BOOK REVIEW | HOLLOW KING | WAYLAN GRAVES

HOLLOW KING - REVIEW

Hollow King lobs Appalachian folk horror, creature feature chaos and a big sack of backwoods weirdness into a blender and hits max

SETUP

When the Mothman begins terrifying a local town, monster hunter Cryptid Carl offers the mayor to get rid of his problem. Along with his creatures in arms Yaya the Yellowtop and Squonk, Carl captures the beast and takes it back to Storm Mountain where it can live in relative safety. However, things don't go as planned. Especially when he bumps into a figure from his past, The Smiling Man.

Facing demons and the ghosts of his past, Carl and his crew will need all the help they can get to stop the nightmare from spreading. 

REVIEW

Mixing supernatural elements with cryptid creature feature chaos and Appalachian folk horror, Hollow King tells the story of Carl — otherwise known as Cryptid Carl.
Living in the foothills of Storm Mountain, Carl makes his living getting rid of the spooky little (or not-so-little) critters that haunt Appalachian towns, from Mothman to tommyknockers and everything in between. He’s joined by his pals Yaya, a yellow top (not to be confused with Bigfoot), and Squonk, a creature of indeterminate origins.
When reports of a moth-like figure start scaring a nearby town, Carl and his little band show up to do what they do best: capture the beast and secretly release it somewhere safe on Storm Mountain.
Unapologetically pulpy, Hollow King wears its influences proudly and is ultimately just good fun. The characters are likeable — especially Yaya and Squonk — and even when the story doesn’t pull many surprises, it doesn’t really matter. It’s the kind of book that does exactly what it promises: it entertains.
Stylistically, the book is episodic, which can affect the pacing since each section feels like a bit of a reset. But if you’re used to that structure, it works well — it almost plays out like a TV series with a creature-of-the-week format and an overarching arc.
While not perfect in its execution, Hollow King is a great pick for anyone who loves cryptid lore, backwoods horror and morally grey monster hunters. There's plenty here to enjoy.

Verdict

Fast, furry, cryptid-packed fun. Light on depth, heavy on monsters and charm.

W

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