just plain dragging in parts -- it starts out so well and is so lovely, and then it slows to where a snail could have traveled the distance of the Endlands before things picked up again. And then there's the constant telegraphing of the future (no surprise there) and as I'd waited for an explanation of how all that came about, I was rather disappointed that it was all tied up in a few paragraphs. To add to my disappointment, the story of the main character's boyhood was rather obvious in how things were all going to turn out -- it was almost to the point where I'm just like "get it over already, since I know what's going to happen." On the other hand, the big secret that lies at the bottom of what happens in this book was well done, and completely unexpected, and added a new dimension to several questions I had while reading.
I'm really torn on my reactions to this novel. I love the writing as a whole, I love the central focus of this book, I love the landscape. I wasn't exactly enamored of parts of this book, which I thought could have been handled better. What can I say? I'm a picky audience. However, yes to recommending this book, because this man is an author to keep an eye on, and no one should bypass the first two novels or any that he plans to write in the future. I don't often find new novelists I admire this much, and even though I had issues with Devil's Day, in the long run it's all about the writing for me.
Andrew Michael Hurley is a gifted author; there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I will be reading every book this man writes. He has this uncanny ability to bring nature and landscape to life to the point where they are inextricably bound to plot and characters. The Loney is a perfect example of how he does this, and he's managed it once again here, in Devil's Day, set in a remote farming village in Northern Lancashire.
The book starts out with a bang. As the back cover blurb reveals, "All stories in the valley have to begin with the Devil," and this one is no exception:
"One late October day, just over a century ago, the farmers of the Endlands went to gather their sheep from the woods as they did every autumn. Only this year, while the shepherds were pulling a pair of wayward lambs from a peat bog, the Devil killed one of the ewes and tore off her fleece to hide himself among the flock."
As we will also learn, there are hundreds of stories that can be told about this place, but as our narrator, John Pentecost, reveals,
"The problem is that in the Endlands one story begs the telling of another and another and in all of them the Devil plays his part."
If you need plot outline, I've posted about this at my reading journal.
I can't really explain in writer or reviewer terms (because I'm neither -- just an average reader person) the depth that this man can reach in his writing but his ability to get there is, for me, what sets him apart from a number of writers these days. Now, having said that, I felt that the pace of this novel was just plain dragging in parts -- it starts out so well and is so lovely, and then it slows to where a snail could have traveled the distance of the Endlands before things picked up again. And then there's the constant telegraphing of the future (no surprise there) and as I'd waited for an explanation of how all that came about, I was rather disappointed that it was all tied up in a few paragraphs. To add to my disappointment, the story of the main character's boyhood was rather obvious in how things were all going to turn out -- it was almost to the point where I'm just like "get it over already, since I know what's going to happen." On the other hand, the big secret that lies at the bottom of what happens in this book was well done, and completely unexpected, and added a new dimension to several questions I had while reading.
I'm really torn on my reactions to this novel. I love the writing as a whole, I love the central focus of this book, I love the landscape. I wasn't exactly enamored of parts of this book, which I thought could have been handled better. What can I say? I'm a picky audience. However, yes to recommending this book, because this man is an author to keep an eye on, and no one should bypass the first two novels or any that he plans to write in the future. I don't often find new novelists I admire this much, and even though I had issues with Devil's Day, in the long run it's all about the writing for me.
January 16, 2018
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Evocative, powerful writing, but didn't move me quite as much as I'd expected.
Set a story in the Northern moors, add a remote community and The Devil himself, and you've got a recipe for sure-fire success, wouldn't you think? Well, for the most part, the author delivers (and delivers with exceptional confidence and skill), but there were a few parts that I felt strangely unmoved by, without really understanding why.
The eerie start of the book sets the tone - the story of The Devil visiting the Endlands, and the curse he lay on the land.
Returning to modern day, we meet John, a school teacher, who has just returned to the bleak place where his family live; struggling to survive on their farm. He takes his pregnant wife Kat with him, and from the start, we get a strong sense of their 'otherness' - that this slim, soft-handed couple are not built to cope with the harshness of the moors.
Throw in Grace, a sinister teenager who acts in an eerie, occasionally downright freaky way, plus the recently departed Gaffer, who clearly has secrets to hide, and you've suddenly got a novel that's fraught with suspicion and a sense of the unsettling.
For the most part, I was totally immersed in the landscape that the author creates. It's as rich and believable as the dialogue itself, and every page dips the reader headfirst into this rough, harsh world. The characters too were absolutely wonderful; again, totally believable and artfully depicted, with no needless fluffy description.
The only criticism I'd level at it is that it took a while (after that fab opening) to get going, and for about the first 15%, I was confused as to where it was leading. There were also a few parts in the book that I shut off a little, only to be sucked right back in at a later date. It was definitely a book that ebbed and flowed, much like the hilly landscape that the story is set in!
Overall, I'd say this is an example of an exceptionally strong writer, who really knows how to create atmosphere, and whose turns of phrase are often exquisitely lovely. Where it falls short on occasion, is its flow - but this can be overlooked based on the book's other considerable strengths.
Evocative, powerful writing, but didn't move me quite as much as I'd expected.
Set a story in the Northern moors, add a remote community and The Devil himself, and you've got a recipe for sure-fire success, wouldn't you think? Well, for the most part, the author delivers (and delivers with exceptional confidence and skill), but there were a few parts that I felt strangely unmoved by, without really understanding why.
The eerie start of the book sets the tone - the story of The Devil visiting the Endlands, and the curse he lay on the land.
Returning to modern day, we meet John, a school teacher, who has just returned to the bleak place where his family live; struggling to survive on their farm. He takes his pregnant wife Kat with him, and from the start, we get a strong sense of their 'otherness' - that this slim, soft-handed couple are not built to cope with the harshness of the moors.
