The Haar: A Horror Novel

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The Haar: A Horror Novel

The Haar: A Horror Novel

RRP: £8.99
Price: £4.495
£4.495 FREE Shipping

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David can write characters of any age and in any situation and manages to bring us different types of horror with every single one of his novels. Now, I haven’t forgotten about that ‘gore-soaked’ aspect either. Expect the brutality and bloodbath that David is known for. Think ‘Maggie’s Grave’ and you’ll have an idea, and while this one doesn’t have as much as most of his books, it works perfectly to highlight the horrors and events Muriel is living through. What I liked: The story follows 80+ year old, Muriel McAuley, life long resident of the Scottish fishing town Witchaven. This was where she was born and raised, met and married her husband and continued to live when, years ago, his fishing boat was found, but no signs of Billy were ever found. Now, a billionaire American is buying up all of the land and houses, building a massive golf course and resort, but some residents are holding their ground and refusing to sell. Muriel being one of them. But, if you look at that synopsis closely, you’ll see Sodergren says this is a gore-soaked folk horror fairy tale, and that’s just what we get. We get a looming fog, the haar, that sweeps in one day and brings something from the ocean. Muriel saves it, connects with it and gets to experience some of life’s moments again. Things and memories she thought long since buried, returning and reinvigorating her. Hello, I’m gonna keep this short because since I last updated my blog (umm, in 2020), WordPress has changed how it works and I have neither the time not the inclination to figure out its new quirks and eccentricities. However, I have published three new books this year, so here they are!

The Haar by David Sodergren | Goodreads

Actually, The Forgotten Island is the first book of his I discovered from a friend here on WordPress. Definitely have to give both works a try when I can beat down the clutter on this cursed TBR! That’s kind of literally all that happens in the book. Other than the obvious plot of being forced out of their cottage homes and such. It really is just about a woman not wanting to give up her house, still trying to process the loss of her husband, and constant repetitions about how she’s not afraid of death. Which confuses me all the more about the ending unless I’m interpreting it wrong? There is gore in this, and for someone like me who loves the gore, it’s the best kind of gore. Sodergren does a fantastic job of describing true horror, some absolutely gruesome things happen in this story…and I could not get enough! Besides the gore, there is so much love shown in this story. For someone like me, the gore and the love make it the perfect masterpiece of literature. Speaking of ugly, what about portraying the youth of Scotland as murderous thugs hired by the Ugly Americans to rob and kill their elderly folk... Update: I've managed to read the rest of the book, thankfully the worst parts were over by then. The ending was quite satisfying, so I've updated the rating, but my point still stands: some parts were unnecessary, disgusting and disappoining.Since the publication of his first novel, The Forgotten Island, he has written and published a further eight novels, including the gore-soaked folk-horror Maggie's Grave and the romantic and disturbing The Haar. As much as I would LOVE to detail a few of the reasons, I really enjoyed the horror in this book, I feel as though I'd be spoiling the fun if I did. I will say the creature on the cover of the book needs blood to stay strong and healthy. The way it kills is brutal asf, and it's awesome. I feel as though this book takes inspiration from some of the best and most influential horror stories, putting its own little twist on them.

David Sodergren’s The Haar is Beautifully Haar-iffic David Sodergren’s The Haar is Beautifully Haar-iffic

Anyone who knows me could easily point out that when I find something I thoroughly enjoy be it books, movies, podcasts, songs, food, you name it, I become hyperfixated on it. This usually results in me eating poke bowls for three months straight and then not being able to look at fish and rice for a whole five months after, just to name a very topical example. A similar, but also kind of not similar, thing happened when I discovered horror author David Sodergren. In a collaboration article titled Spooky Book Recommendations for Halloween, I stated that David Sodergren is a horror fanatic’s author, and that will never not be true. When I found The Forgotten Island it opened my eyes to what horror fiction novels could be, and because of David, I went from owning four books to a collection that is now at least 200 horror novels strong. When I read The Forgotten Island I became hyperfixated with horror novels, and, unlike poke bowls, I did not tire of them for one second. The billionaire villain in this story truly has the audacity. In truth, the sheer number of things he’s able to get away with here are appalling to a satirical extent, (at least I’d like to tell myself that). Basically, he’s gotten everybody to move out of Witchaven except for stubborn Muriel and her bff. They’ve tried placating with money, they’ve moved to psychological warfare, and soon, when it becomes clear that’s not enough, things escalate to an even more violent degree. The novel centers on the little Scottish town of Witchaven and an 80-something year old widow woman, Muriel... A cemetery. Ambitious crane shots and Steadicam work reminiscent of Halloween. A young girl in a gothic crypt. Mario Bava-esque lighting.

