Book Review Of Incarnate By Richard Thomas

Incarnate, an eloquent and suspenseful horror novel by Richard Thomas, is set in a small Arctic town. Told from three different perspectives, the deconstructed plot fills the reader with a sense of wonder.

Act one follows a mysterious and reclusive old man named Sebastian Pana whose alter ego is a shamanistic sin-eater who fights to protect his hometown from terrifying creatures. There is a tear in reality, located in the forest behind his cabin, and bad things want to break through.

To the human eye, Sebastian is a weathered old man, but to those who know, he is much older than he appears, with the ability to absorb the sins of the newly deceased in hopes that their spirits will move on to the next plane of existence without sin. The villagers often bring him gifts or offerings in hopes that he will help their loved ones. He has run-ins with several of the monsters out in the forest and uses his skills and the sins he absorbs from the dead to fight back against them.

Sebastian befriends a boy named Kallik and discovers that he may have the same ability. He begins to teach him. But all the while, a mother monster attempts to survive in a hot and dying land, simultaneously fighting to save her many children. This is conveyed with such creativity and expressiveness; it makes the reader want to side with the monsters.

Will Sebastian survive as what’s released onto the town begins to tear him apart and he is overwhelmed by the dead? Can his novice companion, Kallik, learn to control his newfound power and seal off their world from the monsters?

Incarnate is a masterpiece of horror fiction and is highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars

REVIEW BY: Michael Errol (Find out more about Michael on our Team Page.)