Throw in Grace, a sinister teenager who acts in an eerie, occasionally downright freaky way, plus the recently departed Gaffer, who clearly has secrets to hide, and you've suddenly got a novel that's fraught with suspicion and a sense of the unsettling.
For the most part, I was totally immersed in the landscape that the author creates. It's as rich and believable as the dialogue itself, and every page dips the reader headfirst into this rough, harsh world. The characters too were absolutely wonderful; again, totally believable and artfully depicted, with no needless fluffy description.
The only criticism I'd level at it is that it took a while (after that fab opening) to get going, and for about the first 15%, I was confused as to where it was leading. There were also a few parts in the book that I shut off a little, only to be sucked right back in at a later date. It was definitely a book that ebbed and flowed, much like the hilly landscape that the story is set in!
Overall, I'd say this is an example of an exceptionally strong writer, who really knows how to create atmosphere, and whose turns of phrase are often exquisitely lovely. Where it falls short on occasion, is its flow - but this can be overlooked based on the book's other considerable strengths.
January 3, 2025
I thought it was really something, in its level of detail, and its slow febrile accumulation of creepy ordinariness, and for the way the narrator remains terrifyingly sanguine even as things become stranger and more twisted, but also, I was a little frustrated, and wanting things to come to a head faster--even though I know it's precisely this slowness, this patience, this infiltration of darkness, that makes the story work so well, and feel so unique to read.
Read
August 27, 2024Let me think on this for a minute. I need to gather my thoughts.
January 14, 2026
2.5 stars
I read this expecting folk horror. It is, in a way, I guess, but more of a gothic, and there’s not too much actual horror here. It was creepy, and very atmospheric, but I kept waiting for something to happen….and I might still be waiting, I can’t tell. Reading the book wasn’t a bad experience during the reading, but now that I’m done I wish there had been a bit more to it. I suppose I just don’t appreciate subtlety enough.
Read as part of Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge 2026, prompt # 6, read a gothic novel published in the last ten years.
I read this expecting folk horror. It is, in a way, I guess, but more of a gothic, and there’s not too much actual horror here. It was creepy, and very atmospheric, but I kept waiting for something to happen….and I might still be waiting, I can’t tell. Reading the book wasn’t a bad experience during the reading, but now that I’m done I wish there had been a bit more to it. I suppose I just don’t appreciate subtlety enough.
Read as part of Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge 2026, prompt # 6, read a gothic novel published in the last ten years.
September 9, 2018
Feeling a little underwhelmed by this book, I decided to leave 2.5 stars as a final rating.
The premise is very exciting, John Pentecost goes back to the place where he grew up to help gather the sheep from the moor. In the small, highly conservative village there are tales of the Devil and each year they proceed with their own rituals and celebrations to prevent the 'Owd Feller' from infiltrating the community. While things hardly ever change that year John's grandfather died and he takes his wife for the first time with him.
Hurley's writing very precisely portrays the brooding surroundings and the bleakness of the place, however a lot of times it felt like there is nothing really going on in the book. For me painting an elaborate backdrop now matter how compelling it might be is not enough if there's nothing meaningful and it remains just device to set the atmosphere. A lot of people wrote it's eerie but it just came off as dull instead of creeping me out.
I didn't really get to know the characters, they almost seemed to be secondary compared to the descriptions of nature around them. It might have been on purpose, to show how living in a remote area like that hollows people out, but it still made me feel the book is lacking in this sense. Even more of a problem was that I didn't really see the motivation of the characters, for example, why did it become so important to keep the place running for John when he practically fleed from there when he was younger.
Things rarely happen in the book, and whenever something does happen it becomes completely fragmented because of the frequent time skips in the narrative. I know it is a frequently used way of storytelling but after a while, it has become frustrating., There are a lot of things that felt unfinished or unanswered leaving me unsatisfied in the end.
*I received a review copy from Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review*
The premise is very exciting, John Pentecost goes back to the place where he grew up to help gather the sheep from the moor. In the small, highly conservative village there are tales of the Devil and each year they proceed with their own rituals and celebrations to prevent the 'Owd Feller' from infiltrating the community. While things hardly ever change that year John's grandfather died and he takes his wife for the first time with him.
Hurley's writing very precisely portrays the brooding surroundings and the bleakness of the place, however a lot of times it felt like there is nothing really going on in the book. For me painting an elaborate backdrop now matter how compelling it might be is not enough if there's nothing meaningful and it remains just device to set the atmosphere. A lot of people wrote it's eerie but it just came off as dull instead of creeping me out.
I didn't really get to know the characters, they almost seemed to be secondary compared to the descriptions of nature around them. It might have been on purpose, to show how living in a remote area like that hollows people out, but it still made me feel the book is lacking in this sense. Even more of a problem was that I didn't really see the motivation of the characters, for example, why did it become so important to keep the place running for John when he practically fleed from there when he was younger.
Things rarely happen in the book, and whenever something does happen it becomes completely fragmented because of the frequent time skips in the narrative. I know it is a frequently used way of storytelling but after a while, it has become frustrating., There are a lot of things that felt unfinished or unanswered leaving me unsatisfied in the end.
*I received a review copy from Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review*
October 10, 2020
A fine example of Folk Horror ! The landscape between Lancashire and West Yorkshire is wonderfully evoked ; bleak but beautiful.Menacing and unsettling but with an ending that maybe too ambiguous for some.I however loved it. Highly recommended.
