Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere.

The very best horror books evoke dread by setting, in my opinion, and Buehlman excels at it. Like all the best horrors, as well, we're put in a cold pot of water set to boil, and it's up to us to figure out just HOW the world is about to end.

In this case, it happens to be one of the delightfully descriptive werewolf stories I've ever read, firmly placed in Georgia during the Great Depression. The evocation of time and space is particularly good. I loved the poverty and the moonshine and the mute and sometimes not so mute acceptance of the vagrants, the wild, and the desperate. Best of all was the history that preceded this, slowly revealed and explosively executed.

Any fan of horror should love this if you love excellent craft. :)

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