I have about 4 old Netgalley titles left on my dash that I need to clear out and I peeked at the reviews of them trying to decide what I wanted to read next. This one had several comments about it being a horror romance. Lots of folks think that is a bad thing and that’s ok because we’re all different. Horror romance blends are one of my favorite things, however! So I went in hoping they weren’t leading me astray.

Charlie Husk tells this story. He’s a young person (creature?) who is tasked with bringing back meat for his clan. You can guess what the meat is, right? He’s equipped with a van and burlap bags and has his routine down until the moment he witnesses a cute blonde - one of <i>them</I> - arguing with a man who ditches her at a rest stop. It should be easy pickin’s for him but he instantly goes all goo-goo eyed over Jill for some reason and instead of throwing her in a bag, he decides to drive her home and even he is confused as to why he does it. During the ride to NY he falls head over heels in the dreaded (if you’re me) insta-love. Ugh, not the insta-love *forever cries in frustration*. I kind of hate it but occasionally it turns out well and I’m able to go with the flow. Unfortunately, the romance part of this story did not work for me because we’re told this story through Charlie’s first person POV only and we never get to know what Jill is thinking at all. In fact, she rarely speaks early on. There is zero chemistry, banter or any of that sweet falling in love sort of feeling that I love to experience. Why is he in love? WHO KNOWS. It’s a little creepy and stalkery even though Charlie’s intentions are sweetly old-fashioned and terribly misguided. So as a romance this was a bit of a dud for me but I’ve read a LOT of romances and I’m super picky about them now.

Anyhow, most of this book is about Charlie trying to fit into Jill’s world. Looking for work in a world that demands a social security number and a birth certificate which he doesn’t have because his clan lives off the grid. This story portrays the struggle of an undocumented person very well and you feel for him because he has skills that he cannot use and has to take a shitty job with a shitty boss who cheats him. It’ll make you a little ragey, most likely. It made me a little ragey but I should probably say that a lot of things make me a little ragey right about now..

I contemplated quitting this book at about the halfway mark because to be honest I was finding it too slow, too mundane and the romance too one-sided but then some things started to happen. I’m not going to tell you about these things because SPOILERS. This is not an over the top gory book by any means but there is a strong sense of menace simmering behind many of the interactions that is done incredibly well. I kept going back to it for that reason and because I did find Charlie strangely endearing. Especially because he is not wrong. Some humans do deserve to be stuffed in the burlap bag 😹!

In the end, I ended up liking this book more than I thought I would after the first half or so. It’s worth a read if you want something a little different.

Great read. Charlie was an intriguing character right from the beginning and Jill was the perfect companion. I am hoping there will be a follow up to this novel with more explanation as to what Charlie possibly is. Spoiler alert! The story refers to his ‘real’ self and I was a little frustrated that there weren’t any further details about this. It could be a stroke of genius as it does make you want to carry on reading about him and his clan.

Husk is an interesting novel that doesn’t quite deliver in the genre that it is promising but delivers in another genre altogether. I wasn’t quite sure what the marketing people were doing when heading in this direction but it may be doing a disservice to the book and the author.

Firstly, this is a book that does have horror elements but it is more about a love story in a strange futuristic world amongst humanoids. The book’s narrative is well handled and at times there seems to be a lull in the overall action but within the confines of the beautifully written passages, for the avid reader they should be able to devour the book in all its many subtests. For the occasional reader, they may find this a bit harder to get into but this would be their loss.

The story is an original and does follow along the lines of taking a worn out cannibal story and adding a new spring it its step and Zeltserman is able to do this with an incredible awareness and heart. Written on a deeply emotional level, this book ticks all the boxes and more. The clan itself are an interesting lot but are weak compared to the two richly written main characters, Charlie and Jill. It is through their story that this ode to Romeo and Juliet really takes off.

The book will do well when it finds its audience but as this is settled deeply within the foray of different genres, it may not deliver to one specific genre audience. This is a well written, deeply character driven novel which is told in a mix of genres from romantic, horror, science fiction and drama. Part Romeo and Juliet, part The Road, part True Romance, for people who discover this will be well and truly rewarded.

HUSK
Dave Zeltserman
Severn House
ISBN-13: 978-1-84751-927-6
Trade Paperback
Horror

I don’t read many horror novels these days but there was something about HUSK that called to me. Part of the “something” was author Dave Zeltserman. Zeltserman always finds a way to put a heretofore unnoticed twist on everything he writes, even as he moves effortlessly among various subgenres in the thriller field. This is particularly true of THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD as well as the film-adapted SMALL CRIMES and OUTSOURCED. I won’t tell you that I have necessarily fallen in love with every single word Zeltserman ever wrote, but I do love HUSK.