December 2, 2020
The Witch meets Midsommar
John and his new wife Kat travel to the Lancashire Moors to John’s family farm, managed solely by his middle-aged father following the death of his grandfather, known to the locals as the Gaffer. The visit to attend the Gaffer’s funeral coincides with the annual event known only to the locals as Devil’s Day; a family-friendly tradition dating back over a century, intended to keep the devil from cursing their families and their livelihood. While John, who grew up on the farm, settles back into the rural with relative ease, his grandfather’s passing stirring feelings of responsibility and family loyalty, Kat quickly begins to feel isolated and out of place, like an outsider. The revelations that will follow their arrival, and the ongoing feuds amongst the locals, will bring into question the newly-weds priorities and what sacrifices they are willing to make to be a family. They will also find out that the old superstitious ritual of Devil’s Day may be steeped in more reality than they could have ever expected.
Andrew Michael Hurley’s second novel, following the critically acclaimed ‘The Loney’, is not a book for everyone. The pacing is slow to the point of static, particularly in the book’s first half, and the story is told both during the present day and using both flashforwards and flashbacks, often mixed together in a convoluted jumble, which only starts to reward the patient reader once the pieces of the puzzle Hurley has weaved begin to fall into place. The constant time jumps, coupled with little in the way of action or events throughout, make this a challenging read but, ultimately, a thoroughly rewarding one.
The horror, when it comes, is subtle and insidious. We are slowly fed clues and hints as to what is happening and, while not all answers are forthcoming by the end of the book, you are given just enough to draw some unsettling conclusions. That such unease and disquiet can be drawn from such humble events is a testament to the quality of the writing. The author really knows how to turn a phrase and the prose is descriptive, literary while remaining accessible, and memorable.
John, who narrates the story, is not the most likeable of protagonists. While he is well-meaning for the most part, his actions are often selfish and driven by guilt, and he rarely seems to consider the impact his actions have on those around him. Kat, on the other hand, is a veritable whirlwind of positivity, a far cry from the generally reserved pessimism of the locals, which only serves to solidify her position of the outsider. It is not the characters who are the main attractions here, however, but rather the setting. Like Stephen King’s Castle Rock stories, the Lancashire Moors permeate everything in this book and the descriptions of the harsh land that the family are trying so hard to maintain are so vivid that they feel almost like the main character, rather than setting; a fitting parallel to the characters, whose lives are inexorably linked to the land, and seem doomed to remain, despite the cost to them and their loved ones.
This gothic, folk horror tale of family, history and tradition may raise questions that ultimately go unanswered, but it also gets under your skin. It is the implications, and not the actions, that create the horror in this story and what it lacks in actions, it makes up for in abundance with an overbearing feeling of isolation, and a tension that builds slowly and doesn’t stop. If you are looking for a fast-paced holiday read for the beach, this book is not it. If you are in the market for a slow burn masterclass in rural dread, then Devil Day needs to be on your radar.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
John and his new wife Kat travel to the Lancashire Moors to John’s family farm, managed solely by his middle-aged father following the death of his grandfather, known to the locals as the Gaffer. The visit to attend the Gaffer’s funeral coincides with the annual event known only to the locals as Devil’s Day; a family-friendly tradition dating back over a century, intended to keep the devil from cursing their families and their livelihood. While John, who grew up on the farm, settles back into the rural with relative ease, his grandfather’s passing stirring feelings of responsibility and family loyalty, Kat quickly begins to feel isolated and out of place, like an outsider. The revelations that will follow their arrival, and the ongoing feuds amongst the locals, will bring into question the newly-weds priorities and what sacrifices they are willing to make to be a family. They will also find out that the old superstitious ritual of Devil’s Day may be steeped in more reality than they could have ever expected.
Andrew Michael Hurley’s second novel, following the critically acclaimed ‘The Loney’, is not a book for everyone. The pacing is slow to the point of static, particularly in the book’s first half, and the story is told both during the present day and using both flashforwards and flashbacks, often mixed together in a convoluted jumble, which only starts to reward the patient reader once the pieces of the puzzle Hurley has weaved begin to fall into place. The constant time jumps, coupled with little in the way of action or events throughout, make this a challenging read but, ultimately, a thoroughly rewarding one.
The horror, when it comes, is subtle and insidious. We are slowly fed clues and hints as to what is happening and, while not all answers are forthcoming by the end of the book, you are given just enough to draw some unsettling conclusions. That such unease and disquiet can be drawn from such humble events is a testament to the quality of the writing. The author really knows how to turn a phrase and the prose is descriptive, literary while remaining accessible, and memorable.
John, who narrates the story, is not the most likeable of protagonists. While he is well-meaning for the most part, his actions are often selfish and driven by guilt, and he rarely seems to consider the impact his actions have on those around him. Kat, on the other hand, is a veritable whirlwind of positivity, a far cry from the generally reserved pessimism of the locals, which only serves to solidify her position of the outsider. It is not the characters who are the main attractions here, however, but rather the setting. Like Stephen King’s Castle Rock stories, the Lancashire Moors permeate everything in this book and the descriptions of the harsh land that the family are trying so hard to maintain are so vivid that they feel almost like the main character, rather than setting; a fitting parallel to the characters, whose lives are inexorably linked to the land, and seem doomed to remain, despite the cost to them and their loved ones.
This gothic, folk horror tale of family, history and tradition may raise questions that ultimately go unanswered, but it also gets under your skin. It is the implications, and not the actions, that create the horror in this story and what it lacks in actions, it makes up for in abundance with an overbearing feeling of isolation, and a tension that builds slowly and doesn’t stop. If you are looking for a fast-paced holiday read for the beach, this book is not it. If you are in the market for a slow burn masterclass in rural dread, then Devil Day needs to be on your radar.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
November 4, 2018
Also posted on my blog, Serpent Club.
“Look for an animal trying to be an animal, Johnny lad, and it’s probably him. He can’t always get it right. That’s why he likes to hide himself in a flock so no one notices.”
Devil’s Day is a horror novel set in The Endlands, a rural community where a few farming families cling to their traditions and rituals.
