⭐️ 2/5 stars
📖 Length: 290 pages
📱 Format: Kindle
⏳ Read Time: 31 days
Synopsis
In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world. And all manner of Players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate.
Some have come to open the gates. Some have come to slam them shut. And now the dread night approaches – so let the Game begin.
What I thought
I picked this one up after a recommendation from a fellow book club member, and honestly, the first few chapters had me thinking I was in for a clever October read. The premise is great, and I loved the idea of reading one chapter per day throughout the month, especially since each chapter is dated. Such a fun way to turn a book into a seasonal ritual.
Anyway, there were definitely elements that worked for me. The nods to classic Gothic/Horror characters; Jack the Ripper (as the hero, somehow), Dracula, Frankenstein I thought were clever, and I really liked that the entire story is told through the perspectives of their animal companions. It’s unusual and gives the book a personality of its own.
Unfortunately though, that is all I enjoyed.
The writing style felt oddly childish, almost like listening to a group of kids narrate a spooky school performance. What started as intriguing soon became something I struggled to stay invested in. As the chapters (or days) got longer, I found myself zoning out more and more. The charm wore off very quickly and I did struggle to finish it.
In fairness to the book, I don’t think I was in the best reading headspace, we’ve all been there right? Juggling different genres at the time probably didn’t help either so I think this might just be one of those “wrong book, wrong moment” situations.
So for now, A Night in the Lonesome October sits at 2 stars for me.
I might give it another go next October when I’m feeling more seasonal and can try the day-by-day reading experience properly, but we’ll see what happens in 2026.
You can grab your copy of A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny from trusted retailers:
Until next time…
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