Horror is a curious thing. Horror is not really gore, at least not for me. Horror is the slow build of the uncanny, changing into pure dread. Real horror starts psychologically. Then pour over some gore, and everything's on fire (in a good way).

Women are becoming pregnant without having had any sex, and their foetuses are extremely malformed. What follows is a story about abortions that have somehow survived, and are living in London's sewers.

I'm a Masterton novice, really - I read his infamous 80s novel Ritual (a.k.a. Feast) a couple of months ago, but I can see the same structure in this, his newest novel. A lot of visceral gore, which a lot of readers seem to be shocked by, and it just doesn't have that effect on me. It makes me wince, at best, but it doesn't translate into horror or dread.

I need the slow pulse of building dread, and it just isn't here. Masterton sprinkles his story with violent encounters, but they never build, they just become very repetitious. No real new information or experience is added.

Whether the book is pro-choice or against abortions, is not an easy question to answer. On the one hand you have aborted foetuses presented as monsters, on the other hand the force that tries to control these children is pretty horrific, what does that say about pro-life..? Personally I think Masterton doesn't care one way or the other, and he isn't trying to make such a point with this book.

The characters are quite flat, bordering on the cartoonish. I've seen some readers saying the book is racist, sexist, misogynistic - I think this is part of the cartoonishness, it's all rather broad. The cockney character constantly uses cockney rhyming slang, so much that it becomes a bit ridiculous. When muslim characters are mentioned, there's a lot of focus on muslim men trying to control their wives and daughters. It wouldn't say it's outright racist or sexist, but there is some friction there.

All of that said, the book really fails in its ending - the ending is not only rushed, which it is, there isn't really an ending. The book just sort of.. stops. It's one of the biggest anticlimaxes I've read in a long time.

There's some schlocky fun to be had here (and I use schlocky in a positive context), but the ending ruins everything.

I really wanted to love this book, however it was very problematic from the get go, between racism, misogny, and not great writing, I just couldn't keep on reading to wait for the horror to arrive. Major pass.

This is a tough one. There are some wildly imaginative and risk-taking elements here, but it's hard to say I'd recommend this book to many people. There's a lot going on in this book, including some pretty gnarly body horror, and while I appreciated the ambition, I think this one's just for the die hard horror reader.

Oh god this was such a creepy and scary book! Seriously now I read a lot of books and this was just nuts....! Loved it, cant say too much as it’s not out yet but honestly if you want a fright fest then get the book!!!!!

I really enjoyed the plot and story ARC. This is one of those can't-put-it-down books that are quick, satisfying reads. It was well written, creepy, and suspenseful. What's not to like? The only issue for me was the ending because it was rushed and could have been developed to heighten the last suspense and imagery. The characters were well-developed and I got a sense of their personalities as the story evolved.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own honest opinions written voluntarily.

I have to admit that I am a bit conflicted about this book. I really enjoyed the storyline and the idea of a horror series. On the other hand, I found something that lessened my enjoyment and made me a bit uncomfortable. I found some of the dialogue a bit racist and sexist towards minorities and to women in general. I am sure it was not intended to come across that way but it definitely did to me.
The story itself is interesting and original. I do like the idea of a horror series that continues with the same investigators.

My thanks to Head of Zeus, Graham.Masterton and Netgalley.
It was nice to see my two favorite coppers back.
And, yes! That's it. That's the only nice thing I can say about this crapfest.
Just a wee bit too political for me, and really kind of racist. I can usually take things in stride, but racist anti abortionists will always send me of the deep end.
I'm finally done with this author. I would love to re-read all my faves from him, but I'm afraid of what I might find!

Weird things I researched whilst reading this book:
1. Fatbergs
2. The Bhopal disaster
3. Foetus viability legislation
4. Folie a Deux (shared psychosis)