John Pentecost and his newly pregnant wife, Kat, return to the Endlands after John’s grandfather, The Gaffer, passes away. John has been absent from his family and the community for a while and harbors guilt because of it. When John and Kat arrive at the Endlands, John has already decided that Kat and himself will move back to take over the family farm and raise their family there. Kat, of course, is not privy to these plans, and it’s clear from the beginning that she is not comfortable there.
Their arrival to the Endlands is shortly before the annual Devil’s Day ritual. Devil’s Day commemorates an incident that happened generations ago, when the community survived what they call “The Blizzard”: a supernatural event where the devil arrived. He killed a sheep and disguised himself among the flock, tearing through the land and by the end, killing 13 people. The ritual of Devil’s Day first attracts the devil, who is referred to as “Owd Feller”, with the slaughtering of a lamb, feasting, and singing. Then it casts him out.
While the families prepare to bury the Gaffer and to get everything in order for Devil’s Day, tensions build. Through a mix of flashback, the story is told through John. We learn more about the family history and the conflicts between the Endlands locals and the slaughtermen from the nearby village. John is an unreliable narrator, which contributes to the creepy undercurrent running through the story. His memories are shared in pieces, but it’s clear that sometimes, information is omitted or it’s not the truth. As I was reading, I was a bit fearful of John, and not quite sure that I could trust him.
What also makes the story creepy is the build up of seemingly supernatural events. Mysterious and sinister actions take place, but is it really the work of the Owd Feller?
The writing is beautiful and slow. This is a book that requires patience. Savor the descriptions; the environment is basically a secondary character. Hurley absolutely nails atmosphere and tension. Fans of Hurley’s first novel, The Loney, will appreciate the style of Devil’s Day. And anyone who is interested in folk horror needs to add this to their list.
“Look for an animal trying to be an animal, Johnny lad, and it’s probably him. He can’t always get it right. That’s why he likes to hide himself in a flock so no one notices.”
Devil’s Day is a horror novel set in The Endlands, a rural community where a few farming families cling to their traditions and rituals.
John Pentecost and his newly pregnant wife, Kat, return to the Endlands after John’s grandfather, The Gaffer, passes away. John has been absent from his family and the community for a while and harbors guilt because of it. When John and Kat arrive at the Endlands, John has already decided that Kat and himself will move back to take over the family farm and raise their family there. Kat, of course, is not privy to these plans, and it’s clear from the beginning that she is not comfortable there.
Their arrival to the Endlands is shortly before the annual Devil’s Day ritual. Devil’s Day commemorates an incident that happened generations ago, when the community survived what they call “The Blizzard”: a supernatural event where the devil arrived. He killed a sheep and disguised himself among the flock, tearing through the land and by the end, killing 13 people. The ritual of Devil’s Day first attracts the devil, who is referred to as “Owd Feller”, with the slaughtering of a lamb, feasting, and singing. Then it casts him out.
While the families prepare to bury the Gaffer and to get everything in order for Devil’s Day, tensions build. Through a mix of flashback, the story is told through John. We learn more about the family history and the conflicts between the Endlands locals and the slaughtermen from the nearby village. John is an unreliable narrator, which contributes to the creepy undercurrent running through the story. His memories are shared in pieces, but it’s clear that sometimes, information is omitted or it’s not the truth. As I was reading, I was a bit fearful of John, and not quite sure that I could trust him.
What also makes the story creepy is the build up of seemingly supernatural events. Mysterious and sinister actions take place, but is it really the work of the Owd Feller?
The writing is beautiful and slow. This is a book that requires patience. Savor the descriptions; the environment is basically a secondary character. Hurley absolutely nails atmosphere and tension. Fans of Hurley’s first novel, The Loney, will appreciate the style of Devil’s Day. And anyone who is interested in folk horror needs to add this to their list.
September 21, 2019
A very slow burn of a novel but oh so atmospheric. The setting and the strange rural farming community is so well drawn, steeped in tradition and superstition. A disquieting sense of creepiness pervades everything - are the stories the family tell true or is it just superstition? The strangeness of the girl, Grace, I found most disturbing and at times genuinely scary. Poor Kat, I felt for her and the gradual sense of inevitability of having to give up her comfortable life and make her home in this grim place, I so wanted her to leave and never look back. Lyrical and evocative, I'll seek out more from Andrew Michael Hurley.
May 25, 2024
’One late October day, just over a century ago, the farmers of the Endlands went to gather their sheep from the moors as they did every autumn. Only this year, while the shepherds were pulling a pair of wayward lambs from a peat bog, the Devil killed one of the ewes and tore off her fleece to hide himself among the flock’.
What a fantastic opening!
As soon as I read the first paragraph, I just knew this was going to be absolutely superb. This is the third book I’ve read by Hurley and all three have impressed me. Starve Acre is still my favourite, this one a close second, followed by The Loney which I thoroughly enjoyed as well.
This is exactly the kind of book I love to read. This is exactly what I hope to find when I pick up a book in this genre. I love the way Hurley unravels a story so beautifully but always manages that undercurrent of ‘something is terribly, terribly wrong here’.
’As the Devil watched me, the same question ran through my mind as incessantly as the river. Did I like stories? Did I like stories? I answered yes.’
Horror + folklore + creeping dread + great characters + gorgeous natural world descriptions = one happy reader.
I’m very much looking forward to reading Hurley’s short story collection Barrowbeck coming out in October this year.
’On the other side, in the chapel-dark of the trees, it was airless and insecty. Rabbits skittered from bracken to bracken. Pheasants strutted and croaked like dandified guardsmen. The oaks and beeches were in their full green and the light fell as if through a roof of broken tiles’.
Wow. Utterly sublime! 😌
5 ⭐️ - Brilliant. I loved it.
What a fantastic opening!