If there was ever a story I wish I could erase from my mind only to read over and over again…it would be this one! It is the perfect love story with a Cthulhu twist, and although I don’t foresee anything like this happening to me, it has really made me think about my own relationships in my life. It’s a wonderful piece about humanity and what we are as creatures in this vast world. I have never felt so small and meaningless in this world, and yet my heart has never been so full. I don’t fear death… but they do.” Muriel McAuley has lived in the Scottish fishing village of Witchaven all her life. She was born there, and she intends to die there. But when an overseas property developer threatens to evict the residents from their homes and raze Witchaven to the ground in the name of progress, all seems lost… until the day a mysterious fog bank creeps inland. THE HAAR To some it brings redemption… to others, it brings only madness and death. What macabre secrets lie within… THE HAAR Romantic and deranged, THE HAAR is a gore-soaked folk horror fairy tale from David Sodergren, author of The Forgotten Island and Maggie’s Grave The Haar by David Sodergren – eBook Details

The Haar: A Horror Novel: Sodergren, David: 9798800159837 The Haar: A Horror Novel: Sodergren, David: 9798800159837

Do I think David’s work is grossly overlooked? Absolutely. Look at his body of work thus far; ‘The Forgotten Island,’‘Night Shoot,’‘Dead Girl Blues,’ Maggie’s Grave,’ The Perfect Victim,’ and ‘Satan’s Burnouts Must Die!’ I would call all of these Indie Horror Masterpieces. Sodergren fully embraces the DIY Self-Publishing model and the level/caliber of books he’s given us are second to none. And I’m not going to include our co-written novel ‘The Navajo Nightmare’ as I think that would be too biased, but I will say, his opening salvo that makes up the story is simply one of the best Splatter-Western stories released in that genre over the last few years. who seems to be able to buy off the local Scottish police and news reporters with all his dirty American money...But when an overseas property developer, headed by a powerful billionaire, threatens to evict the remaining residents from their homes and raze Witchaven to the ground in the name of progress… all seems lost. Until the day a mysterious fog bank creeps inland… The end of the book has some words from Sodergren's own gran from a journal entry. He mentions parts of Muriel were inspired by her and it was such a treat to see her own words and thoughts on paper. The ending was perfect and the varying POV’s we get to see some of those last moments through was fantastic to really highlight the emotional aspect of this book. Oh dear! There may be spoilers. 2 stars. I'm sorry, but I didn't find this story the least bit plausible or entertaining... This book makes you feel FEELINGS!! And I can easily say, I loved every second of it. When I started this book I did not expect to have my heart pulled in such ways, but I truly could not put this down until I was done. I was cooking dinner while reading, doing laundry and reading, I moved my schedule around so I could FINISH THIS BOOK!!

David Sodergren – Paperbacks and Pugs | The official website David Sodergren – Paperbacks and Pugs | The official website

Watching these Video Nasties has forced me to develop my own mantra, which I repeat over and over under my breath for the first 10 minutes of every film. It goes,Muriel is a likable character at first but like I said. I abhor characters that make their personality solely based on someone they love. So once she starts becoming infatuated with the sea jello she became less likable and all the more detestable. To the point that I was no longer rooting for her and was beginning to lose sympathy for her. Is she a bad person? No. Not at all. But she does become increasingly annoying as the plot continues and again the obsession and her sole goal being to just be able to peacefully hold a sea creature in her house and have it shape shift into her husband so she can play house with it - it’s just not my jam. Her sadness is completely understandable and valid. However the lengths she goes through to keep her delusions alive does come off as rather pathetic. It’s one thing to miss your husband. It’s another to keep a sea creature alive and beg it to cosplay as your hubby cause you have unresolved issues. What a wild ride! I discovered The Haar via the horror side of BookTok and I am so glad I gave this one a go. I don’t want to give anything away because I really think that the ‘other’ character in the book is really engaging. So many questions rise up and they’re batted away to instead tell a really powerful story of grief, redemption and revenge. Because it’s another one of those films that begins with a dynamite sequence of horror and then flails around like a fish out of water for the rest of its runtime. But let’s enjoy the good while it lasts.



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