The Cagulant

Great World Building!

Some horrors are almost too terrible to put into words.

The world building was excellent. A perfect balance was struck between straightforwardly describing what Drakken’s world was like and allowing the audience to piece together less urgent but still important clues about why he was pursuing that terrible beast and what would happen if he wasn’t successful at his mission. I honestly thought this was part of a series at first because of how many details were packed into every scene and how much extrapolation was expected of the audience for certain portions of the plot.

I shuddered at the description of what a cagulant was and why it was so dangerous for anyone who crossed its path. That passage alone more than earned this tale its rightful place in the horror genre. The more I read, the more I hoped that Drakken and his apprentice, Oscur, would follow all of the steps necessary in order to safely dispose of it. There were so many things that could go wrong during their quest, especially if either of them broke any of the rules of engagement for this sort of thing.

By far my favorite scene was the final one. The foreshadowing for it had been subtle but consistent from the beginning. While I knew it was coming, I was still eager to see exactly how it would play out and if Drakken would react to everything the way I thought he would. Finding answers to those questions was immensely satisfying. As much as I would have loved it if this were a full-length novel or the beginning of a series, it truly did wrap everything up satisfactorily by the last sentence. With that being said, I’m still going to be first in line to read a sequel if Mr. Gullage ever chooses to write one!

Anyone who loves horror or the fantasy genre should definitely give The Cagulant a try.

LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/book-reviews/horror/cagulant-by-jared-gullage/