As soon as I read the first paragraph, I just knew this was going to be absolutely superb. This is the third book I’ve read by Hurley and all three have impressed me. Starve Acre is still my favourite, this one a close second, followed by The Loney which I thoroughly enjoyed as well.
This is exactly the kind of book I love to read. This is exactly what I hope to find when I pick up a book in this genre. I love the way Hurley unravels a story so beautifully but always manages that undercurrent of ‘something is terribly, terribly wrong here’.
’As the Devil watched me, the same question ran through my mind as incessantly as the river. Did I like stories? Did I like stories? I answered yes.’
Horror + folklore + creeping dread + great characters + gorgeous natural world descriptions = one happy reader.
I’m very much looking forward to reading Hurley’s short story collection Barrowbeck coming out in October this year.
’On the other side, in the chapel-dark of the trees, it was airless and insecty. Rabbits skittered from bracken to bracken. Pheasants strutted and croaked like dandified guardsmen. The oaks and beeches were in their full green and the light fell as if through a roof of broken tiles’.
Wow. Utterly sublime! 😌
5 ⭐️ - Brilliant. I loved it.
October 29, 2018
It’s difficult to convey what I am compelled to say about this novel, as THE LONEY was just about my favorite book of 2016. Andrew Michael Hurley is a writer of commanding talent, and I will still be first in line for his next novel, when it comes out, as his elegiac tone, haunting atmosphere, and undulating and metaphorically muscular prose is still on full display in DEVIL’S DAY, despite it being a disappointing book for this reader.
This is how I can best describe it with analogy. It’s like I was at the airport waiting to board a plane for a heady trip. But then the flight gets delayed by many hours. There’re still a lot of exclusive places to shop and eat at the Austin airport, and I can stay amused and fed until my flight finally arrives. But after finally boarding and watching the pregnant clouds, the grey and moody sky, and the astonishing play of light for half a day and night, the plane detours to another city because it ran out of fuel.
The story in THE LONEY was electrifying, dangerous, ominous, and menacing, yet also supple, delicate, with a plot and characters fully rounded, from mournful to macabre. I was on the edge of my seat, although the narrative wasn’t swiftly paced, but rather gradual with colossal strength. But I have to wonder if Hurley, in writing DEVIL’S DAY, felt the need or desire to combine some autobiographical material into a fictional story.
There was a lot of time spent on the quotidian dynamics of a family who lost an icon, The Gaffer—father to some, grandfather or uncle or cousin to others, and the first year of the annual Gathering and Devil’s Day sans Gaffer. This is when the tiny, rural and provincial burgh celebrates with a feast and rituals simulated to seduce and trick the devil after bringing the sheep down from the moors.
Those that live here in “The Endlands” year round deal with punishing climate and embrace superstitious beliefs. I looked it up to see where in England it was, and discovered that The Endlands was a sci-fi horror book by Vincent Hobbes, a place of darkness, despair, and where things hiding in the recesses of your imagination foment and haunt you every night. OK, I was intrigued, anticipating another story where the mind is the most conjuring and frightful foe, reinforced by the moody, grim setting.
This year, the Gaffer’s grandson, John Pentecost, returns to help gather the sheep for the Gathering. He’s the one that left for a teaching degree, lives in Suffolk with his comely, pregnant wife, Kat, and is the narrator of this story. He brings Kat for her first visit--for the Gaffer’s funeral, the Gathering, and the feast for Devil’s Day.
The set up is alluring, and Hurley foreshadows with his poetic, confident prose. Every sentence is gem-like and rarefied, building tension and foreshadowing evil. Describing the Devil, “He was the maggot in the eye of the good dog, the cancer that rotted the ram’s gonads, the blood in the baby’s milk.” “But when he saw the animals decaying before his eyes and the blood dribbling from the wet-nurse’s teat, his nerve faltered and the Devil brought a blizzard to the valley that lasted for days.”
Omens augur throughout the story, and now and then I was creeped out by the behavior of a disturbing child or a dark, murky memory. There were a few moments where I held my breath, but then it flattened out and blended into the background. That is how I felt the presence of the book—a finger that points to something intoxicating and ominous, but then it fades or deflates. The mounting tension between John and Kat becomes the focal point, but it is unsustaining when it weakens. The reader gets a sense of a guarded event that John is hiding, but then another event from the past becomes the locus of evil. Or is it?
Wounds and buried secrets provoke and then sigh. The background and setting seem to rise from the primordial steam, like THE LONEY, but don’t coalesce into a riveting tale. Rather, it is a coming of age for the back woods, an evoked Stand By Me vibe that is more a portrait of an isolated, eccentric, and sad little valley that did surprise me at the end, past the disappointing denouement, but only because it didn’t seem credulous.
If you haven’t read THE LONEY, read it! It’s a masterpiece. I think Hurley needed to get this one out of his system, and I’m still glad I read it, as the glistening prose kept me forging ahead. But it was more grimacing than grim, and malingering rather than moving. I may have been disappointed with the finale, but I wouldn’t say I totally wasted my time.
This is how I can best describe it with analogy. It’s like I was at the airport waiting to board a plane for a heady trip. But then the flight gets delayed by many hours. There’re still a lot of exclusive places to shop and eat at the Austin airport, and I can stay amused and fed until my flight finally arrives. But after finally boarding and watching the pregnant clouds, the grey and moody sky, and the astonishing play of light for half a day and night, the plane detours to another city because it ran out of fuel.
The story in THE LONEY was electrifying, dangerous, ominous, and menacing, yet also supple, delicate, with a plot and characters fully rounded, from mournful to macabre. I was on the edge of my seat, although the narrative wasn’t swiftly paced, but rather gradual with colossal strength. But I have to wonder if Hurley, in writing DEVIL’S DAY, felt the need or desire to combine some autobiographical material into a fictional story.