HUSK respects the reader. It has its moments of violence but they are not gratuitous. They easily could have been, given that this is a novel about clans of humanoids who live in isolated areas and make occasional forays among the rest of us. These trips are not benevolent, as these folks survive on human flesh. They are not cannibals, given that they are apparently somewhat different from us biologically, but the end result is the same, at least for us. The HUSK of the title refers to one of these clans generally and to Charlie Husk specifically. Charlie is the narrator of the piece. He is when we meet him hanging out at a rest stop on the Massachusetts Turnpike, looking for likely folks to overpower, tie up, and transport back to his tribe in New Hampshire. After a false start or two he rescues a damsel in distress with the intent of making her the first of his successes for the current trip. An odd thing, happens, however. Charlie finds the young woman --- a college student named Jill Zelmer --- attractive in a manner other than he might ordinarily appreciate. He accordingly cannot transport her back to his people so he instead takes her home to her apartment in New York, a city where Charlie has never been. Charlie has had somewhat of an isolated life, so he is unfamiliar with many of the things that the rest of us unconsciously take for granted. Jill is charmed by Charlie as well, particularly his gallant attitude, and chalks the rest of his somewhat awkward social skills (or lack thereof) up to being from New Hampshire. You can take the boy out of the Husk but you can’t take the Husk out of the boy, however, and soon enough Charlie is craving some good old-fashioned human meat. There is of course no shortage of that in New York, and as much as Charlie tries to control himself he occasionally avails himself of the opportunity to fang down, if you will. Charlie also makes a couple of interesting discoveries. One is that there are others of his kind in New York. Another is that there is a way to control his hunger, one that he discovers quite by accident. What Charlie doesn’t learn until very late in the game, however, is that he is putting himself and Jill in great danger, a danger which manifests itself near the conclusion of HUSK and from which there is seemingly no escape.

HUSK may in some ways be Zeltserman’s best book to date. Charlie’s narrative is just a touch stilted, enough so that we realize from the jump that the boy is not quite right. There’s a touch of humor here and there --- particularly when Zeltserman subtly inserts himself into the story for just a moment or two --- but it is sparingly and deftly applied. Many of the twists and turns in HUSK are saved for the final third of the book, but they come hard, fast, and heavy, right up to the story’s final sentence which is one of the best I have read this year. Don’t bother looking at it first, as it will make little sense unless you read what has gone before. You should definitely do that. Strongly recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2018, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

I really wanted to like this book much more than I actually did. I blame the marketing, the marketing that promoted this book as a horror novel. It isn’t, it’s a love story with some minor horror tropes. I went into the book expecting something along the lines of The Caretaker Of Lorne Field, it’s not.

Had Zeltserman kept his original title, “Cannibal, A Love Story”, I’d have been less disappointed in the book. Because this is a love story, and although soap opera-ish at times, it works very well. Good book, recommended.

I was raised in a tribal situation, among cannibal people. - William P. Young

Charlie Husk grew up in the wilds of New Hampshire with his clan. He has been sent out to collect THEM...human beings that his clan use for their main food source. The problem is, he ends up rescuing one of THEM, a young female, and develops feelings for her that go against everything he's learned and against the whole history of his clan, a species that goes back hundreds of years.

This was a different look at cannibalism with some different elements thrown in that I've never run across before. Charlie comes across as a sympathetic character, even when the reader finds out aspects of his past history.

It is not as gut wrenching as BROTHER by Ania Ahlborn but definitely has its dark moments. It is more of a romantic cannibal story, which is a terrible description because it really is a good story.

I received this book from Severn House through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Husk by Dave Zeltserman opens up with a young man on the prowl for some meat to bring back to his clan. Little do we know that the meat he is looking for is that of a living human and he's stalking the rest areas off the interstate. CANNIBALS! Le gasp! But what happens when he unexpectedly falls in love with one of the potential victims and decides to assimilate to a new life void of his clan's diet, background, and rituals?

At the beginning we get lots of uncomfortable talks about how someone looks like there "is not enough meat on the bones" or "how much meat can we trim off them." There are jokes about skinning people alive and more. At this point, the book could go one of two ways: it could become a gore fest of slaughtering/skinning people alive and eating them OR it could go the way it did.

I WAS looking forward to lots of gore, but I actually enjoyed the route the story went. Our protagonist was trying to assimilate to the real world, fight off his cravings, and escape the ways of his clan. He fell in love and it was fun watching him learn about the ways of the real world in the landscape of New York City. There were a couple scenes that gave me enough gore to keep MY cravings at bay!

This book gets 4 out of 5 stars from me and I am thankful to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for the advance copy. Crittically acclaimed author Paul Tremblay is quoted as saying this about Husk: "Dave Zeltserman’s Husk is a compelling, quirky, twisty, smart, page-turner mix of horror, satire, and even a little romance with (yeah, I’ll say it) bite. A brutal love story perfect for our dark times." And I couldn't agree more!

Husk is aptly described as a contemporary horror. It is as much a romantic tale of self discovery with a violent predatory backdrop.

Charlie is a Husker, from a cannibal clan that lives out in New Hampshire. They live hidden in the hills capturing unassuming travellers to fulfil their ritual slaughters in order to eat human meat and off set the madness that will otherwise consume them if they do not do so every couple of weeks..