Any book that has me so intrigued that I end up down a YouTube rabbit hole at 2am (several times) is gonna be highly rated. The Children God Forgot grabbed me from page 1 and took me on one wild ride! Across London several women unexpectedly become pregnant and the scans show that the foetuses are severely deformed, there are weird, violent attacks and deaths occuring in the sewers below the city, there are sightings of strange deformed children glowing green, and 2 police detectives trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Seriously, the amount of times I muttered WTF whilst reading this book was insane. It was gruesome, messed up and creepy....... basically, just what I wanted ha ha ha... It takes a lot to freak me out but there were scenes in this that had me terrified. In fact, there's one scene that will be forever burned onto my memory and just the brief thought of it sends shivers down my spine and makes me gag! Damn my ability to visualize books like films! Bleurgh
And that dear readers, is why I'm giving this book 5 stars. I loved the plot, I loved the characters, I loved the gore, and I loved that it made me feel things (even if they were terrible things ha ha ha...)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in return for an honest opinion.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Graham Masterton since reading his Katie Maguire series, and this book did not disappoint. This book was creepy and dark. I love the different perspectives, it made the book move fast. I love a good horror book and this was perfect for a cold night in.

Would definitely recommend to horror fans, especially supernatural horror fans.

A woman is driving when she has a car accident. She has terrible pain in her stomach. When she wakes up, she finds out she had a baby. A monster baby as it is very malformed. What does it look like? The doctors agree that the baby won’t live long. The mother can’t believe. It as she knows there is no way she was or could be pregnant. Engineer Gemma is in the sewers checking on a spot where it appears to be almost blocked. When she goes down again with her boss and other engineers, she sees the lights turn green and ghost children. The lights go out and her boss is taken away as they go back toward the opening. Will her boss be found? The police of Tooting are called. The police chief sends detectives Jerry Pardoe and Jamila Patel who have had experience with the supernatural. Will they experience what Gemma did? How will they solved this horrible mystery?

The novel is horror and a mystery. It is so creepy that I can’t imagine what will happen next. It’s riveting with the terror of seeing and not seeing. It has the perfect amount of intrigue and suspense. The book kept me enthralled to the vey end of it.

This is going to be a short review why this became a DNF after reading one third of the book I found this book’s approach to race concerning and stereotyped plus the dialogue for a novel printed in 2020 feels around forty years out of date.

I was intrigued by the premise of women mysteriously giving birth to strange demonic monsters and something lurking in the sewers of London. What I found hugely unimpressive though was the treatment of women. A Nigerian woman about to give birth unexpectedly gets her name mangled up by the Doctor and it felt done more for humour than for highlighting racism. A homophobic slur is dropped in for a character vaping. Police officers are told someone is planning a secret arranged marriage for a daughter and don’t do anything. A police officer asks a witness was her ex good in bed. This novel was published in 2021

I’m slightly stunned how poor this book is. It feels like re-heated leftovers from the 1980s the pace is also glacial and the dialogue clunky and I will not be reading this author again. Horror can be unpleasant and should be able to shock but this felt like it was enjoying it too much without taking any responsibility and a third of the way through I saw no evidence that this was being challenged - just because an author has a more diverse cast of characters doesn’t automatically mean it gets to ignore racism being an issue.

Not recommended

Classic Masterton horror story. Death in dark places namely the sewers, deformed and aborted foetuses brought back to life and implanted in unsuspecting women. What’s not to like about the book. It’s creepy, chilling and full of stomach churning descriptions of the children fill the book and keep you turning the pages. Brilliant and would make for a great movie

I wasted two weeks of my life on this book. The most ridiculous story I've read in a long time.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

I have a soft spot in my black little heart for the works of horror maestro Graham Masterton. Some time in the eighties I must have read close to a dozen of the author’s early work. Personal favourites were The Manitou, Charnel House, and for me, the daddy of them all, The Devils of D-Day, a crazy book that placed demons, angels, and all kinds of mythological beings right at the heart of WWII. I thought it magnificent.

Masterton’s books are literal page-turners. He wastes no time in setting the scene and getting straight into the beat of the story. In his most recent book, The Childen God Forgot, we’re thrown into a series of freaky situations that have doctors and police officers baffled. The setting is multi-cultural London, and our main characters DS Jamila Patel and DC Jerry Pardoe, who appeared in a previous book, Ghost Virus, have to deal with a strange occurence in the depths of London’s sewage system. A man has gone missing, and his colleagues tell a horrifying story of malformed children and an eerie green light. When the man is eventually found, he’s in serious condition, with his life hanging on a thread.

At the same time, a number of women are tormented by creatures that appear in their wombs despite not being pregnant, but having either aborted a foetus or miscarried one. These creatures have the faces of cherubs but have bodies that cannot be defined as human. Yet they live. And they are protected by a mysterious presence who will kill to defend her ‘nestlings’.