There was a lot of time spent on the quotidian dynamics of a family who lost an icon, The Gaffer—father to some, grandfather or uncle or cousin to others, and the first year of the annual Gathering and Devil’s Day sans Gaffer. This is when the tiny, rural and provincial burgh celebrates with a feast and rituals simulated to seduce and trick the devil after bringing the sheep down from the moors.
Those that live here in “The Endlands” year round deal with punishing climate and embrace superstitious beliefs. I looked it up to see where in England it was, and discovered that The Endlands was a sci-fi horror book by Vincent Hobbes, a place of darkness, despair, and where things hiding in the recesses of your imagination foment and haunt you every night. OK, I was intrigued, anticipating another story where the mind is the most conjuring and frightful foe, reinforced by the moody, grim setting.
This year, the Gaffer’s grandson, John Pentecost, returns to help gather the sheep for the Gathering. He’s the one that left for a teaching degree, lives in Suffolk with his comely, pregnant wife, Kat, and is the narrator of this story. He brings Kat for her first visit--for the Gaffer’s funeral, the Gathering, and the feast for Devil’s Day.
The set up is alluring, and Hurley foreshadows with his poetic, confident prose. Every sentence is gem-like and rarefied, building tension and foreshadowing evil. Describing the Devil, “He was the maggot in the eye of the good dog, the cancer that rotted the ram’s gonads, the blood in the baby’s milk.” “But when he saw the animals decaying before his eyes and the blood dribbling from the wet-nurse’s teat, his nerve faltered and the Devil brought a blizzard to the valley that lasted for days.”
Omens augur throughout the story, and now and then I was creeped out by the behavior of a disturbing child or a dark, murky memory. There were a few moments where I held my breath, but then it flattened out and blended into the background. That is how I felt the presence of the book—a finger that points to something intoxicating and ominous, but then it fades or deflates. The mounting tension between John and Kat becomes the focal point, but it is unsustaining when it weakens. The reader gets a sense of a guarded event that John is hiding, but then another event from the past becomes the locus of evil. Or is it?
Wounds and buried secrets provoke and then sigh. The background and setting seem to rise from the primordial steam, like THE LONEY, but don’t coalesce into a riveting tale. Rather, it is a coming of age for the back woods, an evoked Stand By Me vibe that is more a portrait of an isolated, eccentric, and sad little valley that did surprise me at the end, past the disappointing denouement, but only because it didn’t seem credulous.
If you haven’t read THE LONEY, read it! It’s a masterpiece. I think Hurley needed to get this one out of his system, and I’m still glad I read it, as the glistening prose kept me forging ahead. But it was more grimacing than grim, and malingering rather than moving. I may have been disappointed with the finale, but I wouldn’t say I totally wasted my time.
October 15, 2019
In rural Lancashire, almost on the Yorkshire border, there is a place called the 'Endlands". A place where generations of the same families have eked out an existence from farming. An insular place riven with superstition and long-standing family feuds.
"The Endlands are remote, not secluded; watchful rather than peaceful."
We arrive in the Endlands with John and Kat Pentecost. John left the farm when he went off to university. Now he works as a schoolteacher. He met his wife Kat and they now live in Suffolk. Since their wedding, this is the first visit home for John. It is a somber occasion as his beloved 'Gaffer', his grandfather has died.
Endlands is a dreary and very eerie place. It is late autumn and the land is bleak, cold, damp, and unwelcoming. In addition to The Gaffer's funeral, the Endlands residents are preparing for the annual 'Devil's Day' celebration. Devil's Day has its roots in ancient superstition, yet some of the residents still believe... Some families accredit a recent spate of bad luck to the Devil, or "Owd Feller' as they call him. They believe that the Owd Feller lives up high on the moors.
John feels a keen sense of belonging to the Endlands. He feels a familial responsibility to stay and help his father with the arduous work on the farm. Meanwhile, newly pregnant Kat assumes that they will return to their home in Suffolk...
Then, a burdensome and alarming revelation is made...
MY THOUGHTS
The setting of "Devil's Day" is every much a character as are the people who inhabit the Endlands. Very well described, the sense of place pervades the entire story. It is a place where children are raised to continue on in the footsteps of their forefathers. A place where little changes over the generations and neighbours are constants in your life, sometimes helpful and sometimes not so much...
This is a very slow-paced novel. Also, it seems to have several characters that are on the periphery of the action who aren't fleshed out enough to be distinguishable. That being said, the main characters are quite vividly rendered and the atmosphere is chilling. There is a lot of village history throughout the book, which some readers might not like, while others will relish. I enjoyed the history, but it had little to do with the actual plot of the story. Also, there was a lot of description in the book. So much so that despite it being beautifully rendered, I felt it distracted the reader from the story itself.
Some scenes are very vivid and quite unsettling, in particular the one where Kat dances blindfolded on Devil's Day.
The author's knowledge of the Lancashire area and its folkloric traditions is very evident.
An unsettling, beautifully written, perturbing novel, that I'm of mixed feelings about... Now, I think I'll have to read "The Loney", the author's debut...
3.5 STARS rounded down
I received a complimentary digital copy of "Devil's Day" from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Edelweiss.
"The Endlands are remote, not secluded; watchful rather than peaceful."
We arrive in the Endlands with John and Kat Pentecost. John left the farm when he went off to university. Now he works as a schoolteacher. He met his wife Kat and they now live in Suffolk. Since their wedding, this is the first visit home for John. It is a somber occasion as his beloved 'Gaffer', his grandfather has died.
Endlands is a dreary and very eerie place. It is late autumn and the land is bleak, cold, damp, and unwelcoming. In addition to The Gaffer's funeral, the Endlands residents are preparing for the annual 'Devil's Day' celebration. Devil's Day has its roots in ancient superstition, yet some of the residents still believe... Some families accredit a recent spate of bad luck to the Devil, or "Owd Feller' as they call him. They believe that the Owd Feller lives up high on the moors.
