The Fisherman

By: John Langan

Narrated by: Danny Campbell

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story.

Soon, though, the men find themselves drawn into a tale as deep and old as the Reservoir. It's a tale of dark pacts, of long-buried secrets, and of a mysterious figure known as Der Fischer: the Fisherman. It will bring Abe and Dan face to face with all that they have lost, and with the price they must pay to regain it.

©2016 John Langan (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Shifting between past and present, Langan builds terrifying scenes...the mythology is genuinely creepy." ( Publishers Weekly)

An instant classic...

Hands down, the best audio book I've ever heard. 1st one I've ever shared, absolutely fantastic.

Vivid

First off I want to comment on the quality of the writing in The Fisherman. It's vivid. Wow. Puts you right there.

You might not be into fishing, but if you even had a mild exposure to someone who was into it, accompanying them to try it out, say, this story recreates all the details, sensations and even mental perceptions, exactly. To the nth degree. You're standing on the stream bank again, letting the beauty of the locale sink in, the soft burble of the water, the soothing shades of green and brown, the warmth of sunshine on your shoulders, feeling life's cares slough away.

The story also delves indepth into grief. The main character and secondary character go through it. Again, it's captured perfectly. To the nth degree. Where you're at mentally, physically, as well as the external influences like work and societal interactions during this emotional time. How the older character was extended compassion, the company giving him leave and turning a blind eye on his bad days, while the younger (several years later during changing times and a competitive market) was expected to be at his desk within days of his loss or be fired.

If you've lived through that kind of work experience the story is intense, bringing up emotions you thought were long buried. If not, it's still gripping, giving you a heads up what it's like. And like I said, vivid.

And then about a third of the way through The Fisherman transitions into a story being told to the MC, recounting the history and background of the legend of 'the fisherman'. While it's fascinating material, the abrupt loss of intensity and vividness breaks the reader's emotional engagement. The new characters don't have the same depth of detail which results in being distanced from what they're dealing with. Which is where the creepy, supernatural elements are introduced. They're really good creepy, supernatural elements, but instead of gripping you down deep like the start of the book, it's a shallower experience.

Which is a pity. I suppose Langan was playing with writing styles, staying true to form and letting the reader know this part of the story is suspect. It could be a recounting of Lovecraftian horrors that are lurking in the area or it could just be a tall tale told to the tourists up from the city.

Danny Campbell does a great job on narration. His light pitch and slight rasp to his voice is a perfect fit for an older character and makes his recounting of events utterly believable.

Well worth the credit.

Loved it

Loved this book, had me engrossed from start to finish. Couldn't put it down. Would highly recommend it.

unexpectedly good very well narrated.

get past the first hour and you won't regret it. the story weaves a bit but the complete narrative is worth reading

really

this was not my favorite genre. I was very surprised by it. it ran a little bit too long.

time seems odd

a large portion of the book is spent listening to a story in a diner, which takes the narrator about 4 hours to read. who spends that long in a diner listening to a story?

good story anyway.

Couldn't Make up my Mind

Got kind of lost in the long middle section story - was definitely set on returning the book but kept listening. The third section got really interesting and a lot of parts tied back to the middle story so instead of returning it I started to re-listen as soon as I finished and tried to listen better in the middle part. Well worth the effort

This book was incredible.

there was not a dry moment in this book. no throwaway lines or set pieces. everything was essential to the story, which was phenomenal.

ok

It was aight. Not the deepest story (haha) but a fun one. Def a great entry into the genre of cosmic horror however.

good book

rambles on a bit, but prose is excellent. I would be happier if it was cut by 1/8 to exclude the rambling exposition.