Graham Masterton has a way with grotesque set-pieces. He doesn’t pull any punches with his action scenes, and violent dismemberment or death is never far away for any of the characters in these pages. DS Patel and DC Pardoe are an engaging duo, reminiscent of Mulder and Scully in the early days of The X Files. They get the cases no other branch will go near, and often place themselves in danger when others would just cut and run. The truth is not so much out there, but under London, in the sewers.

The Children God Forgot is a great and pacy read. You’ll get exactly what you ask for and expect in a Graham Masterton novel. He makes use of his characters cultural differences to good effect, with DS Patel’s Asian background coming in to play a lot of the time. Masterton has always had a strong feel for the supernatural, and the research he did for this book is there for all to see and read. I enjoyed this book, and it reminded me of a more innocent time when I devoured his early books. He’s been prolific ever since, and I look forward to a return journey into the dark heart of Masterton’s world.

Wasn't for me, I found it a little too unpleasant. Also, I found the police unconvincing and realistic.

That said, I won't publish my review anywhere, as I was on a blog tour and instead published an extract (see link to my blog)

THE CHILDREN GOD FORGOT, by Graham Masterton, is a novel I seem to be in the minority on. The story was unique, and had some great, unforgettable scenes. There were two detectives that returned (first appearing in the novel GHOST VIRUS), that I enjoyed seeing again.

This takes place in a multi-cultural area of England, so I was surprised at the amount of racial/gender slurs. Additionally--although it may not have been intended, it came off to me as having a strong "anti-abortion" message. (Which will be fine for some, but may be offensive to others).

The last thing that didn't work for me was the slang/dialog. Obviously, this is a personal issue, as others will get through it just fine. I struggled a bit with some of the more "regional" dialogs.

Overall, good concept, this one just didn't work as well for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc copy.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, This is a dark, creepy horror story. It was gory in parts, and definitely not for the faint hearted. There was a fair amount of humour which helped to lighten the mood slightly and I found the book very entertaining. I didn’t realise it was the second book in a series. So I will definitely go back and read the first one,

Chiasoka was driving her car when she almost crashed with a bus due to agonising pains in her stomach. A woman kindly called an ambulance to take her hospital. Once there and the hospital had done the tests, she was informed about being pregnant. She said she couldn’t be, she’d had an abortion and it had been successful. They all agreed to terminate the pregnancy but when the doctors saw the baby open its lovely blue eyes, they just couldn’t kill it. They put the baby into an incubator in a separate room with a nurse monitoring it. When Dr Macleod took Professor Karounis to check on the baby it was missing from the incubator. The nurse had left it alone so a search of the building was made and CCTV checked to see who could have been near that wing, with no luck. They had to bring the police in to investigate.

Gemma, worked as an engineer in the sewers for Crane’s Drains and usually loved it.
Only she had felt spooked after seeing a child-like face peering down at her earlier when she was in the sewer, Newton hadn’t seen it. When Martin arrived, he joined the team going into the sewer for a look himself at the fatberg. Their helmet lights gave off enough light to work with. They found a severed woman’s hand in the fatberg and Martin said the police had to be called. He asked Newton to take a few pictures and then, ping, all their helmet lights went out. They turn to leave the sewer, Gemma catches a glimpse of white in the distance, it’s a child-like thing floating towards them, then there’s more of them. It then goes pitchblack while the team are being attacked and their helmets are being torn off. The team tries to make their way back to the sewer opening. They then realise Martin is missing. They call the police. MIT decided this is a case for their crime busting time of DC Jerry Pardoe and DS Jamila Patel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Had me hooked from the start and I just couldn’t put the book down. I like both Jerry and Jamila and would like to see them again. They work well together. It was a great story. This is true horror! One of Masterton’s best that I have read.

The Children God Forgot
By Graham Masterton

This was overall a very satisfying read that will be enjoyed immensely by horror and thriller fans as written by the masterful storyteller Graham Masterton. This bone chilling and creepy read was compulsive and truly unputdownable. Once I started, there was no way I could put this book down and kept reading at all hours of the night despite my increasing fear and heart pounding moments.

This was well written and truly enjoyable read for me that kept me entertained, my full attention in this chilling, spine tingling, creepy in the best way possible, fast paced thrilling read I really enjoyed. This was fantastic!! I highly recommend this book!