John feels a keen sense of belonging to the Endlands. He feels a familial responsibility to stay and help his father with the arduous work on the farm. Meanwhile, newly pregnant Kat assumes that they will return to their home in Suffolk...
Then, a burdensome and alarming revelation is made...
MY THOUGHTS
The setting of "Devil's Day" is every much a character as are the people who inhabit the Endlands. Very well described, the sense of place pervades the entire story. It is a place where children are raised to continue on in the footsteps of their forefathers. A place where little changes over the generations and neighbours are constants in your life, sometimes helpful and sometimes not so much...
This is a very slow-paced novel. Also, it seems to have several characters that are on the periphery of the action who aren't fleshed out enough to be distinguishable. That being said, the main characters are quite vividly rendered and the atmosphere is chilling. There is a lot of village history throughout the book, which some readers might not like, while others will relish. I enjoyed the history, but it had little to do with the actual plot of the story. Also, there was a lot of description in the book. So much so that despite it being beautifully rendered, I felt it distracted the reader from the story itself.
Some scenes are very vivid and quite unsettling, in particular the one where Kat dances blindfolded on Devil's Day.
The author's knowledge of the Lancashire area and its folkloric traditions is very evident.
An unsettling, beautifully written, perturbing novel, that I'm of mixed feelings about... Now, I think I'll have to read "The Loney", the author's debut...
3.5 STARS rounded down
I received a complimentary digital copy of "Devil's Day" from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Edelweiss.
November 28, 2017
With thanks to John Murray Press via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.
I remember from reading his first novel, The Loney, that the author has a talent for creating atmosphere and was delighted to see more of the same here. The open moorland, vulnerable to extremes of weather, the often brutal life of farmers in these hills and valleys, the superstitions clinging on in an isolated setting - all come together to make a striking impression. Added to this is a creeping sense of foreboding and danger, fuelled by unexplained incidents, scary folklore and guarded secrets. Tension is high, not least between John and Kat and their very different ideas of ‘home’ and community. Terrifically well done.
To give a flavour of the tone:
‘Living on the farms was one endless round of maintenance. Nothing was ever finished. Nothing was ever settled. Nothing. Everyone here died in the midst of repairing something. Chores and damage were inherited.’
‘But a farmer in the Endlands was only ever a custodian. Nothing ever belonged to anyone, but was always in the act of being handed on.’
If I have a niggle at all, it’s in the pacing of the story. The first half and more progresses very slowly. I loved all the detail of day-to-day life and preparations for annual celebrations, so much so that I was rather taken aback by the speed of events towards the end. I also felt a little cheated by some of the characters’ development. The tensions between them that so dominated most of the novel seemed just to vanish on the wind. I would recommend, though, especially as winter approaches for us all.
I remember from reading his first novel, The Loney, that the author has a talent for creating atmosphere and was delighted to see more of the same here. The open moorland, vulnerable to extremes of weather, the often brutal life of farmers in these hills and valleys, the superstitions clinging on in an isolated setting - all come together to make a striking impression. Added to this is a creeping sense of foreboding and danger, fuelled by unexplained incidents, scary folklore and guarded secrets. Tension is high, not least between John and Kat and their very different ideas of ‘home’ and community. Terrifically well done.
To give a flavour of the tone:
‘Living on the farms was one endless round of maintenance. Nothing was ever finished. Nothing was ever settled. Nothing. Everyone here died in the midst of repairing something. Chores and damage were inherited.’
‘But a farmer in the Endlands was only ever a custodian. Nothing ever belonged to anyone, but was always in the act of being handed on.’
If I have a niggle at all, it’s in the pacing of the story. The first half and more progresses very slowly. I loved all the detail of day-to-day life and preparations for annual celebrations, so much so that I was rather taken aback by the speed of events towards the end. I also felt a little cheated by some of the characters’ development. The tensions between them that so dominated most of the novel seemed just to vanish on the wind. I would recommend, though, especially as winter approaches for us all.
October 8, 2021
Hurley had me at pagan rites, innocuously (kinda) still observed today. I fell screaming in love with his prize winning debut, The Loney, also because of the eerie superstitions and the odd locals who observe the old ways.
The Loney is far more clever than one might initially think. After having devoured it in one sitting, I served it up to my book club for October the same year and noticed devilish little nuances that slipped past me the first go.
All that to say that my anticipation for this one, Devil’s Day, was buzzy. The story as you know is set in a small, obscure locale in rural England and inhabited by kids that know things, by women who harvest autumn wild flowers and branches so that they may “crown” the ram.
Yeah. I don’t know how old you are, dear reader, but this had that Harvest Home vibe and chill, a la Thomas Tryon. Adored that in my youth and was all set for a freaky reveal at the end of this one.
Alas, the ending I wanted - which had to do with a first time mother to be, voices in the snow, and the death of a boy - didn’t twist up like I’d hoped. This is very well written, absolutely, but not the five star jaw dropper uncovered in The Loney.
If you are looking for excellent writing and an October chill, give this a turn or head for The Loney. Love this guy’s stuff.
The Loney is far more clever than one might initially think. After having devoured it in one sitting, I served it up to my book club for October the same year and noticed devilish little nuances that slipped past me the first go.
All that to say that my anticipation for this one, Devil’s Day, was buzzy. The story as you know is set in a small, obscure locale in rural England and inhabited by kids that know things, by women who harvest autumn wild flowers and branches so that they may “crown” the ram.
Yeah. I don’t know how old you are, dear reader, but this had that Harvest Home vibe and chill, a la Thomas Tryon. Adored that in my youth and was all set for a freaky reveal at the end of this one.
