It Rides a Pale Horse - Cosmic Weirdo Horror Goodness
“I’m nothing but a watcher now. Goals belong to linear time and I’m beyond that, which sounds cool and philosophical but really just fucking sucks.”
Oh Andy, I’ll read anything you write you absolute weirdo.. Seriously, Andy Marino is the King of bizarro horror fiction, and I love him for it. His latest release: It Rides a Pale Horse is a stunning tour de force.
Lark and his sister Betsy are artists. Lark creates sculptures and Betsy paints. They’re both a little odd and a bit reclusive but they love each other and their art. One day Lark delivers a sculpture to a wealthy buyer only to be shown that Betsy has been kidnapped by the buyer and won’t be released unless Lark creates three sculptures based on a strange book he’s handed. And then pure chaos ensues.
Book mood board - all images found on weheartit.com
“Occultists, as brand-savvy as social media influencers and just as cynical.”
Here’s what I loved:
Marino is never afraid to get super weird with his horror novels and I appreciate it so much. Just when you think, nah, he won’t go there, he goes there and it’s incredible. The imagery he creates in this story is fascinating and terrifying, specifically the final arc where we’re introduced to the end goal. Those things will give me chills for a long time. And the sculptures that Lark creates are so beautifully described it’s incredibly easy to picture.
The villains of this story are really fantastic. So deeply evil with insane backstories that you can’t wait to keep reading to find out all of it. No spoilers, but I think these villains are some of the top most vile villains we’ve seen in awhile.
Character wise I love pretty much every person in this story. My favorite is Rayanne who is a breath of fresh air during the most tense of moments. She’s hilarious and heartbreaking and I want to be her best friend. Betsy is a fascinating character who we don’t get too much on to start with, but once her layers start peeling back it’s really great. Krupp and Lark also have a really sweet friendship that you’ll root for. Lark has flaws, so does Krupp, but ultimately they’re just trying to do their best and keep each other safe and you love both of them for it.
Overall, It Rides a Pale Horse is cosmic horror chaos that’s also a fascinating study on family loyalty, addiction, and greed. Big thank you to Redhook for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. On shelves now – I highly recommend grabbing a copy!
“And Krupp is like that wild-eyed horse, loosed suddenly with a great and terrible energy to redraw the boundaries of his increasingly chaotic world.”
