Andy Davidson | Musings of the Monster Librarian

Book Review: The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson

The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-374-53855-2

Available: Kindle, Paperback

The old witch Iskra knows the secrets of the bayou where Miranda runs her Alumacraft under the cypress trees in the murky, humid gloom. It’s an ugly, decaying place filled with lurking dangers, brutal violence, and the tragic history of its inhabitants. Miranda is linked to Iskra through the murder of her father and a ritual involving a web-fingered baby. In order to find her father’s bones, reunite Littlefish and his clairvoyant sister, and save her own life, Miranda must read the signs that are leading her into a mortal combat against evil forces. Her challenge involves the local constable, a crazy preacher, a dwarf, and a dead wife’s mistakes. No one is safe in The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson.

Davidson ratchets up the tension from the very first chapter and maintains it throughout as Miranda tries to stay one step ahead of her enemies and encounters drug dealers, murderers, and even supernatural forces. These forces have their origin in Russian myths to which Davidson adds a Southern Gothic spin. This makes for a setting that is as terrifying to the younger characters as nightmarish horror stories and yet is so realistically detailed that the reader can feel the saw grass and smell the rotting bodies. It is that very combination that makes the witchcraft believable and turns the events into the stuff of imagination. To Davidson’s credit, it is often difficult to tell where the line is between the two.

The plot of The Boatman’s Daughter moves at breakneck speed. Davidson’s characters might spend a few seconds thinking and planning, but the action never stops. The characters are mythological or fairytale figures in terms of good and evil, but they are always truly human which makes the evildoers all the more frightening and the heroine even more amazing. The rich descriptions and Davidson’s talent for keeping the reader entertained with a multi-layered and complicated plot make this an outstanding read that will make you dream of a film version while still being certain nothing can beat the book. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Nova Hadley

Book Review: In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson

In the Valley of the Sun: A Novel by Andy Davidson

Skyhorse Publishing, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1510721104

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

In the Valley of the Sun is Andy Davidson’s first novel. It walks a thin line between the genres of Southern Gothic and classic Western. Andy Davidson has a gift for building atmosphere; at times, West Texas drips off the page like humid air. The world is made vivid: you can picture the rust of the trucks, the stress on the sheriff’s belt, and the smells of the badlands. There are plenty of grim settings, balanced by gorgeous prose.

It is absolutely a monster novel. The story kicks off with the main character, Travis, waking up covered in blood. While is isn’t immediately clear, once the reader realizes what’s happening, the story takes on a dangerous, otherworldly edge. While the word “vampire” is never specifically mentioned, as the story progresses, there is no doubt what monsters we are dealing with. These are not Anne Rice’s “sexy” vampires; Travis is in trouble.

In addition to his supernatural worries, Travis has financial problems. He doesn’t have the money to park his truck and camper at the campground run by Annabelle Gaskin. Many of the best moments in the book are Travis’ conversations with Annabelle’s ten-year-old son. These moments are both tense and emotional, adding depth to the story.

Davidson does an excellent job in jumping between different characters’ third person point-of-views. and a variety of time periods. It all works, and is not jarring at all.

In the Valley of the Sun is a close cousin of Stephen Graham Jones’ Mongrels. While the two books focus on different monsters and cultural backgrounds, both take the same off-color look at the American South.

This is not the kind of horror novel that would benefit from a marketing department blasting out its nature. Davidson definitely has the potential to become a powerful writer in the genre of literary horror. The reality is that this is a fine debut of a strong new voice in horror fiction, and a book that can appeal to both horror and mainstream readers. In the Valley of the Sun is a thought-provoking and entertaining read that should be in every library collection. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by David Agranoff