Publishers Weekly
08/29/2022
It takes two chapters of dazzling if disjointed overwriting for Marino’s second horror novel (after The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess) to hit its stride, but as the relationship between sculptor Lark and his painter sister, Betsy, comes into focus, a sophisticated blend of high art and small-town gore likewise emerges. Lark grew up in Wofford Falls, left, and has now returned under mysterious circumstances. He’s become a big deal, but not too big to personally deliver a sculpture to anonymous buyers up the road—only to discover that they’ve abducted Betsy and will kill her unless Lark fulfills a grisly commission inspired by an 18th-century psalter. From this implausible premise, the bare bones of the plot develop predictably: Lark steadily abandons his moral compass, Betsy paints in frenzied parallel in her dungeon, and the reader’s dread of their artistic confluence grows. The telling, however, is proportionately complex, invoking vast swaths of culture and history. There are disappointing slips into the misogynistic trope that a man’s greatest horror is to be rendered impotent by a woman, but a compensating strength is Marino’s rendering of the minor characters, whose steadfastness and humor keep the story grounded even in its wildest flights. It’s more style than substance, but it’s stylish indeed. Agent: Cameron McClure, Donald Maass Literary. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
"Marino has a good eye for genuinely disturbing imagery. This novel hums with a terrifying momentum."—Kirkus
"Marino draws readers in quickly, creating sympathy for the characters, unveiling the necessary details to immerse them in a world of art, siblings, deadly intrigue, and a centuries-long nefarious quest. Dread is present from the start, but it quickly escalates into a disorienting cosmic terror that touches everyone. Booktalk it to readers as The Twisted Ones, by T. Kingfisher meets Slade House, by David Mitchell with a touch of Lovecraft Country, by Matt Ruff."—Booklist
"Marino is very willing to plumb the depths of human discomfort and nihilistic despair, revealing disturbing images that sear into the brain while showing how art, and sibling bonds, can both create and destroy."—Library Journal
"A visceral, disturbing story about the power of art and ritual."—Paste Magazine
“It Rides a Pale Horse is a bizarre thrill ride from beginning to end. Captivatingly surreal.”—San Francisco Book Review
"Marino offers horrors both existential and visceral. From a stunning opening, the sense of dread just builds and builds."—M. R. Carey, author of The Girl with All the Gifts, on The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess
"Odd and dark and fascinating . . . Not quite like anything I've ever read before. A strange, compelling, late-night page-turner. It kept me reading way past my bedtime."—T. Kingfisher, author of The Hollow Places, on The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess
"Marino does an impressive job writing tender and heartbreaking moments without sacrificing the brutal tone that drives the story. Absolutely devastating."—Publishers Weekly on The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess
"Andy Marino’s The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess is a gripping portrait of addiction and an innovative take on demonic possession, delivering a shocking ending and powerful themes of how love heals but can also be corrupted."—Craig DiLouie, author of The Children of Red Peak, on The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess
"Equal parts surreal and hyper-real, darkly hypnotic. Marino puts his main character's throbbing heart on full display and we are swept along on the dark journey into waters both mystical and terrifying. With every new revelation, the dread just mounts and mounts to the mind-shattering conclusion."—David Wellington, author of The Last Astronaut, on The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess
“Admirers of the works of Tana French, Megan Abbott, and Zoje Stage will devour this book.”—Booklist on The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess
Library Journal
09/01/2022
The latest from Marino (The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess) is a lesson about how art can open doors that probably shouldn't be opened. The story focuses on the Lark siblings, both eccentric artists. Peter Larkin (Lark to his friends) is a famous artist, a hometown boy who made good yet decided to stay in the community where he grew up, idyllic Wofford Falls. His sister Betsy is also talented, but her paintings can have disconcerting effects on people and on reality itself. This makes her integral to the plans of a pair of one-percenter siblings who want the Larkins to help them create works of art that might just destroy the world. Marino demonstrates his skill as a storyteller, creating empathetic, fleshed-out characters who must fight through the madness that is bearing down on them—but note that this novel isn't Stephen King-style, slice-of-Americana, triumph-of-the-human-spirit horror. VERDICT Marino is very willing to plumb the depths of human discomfort and nihilistic despair, revealing disturbing images that sear into the brain while showing how art, and sibling bonds, can both create and destroy.—James Gardner
Kirkus Reviews
2022-07-27
In this disquieting novel, two siblings are forced to take part in an uncanny ceremony.
Where does the line between art and ritual lie? Over the course of the last decade, the Hudson River Valley has emerged as a setting for a host of inventive works of horror from writers like John Langan, Sam J. Miller, and Laird Barron. Marino’s latest novel, set in the fictional town of Wofford Falls, is a solid addition to their number. Peter “Lark” Larkin and his sister, Betsy, both in their 30s, grew up there; Lark spent some years in New York City before returning to his hometown with a degree of art-world success under his belt. It’s Betsy who is the more gifted of the siblings, though her skills veer into the paranormal, as this glimpse of one of her creations demonstrates: “The object’s doing something prismatic with the air, with the space that surrounds it. He tilts the box, half expecting a staggered trail of after-image, a holographic stutter.” Then Betsy is abducted and the Larkins are forced to take part in a bizarre occult ceremony by another brother and sister—Helena and Griffin Belmont, who are both impossibly long-lived and hope to return their father to full life and health. As Lark works on building strange sculptures at the Belmonts' compound, the effects on the larger world—including distortions of space and reality—become clearer, and the full scope of the Belmonts' plan becomes more and more apparent. There’s a lived-in sensibility to much of this novel that makes the horrific elements stand out even more, and Marino has a good eye for genuinely disturbing imagery. At times things can feel a little too crowded—the Belmonts’ centuries of plotting could support a novel all its own—but this novel hums with a terrifying momentum.
A memorably visceral take on art, family, and power.
