Publishers Weekly
★ 04/06/2020
This horrifying series launch from Del Toro and Hogan (the Strain trilogy) introduces occult investigator John Blackwood, who maintains a mailbox in Manhattan’s financial district, the repository for desperate requests for help. When FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke and her partner, Walt Leppo, visit the Montclair, N.J., home of a graft inquiry target, disgraced politician Cary Peters, the pair find him in the midst of a murderous rampage in which he fatally stabs his estranged wife and two sons. Walt manages to take a knife from Peters, but then the FBI agent inexplicably attacks Peters’s surviving child, a nine-year-old girl, stabbing her in the shoulder before Odessa shoots him dead. Afterward, she thinks she sees some presence leave Walt’s corpse. The traumatized Odessa, after being placed on restricted duty, takes a retired agent’s suggestion to write Blackwood for help understanding what she thought she saw. Blackwood responds, revealing that Walt was possessed by a violent supernatural entity known as a Hollow One, and the two set out to catch it before it can kill again. The authors keep the tension high throughout. Fans of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Pendergast books will be enthralled. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. (June)
From the Publisher
PRAISE FOR THE HOLLOW ONES:
"The central aesthetic decision — merging the classical horrors of Algernon Blackwood with a distinctly contemporary narrative — is both surprising and ultimately successful. The Hollow Ones is a swift, thoroughly imagined entertainment that looks back at the genre's past while hinting, in the final pages, of future installments to come. The possibilities are limitless."—Washington Post
"Fans of Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro — the co-writer with Chuck Hogan — will appreciate the focus on the monsters at the center of the tale. . . The book is a quick read, with propulsive action and just enough explication to keep readers interested. . . del Toro and Hogan ground the story in just enough reality to keep you turning the pages."—Associated Press
"A transporting, pageturning thriller that rips open a brand new universe, filling it with suspense. Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have a dark vision to share — and they've created quite a duo in Hugo Blackwood and Odessa Hardwicke, a Sherlockian partnership for the ages."—Brad Meltzer, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Escape Artist
"If one could combine the world-conjuring magic of C. S. Lewis with the dark energy of Thomas Harris, one would be at least part of the way to understanding what makes THE HOLLOW ONES so special. Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have yet another twisted masterpiece on their hands. An enduring new series combining horror, suspense, and fable."—Stephen Chbosky, NYT bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Imaginary Friend
"A welcome gift to disciples of Lovecraft-ian fiction. Odessa Hardewick is cast in the mold of Clarice Starling. . . Inventive and macabre."—Kirkus
"Fans of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Pendergast books will be enthralled."—Publishers Weekly
JUNE 2020 - AudioFile
A skillfully guided otherworldly audio excursion is presented by narrator Brittany Pressley, whose character portrayals lend realism to the storytelling. Odessa is an FBI agent who is thrust into an alternate reality she has never even considered possible when she is partnered with the mysterious Blackwood. He, on the other hand, is all too familiar with the activities of the hollow ones. Together, the two must confront an ancient evil. Pressley’s narration brings to life multiple periods throughout history that are woven into the present-day battle against maleficent forces. Historical fiction fans will enjoy this audio adventure, which culminates in a dramatic confrontation. K.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2020-03-30
A rookie FBI agent stumbles into a supernatural mystery when a series of murders erupts in New York, starting with her partner.
Hogan and del Toro have an exceptional track record with supernatural thrillers—see The Strain Trilogy (2009-2011)—so this new series starring a novice FBI agent and a classic occult detective is a welcome gift to disciples of Lovecraft-ian fiction. Odessa Hardwicke is cast in the mold of Clarice Starling, a tough but self-doubting FBI agent still finding her way. She and her jaded partner, Walt Leppo, are first on the scene when a disgraced politician slays his wife and children. In the midst of this gruesome scene, Leppo unexpectedly and abruptly stabs the surviving child, forcing Odessa to shoot him dead, glimpsing a weird specter departing as he breathes his last. The narrative then jumps from the modern day to the Mississippi Delta circa 1962, where African American FBI agent Earl Solomon is on the trail of someone lynching white victims. Intertwined between these storylines is the origin story of our other primary character, John Blackwood, a seemingly immortal investigator modeled after Algernon Blackwood’s John Silence. These disparate threads converge as Odessa, unjustly exiled from the FBI, connects with a dying Solomon, who gives her insight into his odd fellowship with Blackwood. After Odessa delivers an appeal to a cryptic mailbox in Manhattan, Blackwood suddenly materializes, a gaunt, erudite, and awkward consort cursed to chase down a specific breed of evil in this world. The body count rises with a massacre on Long Island while Blackwood teaches Odessa about a twisted cult dating back to Mesopotamian times that affords a select few souls, the titular Hollow Ones, the ability to jump between bodies and find ecstasy in their host’s violent death. Readers of occult fiction from Poe to Richard Kadrey will instantly recognize the creepy vibes and likely enjoy the ride.
An inventive and macabre new spin on malevolent body snatchers.