Humans are referred to as Them - thought of with disdain and and killed without any compassion. Charlie has learnt to mix amongst humans and their world in order to lure them to their ultimate death.. When he attempts to kidnap Jill, something changes and he finds he would do anything to be with her.. From here a tender romance blossoms and he realises he must leave his kind and the clan behind. But will he be able to mix amidst all these humans? How will he offset cravings to kill and the madness if he does not? Will the clan allow him to leave?

The story follows his sincere attempts not to lie about himself, his struggles to mix in society, offset the cravings and hide his predatory behaviour. Not everyone takes to Charlie - his language and mannerisms are awkward. He still wants to cheerfully kill the rude, arrogant humans, but some he is beginning to like and respect. Things are changing but this isn't necessarily about happy endings..

The characters are extremely well formed. As a reader you like Charlie, yet still find him awkward and a little strange. The writing is strong and the links in the story are held together very tightly..There is a nice balance of strong characterisation throughout the cast, it is in parts witty with light hearted/satirical prose, interspersed with some good violent horror, albeit minimal suspense. It's a bit quirky, yet was entertaining throughout due to the skillful writing. There is also scope for a sequel or even a series given the ending too.

I absolutely loved one of Zeltserman's previous novels, The Caretaker of Lorne Field, which I constantly recommend to fellow horror readers. So I was incredibly excited to be offered a chance to read his newest horror novel.

I absolutely loved the premise of a "Husker" who prowls the countryside of victims to eat. The story started out amazing with the dark and ominous narrative. Zeltsterman is such a strong writer.

However, I was personally disappointed to find that this was more of a horror love story with the main character falling for his next victim. The majority of the story involved the relationship between Charlie and Jill. There were some interesting details in the narrative about Charlie's clan, but it was simply not suspenseful. I still think the author has writing chops, but this was simply not the kind of horror story I typically enjoy.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

An exciting, suspenseful and satisfying read. The title and the cover may lead you to believe it will be a sordid, Texas Chainsaw-like, and blood-spattered affair, but in reality it's a very smart, suspenseful thriller about a lifelong cannibal from the sticks of New Hampshire and a beautiful young woman he rescues from an abusive boyfriend at a rest stop. You really care about the two characters and are drawn into their burgeoning (and possibly fatal) romance. It's the horror version of the "will they/won't they" trope from TV. Will Jill find out about Charlie's true nature? Will Charlie be able to find a way to deal with his 'cravings' and still start a new life with Jill?
I look forward to reading other books by this author.

There is a simmering danger lurking around every corner; an omnipresent threat of violence and bloodletting bubbling away through each chapter as Charlie Husk, a character like no other, struggles with the person he is and the person he wants to be.

Husk is contemporary horror; more romance, self discipline and discovery over overt scare tactics and gory scenes. The horror is subtle - until it isn't.

Charlie Husk is a cannibal who falls in love with a New York girl after rescuing her from her dead-beat boyfriend. However, his cravings for human meat slowly take over and the all too easy violence steadily escalates towards a conclusion you could see coming but couldn't tear your eyes from.

The steady plot pace and Charlie's modern world naivety suit the style of novel and add to the underlying tension making Husk a hard book to put down.

My rating: 4/5 stars. Whilst I don't enjoy romance novels, I actually liked that element to the story with Charlie and Jill forming a unique bond which compliments the darker plot elements perfectly.

Dave Zeltserman has come up with a pretty good variation on what seems to be a cannibalistic werewolf story. Clans of a people living outside of normal humanity, kidnapping regular humans to feed on ritually to survive. Part supernatural story, and part thriller, it works well and was not what I was expecting, but I felt that the last several chapters rushed to an incomplete ending after a great build up kept it from a 5 star rating. I feel a sequel coming, I hope!

Wide, expansive, a classic Western wrapped around a classic vampire story. Creeps into an icky thriller to begin with, before moving more confidently into the spacious territory of modern life in America. Challenging and readable. Thank you to netgalley.com for providing the ARC for review.

Wow. This one gave me chills! Wasn't prepared for the lead character to be a... cannibal!! He seemed so nice! After being hit with a unique and horrific premise, the tension just mounts... and you find yourself liking that lead character despite his gory dinner plans. Devilishly unique, and well worth reading!

Husk is a tender love story that will probably be shunned by most harlequin romance readers. Their loss. It is the story of a stranger in a strange land and there are some amazing parallels to Heinlein's great work. Like Michael Valentine, Charlie Husk has lived outside earth society his whole life, unaware of customs and rituals and his foray into their world is more than just learning a new language. It is learning a new culture, new ways of speaking, new ways of feeling. And, like Michael Valentine, his soulmate is a Jill. And, of course, there is that little matter of cannibalism, which here is not just an odd distorted note, but the center of Husk's experience as a hunter and gatherer of meat. Having made a decision to try to live in regular society, having left his clan back there in the woods, how can Husk survive without giving himself away. As odd and strange as the whole concept sounds, somehow Zeltserman is such a good storyteller that he makes it work and its a story that you actually want to read and Husk is an amazing character to follow through the tale.