Library book: Mister Lullaby by J.H. Markert
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Published: 11/21/2023
Pages: 383
Genre: horror/paranormal
Review: library book
In the vein of T. Kingfisher and Christopher Golden, the boundary protecting our world from the monsters on the other side is weakening—and Mister Lullaby is about to break through.
The small town of Harrod’s Reach has seen its fair share of the macabre, especially inside the decrepit old train tunnel around which the town was built. After a young boy, Sully Dupree, is injured in the abandoned tunnel and left in a coma, the townspeople are determined to wall it up. Deputy sheriff Beth Gardner is reluctant to buy into the superstitions until she finds two corpses at the tunnel’s entrance, each left with strange calling cards inscribed with old lullabies. Soon after, Sully Dupree briefly awakens from his coma.
Before falling back into his slumber, Sully manages to give his older brother a message. Sully's mind, since the accident, has been imprisoned on the other side of the tunnel in Lalaland, a grotesque and unfamiliar world inhabited by evil mythical creatures of sleep. Sully is trapped there with hundreds of other coma patients, all desperately fighting to keep the evils of the dream world from escaping into the waking world.
Elsewhere, a man troubled by his painful youth has for years been hearing a voice in his head he calls Mr. Lullaby, and he has finally started to act on what that voice is telling him—to kill any coma patient he can find, quickly.
Something is waking up in the tunnel—something is trying to get through. And Mr. Lullaby is coming.
The small town of Harrod’s Reach has seen its fair share of the macabre, especially inside the decrepit old train tunnel around which the town was built. After a young boy, Sully Dupree, is injured in the abandoned tunnel and left in a coma, the townspeople are determined to wall it up. Deputy sheriff Beth Gardner is reluctant to buy into the superstitions until she finds two corpses at the tunnel’s entrance, each left with strange calling cards inscribed with old lullabies. Soon after, Sully Dupree briefly awakens from his coma.
Before falling back into his slumber, Sully manages to give his older brother a message. Sully's mind, since the accident, has been imprisoned on the other side of the tunnel in Lalaland, a grotesque and unfamiliar world inhabited by evil mythical creatures of sleep. Sully is trapped there with hundreds of other coma patients, all desperately fighting to keep the evils of the dream world from escaping into the waking world.
Elsewhere, a man troubled by his painful youth has for years been hearing a voice in his head he calls Mr. Lullaby, and he has finally started to act on what that voice is telling him—to kill any coma patient he can find, quickly.
Something is waking up in the tunnel—something is trying to get through. And Mr. Lullaby is coming.
This book truly gave me Stephen King vibes, and not many books do that. I had never heard of this book until I came across the book Libby. The title and cover called out to me to grab it and give it a try. It was very interesting how this story played out; you have the before and now going on, so you must pay attention.
A tunnel that is a part of the town Harrod's Reach is no longer in use, except for those who like to play around or get called to the place. Many years ago, Sully, a young child, went into the tunnel and got hurt. To this day, he is in a coma. Simon, called Simple Simon, finds himself in the woods surrounding the tunnel, drawing, collecting, and making things not from this world. He is a deep sleeper. What does all this mean?
Maddy woke up from a coma and found her way to Harrod's Reach. She needs to see Sully and bring others to him.
It seems Teddy had a sucky childhood, and he plays a big part in Harrod's Reach, though just how deep does it go? You got to jump in and find out because it may have something to do with his mother! As our story unfolds and we get to see exactly what this tunnel is, it is a pathway for lullabies to come through and create mares or nightmares.
As the town is being overtaken by evil people who have been possessed by things from within the world of the tunnel called LaLaLand, there are those inside Harrod's Reach who are trying to stop it. The death and whatnot I liked, especially as the names of the demented matched them. The Black Widow? Firestarter Freddie? The author did great with bringing in monsters, what I will call them, from the lullabies. For example, Alu is from Sumerian mythology, and of course, that just had me go down the rabbit hole to find many more spirits/monsters from myths and storytelling. I love how he brought some of them to life in this story.
A lot of paranormal activity goes on within the pages of the story. Did I like the ending? Not really, because what actually happens? I don't like open-ended endings to books.
Was this a fun read? Totally. Was it scary? Not at all. Was it dark? Totally. Yes, it was a bit graphic, so I wouldn't recommend it for those under 18.
Thinking back on this book, it sorta reminds me of Stephen King's IT.
J. H. Markert is a producer, screenwriter, husband, and father of two from Louisville, Kentucky, where he was also a tennis pro for 25 years. He graduated with a degree in History from the University of Louisville.
Comments
Post a Comment