I couldn’t put this book down. It was utterly gripping. This is an epic piece of historical fantasy taking place over three separate timelines and across the globe, from the northern islands of Scotland, to Ukraine and India, Tibet and Mongolia.

This book is so dark. I was thrilled by it but would strongly advise checking content warnings. It does need to be dark for the content it covers, but I really was quite unnerved by parts of it. Our main character John is posted to India with his lover and servant Garrett at a time when their relationship could see the imprisoned. This book does contain homophobia, though it is presented as cruel and ignorant. John and Garrett have a long term and deep dedication and love for each other and have to go to great lengths to hide their relationship to avoid the suspicion of others. While in India, John starts to learn more of a mysterious and macabre religion. This soon leads to him being forced into a dangerous situation as he attempts to save the world from dark forces that would wreak havoc and destruction. John must uncover the secrets of the past to battle a terrifying nemesis.

This book was a bit of a slow burn, but it didn’t suffer for it. Indeed, we had the most incredible, malevolent atmosphere and constant, seeping terror. We explore three different timelines through the book, with John the most modern (and his takes place mostly in the first third of the 1900s).

I was at times disgusted by this book, constantly riveted and always on edge. It was brilliantly written and utterly engrossing.

This took a while to get going for me but once it did I could not put it down!
This is gothic horror and it delivered on all levels for me. It was dark, immersive and had a unique plot with interesting characters and was very atmospheric
I really enjoyed this and would recommend

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 10 October 2024

John Sackville, once a respected scholar and adventurer, now finds himself confined to a dimly lit cell, his life slipping away as an inexplicable hunger gnaws at his very being. The recent loss of his clandestine lover weighs heavily on his soul, adding to the urgency of his final task. With trembling hands and fading strength, Sackville frantically pens his ultimate testament—a narrative that promises to unravel the mysteries of his extraordinary life and the dark forces that have shaped it.

With each passing moment, Sackville's strength wanes, yet he persists in documenting his epic journey. His narrative spans continents and centuries, weaving together threads of history, mythology, and the occult. Through his words, readers are transported across time and space, witnessing the gradual unraveling of cosmic secrets and the emergence of horrors long thought confined to legend.

"The Black Hunger" is a captivating novel that grips the reader from the first page to the last. The story, ingeniously structured in four parts, follows the intertwined fates of three men, creating a rich and complex narrative tapestry.

The author's skilful craftsmanship shines through in the way the plot unfolds, revealing just enough to keep the reader intrigued without overwhelming them. The pacing is expertly managed, maintaining a steady momentum that prevents any lulls in interest. This delicate balance ensures that readers remain engaged throughout, eagerly turning pages to uncover the next revelation.

What truly sets this book apart is its cast of characters. Each protagonist is beautifully rendered, showcasing a full spectrum of human experiences - from the depths of despair to moments of transcendent beauty. The author doesn't shy away from exploring the darker aspects of humanity, delving into realms of horror and pain. However, these elements are counterbalanced by moments of profound love, unexpected beauty, and persistent hope.

The world-building is particularly noteworthy. The author constructs a dense, atmospheric setting that feels both familiar and otherworldly. This backdrop serves as the perfect stage for the unfolding drama, enhancing the story's impact and immersing the reader fully in its universe.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its ability to evoke powerful emotions. The characters' struggles and triumphs resonate deeply, allowing readers to form strong connections with their journeys. This emotional investment makes the story's conclusion all the more impactful, leaving readers to grapple with the ambiguous fate of the world presented in the book.

The ending is particularly well-crafted, striking a delicate balance between resolution and open-endedness. It provides a satisfying conclusion to the immediate story while leaving room for speculation about the larger consequences of the events described. This approach invites readers to continue engaging with the story long after they've turned the final page, pondering whether the curse unleashed upon the world could ever truly be contained or defeated.

"The Black Hunger" is a testament to the author's skill that they were able to weave together elements of horror, beauty, and hope into such a compelling narrative. This book is sure to linger in the minds of readers, inviting multiple re-reads to fully appreciate its intricacies and depths. For fans of dark fantasy and intricate storytelling, "The Black Hunger" is an absolute must-read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit, and the author, Nicholas Pullen, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

This book is PHENOMEAL ! Look, I'm not a big reader of epistolary and gothic fiction, even though I love the latter, I tend to love the atmosphere but find my interest wandering elsewhere as I advance in the story. But here? I was hooked from end to finish. If I didn't need sleep to have a rested mind to enjoy the story as much as possible, I would have read it in one night.

"The Black Hunger" is an interwoven tale of three men, divided in four parts and told in an epistolary form. Our first narrator recounts his life, doomed to die soon. He tells us how he got involved with a sect seeking a dark outcome for the world. His narration his permeated with his love for his companion and servant, as well as rich details about the narrator's interest for Oriental Study and how much he liked his post in northern India. It is an fascinating, heartwrenching pov, quite balance in the way it leans on certain part of his life and only brushes over others.

The second pov follows a doctor as he is summoned to diagnose his first love, who seems to be going mad, four years after her husband peculiar death. This time the story is told through the doctor's letters and journals as well as little snippets of the Earl's letters and journal. This parts are set back in time, around 30 years prior and reveals the sect's doings in Scotland. It is, overall, a more active narration, with a slightly different tone, but still dense with love, with more horror as events unfurls.

Finnaly, set in between the two other POVs, we have a long letter from the husband's lady, recounting events decades earlier, when he was captured by the russian army and found himslef a prisoner of a russian aristocrat, center piece of the whole cult. It's an exciting pov, unabling the reader to pieces information together until the big picture is drawn to us.

The three part end smartly, encouraging to read more and more to undertand how the situation told in the beginning of the book could happen. There is a lot of humanity in this book, horror and beauty, a dense world in all its facets but easy to digest. The story build slowly without falling in the boring side, taking its time to have a greater impact, drawing on emotions so the whole matter lands on you even strongly. For all the darkness and pain portrayed, there is a great deal of beauty, love and, especially, hope, even as the curtain close at the end of the book, leaving us wondering if the curse brought upon the world would be stopped or not.

I had high hopes for "The Black Hunger" and it delivered, even exceeding my expectations. It joins my top reads of the year, joining those stories I have a special place for in my heart.
If you want to read a historical gothic story, queer and beautiful and horrific, about how a dark cult and its progress toward its goal, I defenitely encourage you to read "The Black Hunger" and hope it will make the same big impression on you as it did on me.