Alas, the ending I wanted - which had to do with a first time mother to be, voices in the snow, and the death of a boy - didn’t twist up like I’d hoped. This is very well written, absolutely, but not the five star jaw dropper uncovered in The Loney.
If you are looking for excellent writing and an October chill, give this a turn or head for The Loney. Love this guy’s stuff.
July 16, 2018
Interesting story and Hurley is good writer.
Every autumn, John Pentecost returns to the family farm to help gather the sheep from the moors for the winter. This year he brings his new wife, Kat, who is pregnant. And this year they will be attending the funeral of his grandfather, the Gaffer.
John discovers how much he misses the farm and realizes now that the Gaffer is gone, his aging father will need help. He tells Kat he wants to return home to raise their family and help with the family farm. However, after hearing about a crime the Gaffer committed just before his passing, Kat wants nothing to do with the farm and tries to persuade John to leave immediately.
Likes...The story is full of secrets, rituals, superstitions, feuds and traditions. I enjoyed the history of the Endlands and their beliefs in the “Devil” and the role he played in their lives and misfortune.
Dislikes... I didn’t care for the way the story transitioned between past and present. I felt that the changes were confusing and there were times I had to reread a portion, because I missed the switch and was lost. The story was slow at times.
This ARC was provided by Edelweiss and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!
Every autumn, John Pentecost returns to the family farm to help gather the sheep from the moors for the winter. This year he brings his new wife, Kat, who is pregnant. And this year they will be attending the funeral of his grandfather, the Gaffer.
John discovers how much he misses the farm and realizes now that the Gaffer is gone, his aging father will need help. He tells Kat he wants to return home to raise their family and help with the family farm. However, after hearing about a crime the Gaffer committed just before his passing, Kat wants nothing to do with the farm and tries to persuade John to leave immediately.
Likes...The story is full of secrets, rituals, superstitions, feuds and traditions. I enjoyed the history of the Endlands and their beliefs in the “Devil” and the role he played in their lives and misfortune.
Dislikes... I didn’t care for the way the story transitioned between past and present. I felt that the changes were confusing and there were times I had to reread a portion, because I missed the switch and was lost. The story was slow at times.
This ARC was provided by Edelweiss and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!
October 3, 2017
I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Every year there a number of books published which go on to win rave reviews and literary prizes- but which I find essentially unreadable and not enjoyable. I always wonder with these books what it is that I am not getting that other people are. For me, this is one of those books.
There is no denying the writing is beautiful- the author paints a descriptive and evocative picture of a wild and moody landscape. Like his previous book the Loney, Hurley does a fine job of creating a creepy sense of unease right from the start. As another reviewer pointed out, there is no doubt Hurley can turn a phrase. The problem I had was that all the phrases put together still came across as a rambling, jumbled tale- jumping between the protagonist’s present day and back, without necessarily providing any guideposts as to which time frame we were now in or how it all hung together. I found it hard to keep track of who was who in the cast of characters or what their connection was to each other. The aforesaid evoking of landscape went on sometimes for pages and pages, without anything actually happening.
I plodded gamely on, because I reckoned at some point all the sinister hints might amount to something. But I’m not quite sure where it ended up or what it was saying along the way. After the tiresome slow burn throughout, the ending felt rushed and to be honest I am still not quite sure what it was all about.
Every year there a number of books published which go on to win rave reviews and literary prizes- but which I find essentially unreadable and not enjoyable. I always wonder with these books what it is that I am not getting that other people are. For me, this is one of those books.
There is no denying the writing is beautiful- the author paints a descriptive and evocative picture of a wild and moody landscape. Like his previous book the Loney, Hurley does a fine job of creating a creepy sense of unease right from the start. As another reviewer pointed out, there is no doubt Hurley can turn a phrase. The problem I had was that all the phrases put together still came across as a rambling, jumbled tale- jumping between the protagonist’s present day and back, without necessarily providing any guideposts as to which time frame we were now in or how it all hung together. I found it hard to keep track of who was who in the cast of characters or what their connection was to each other. The aforesaid evoking of landscape went on sometimes for pages and pages, without anything actually happening.
I plodded gamely on, because I reckoned at some point all the sinister hints might amount to something. But I’m not quite sure where it ended up or what it was saying along the way. After the tiresome slow burn throughout, the ending felt rushed and to be honest I am still not quite sure what it was all about.
January 10, 2024
Rounded up. Not sure how I can read some books and complain that nothing happens and then read this and be absolutely riveted. Big fan of this author and his ability to create just the coolest, most “something’s off here” atmosphere without anything really outright “horror” happening. I love folk horror, and he really excels at it.
Loved the lore of this small rural community. I felt like I knew these people and cared about them deeply. Loved the Devil hopping around doing hijinks. Loved the “is it or isn’t it?” feeling I got. Loved the “wait, is he going to…” and “Omg is this…” feelings I got. I read the ending with an actual pit of dread in my stomach.
Loved the lore of this small rural community. I felt like I knew these people and cared about them deeply. Loved the Devil hopping around doing hijinks. Loved the “is it or isn’t it?” feeling I got. Loved the “wait, is he going to…” and “Omg is this…” feelings I got. I read the ending with an actual pit of dread in my stomach.
November 26, 2024
I feel so guilty about this.. 106 pages in and DNF
I just can’t get in to it, and the more I struggle the more I just… can’t.
Tons of detail, good writing, it’s just not for me.
I just can’t get in to it, and the more I struggle the more I just… can’t.
Tons of detail, good writing, it’s just not for me.
May 20, 2019
3.5/5 very slow and atmospheric but ultimately unsatisfying. Builds up a real sense of foreboding which just sort of fizzles out towards the end. Nice to see my home town get a shout out a couple of times though :)
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