Hello again dear reader or listener, we are gathered here today to eagerly sit up for what promises to be a great new series by long time author Laura Anne Gilman.

With a big thanks to Ms. Nalen at Simon & Schuster for offering me a double review copy of this first instalment and of book two that releases in a couple of days, let’s get to it! My thoughts remain honest.

Now dear reader, here’s the thing, I grew up with Supernatural the TV series (we do not speak of the atrocity that was the finale). It is my comfort show and Dean Winchester is arguably one of the best characters written for tv in this century, I’m not even exaggerating. Even when the show was a shambles, Dean was there to keep it going.
So, when I read a blurb promising monster hunting siblings I simply could not resist. The similarities do not end there however but also, I don’t want to go too much down that road so I’ll just say that if you’re a fan of the show like me, just run to grab a copy now, you don’t need to know anything else. Trust me.

Fun comp title aside, I found this first entry in the Huntsmen series an excellent start to a hopefully long saga that promises good times, feels, sibling shenanigans, and lots of action. Also, there’s a molosser dog with one upturned and one downward ear as the animal companion and his name is Botheration. Need I say more?

Gilman’s prose flowed as much as historical fiction using accurate terms will allow and, bar some repetitiveness here and there, it made for a speedy read, building up pace as it went along, to finally reach the action-packed climax. Her worldbuilding was the kind you can feel is extensive off page but you only scratch the surface of while reading this first book. The hints of the wider Huntsmen society and how they’re an organised system etc. was as much intriguing as it keeps you wanting to learn more about them all. I actually quite enjoyed the author’s loyalty to her chosen time period of the early 1900s in regards to how limiting it was for women and thus an extra thing Rosemary had to always contend with aside from monsters. It was definitely not a case of ‘author picks historical period for that aesthetic tm but then their protags are fully modern with vague general explanation as to why, if there even is one’. And similarly, Aaron, while certainly forward thinking in lieu of the special circumstances of his family, was also most definitely a man of his time, always taking care to act and look a certain way to fit in with the correct tier of society. I actually think that for now at least he’s my favorite of the duo. Gilman excels at sibling banter and I have not read any of her other work to know if this is a running thing or new with this series of hers, but class A sibling dynamics right there. I can only amusedly applaud.

I think this first entry was a solid balance between character and plot driven, and I was eagerly following along trying to solve the mystery, which for once didn’t reveal itself to me too early, (always refreshing). The reveal is only obvious with hindsight and that’s on clever plot and hint weaving on the author’s part. At the same time however, I found this story more of a setting up of expectations to be surpassed and built upon. This book feels like only that first small step introducing us to the two protags and hinting at the wider happenings, and it will hopefully continue to grow in scope, stakes, and depth along with its protagonists. There is so much hinted at that I cannot wait for the author to explore in future instalments and I’m especially happy I get to jump into the sequel right away after finishing book one this afternoon. Also I am a sucker for certainties being shaken and we see the beginnings of it here when Rosemary and Aaron start to see that what they’ve been taught and trained in their whole lives may not be entirely true.

So dear reader or listener, if you’re looking for awesomely written sibling dynamics, an organised society of monster hunters operating on the downlow, early 1900s sass and aggravation, lots of things that go bump in the night and one excellently trained but finnicky about his food massive hound, then this book is for you! For my part I have really high hopes for this series and cannot wait to be proven right.

Until next time,
Eleni A. E.

I absolutely loved the concept behind this book - Industrial Revolution supernatural hunter siblings? It's a fun frolick - lags a little in the middle, but was worth sticking around to the end of. The characters ended up being more complex than I expected, and I would definitely read another adventure for these siblings!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

Rosemary and Aaron Harker are Huntsmen. They hunt the Uncanny, monsters that are a danger to humans.
When they get a call about an Uncanny, they think it's business as usual. They're wrong. This is either an undocumented Uncanny, or something even worse.

This was decent. Not the best, but not the worst. I think my favorite thing about this is their dog, Botheration. Love the name!

3.5 stars rounded up.

What a fun way to get into the mood for spooky season, as we follow a pair of sibling monster hunters on the trail of an unusual killer in early 20th century New York!

To most eyes, Rosemary and Aaron Harker are an orphaned brother and sister living quietly as adults in New Haven, Connecticut, with their over-sized dog, Botheration. Sometimes they travel, as when they're summoned north to the town of Brunson by Margaret Lovelace, the widow of their distant relative, Uncle Tucker. Aunt Margaret herself is only passing on one of his final requests: should he die, Rosemary and Aaron must be summoned to investigate.

For the Harkers are Huntsmen, a bloodline that specializes in hunting the Uncanny, the catch-all term for the supernatural creatures that prey on humanity. Their remit is to use deadly force against those that kill, and to be prepared to act in self-defense. Castigated by the Church as unclean, Huntsmen form a worldwide network dedicated to protecting humankind against killers that very few want to admit are real. Usually, they're called in by others of their association to investigate reports of Uncanny slayings, or to assist in the termination of same. Being invited on the vague terms of their aunt by marriage is something new, but a summons they're ready and willing to answer.

Brunson seems like your ordinary small town, a former logging center looking to transition into more modern industries. Something strange is definitely going ongoing on tho. Uncle Tucker's death has been written off as a wild animal attack, but the police are being surprisingly cagey, refusing to return the journal they took away as evidence from his estate. In order to properly investigate, the siblings take on roles that are only slightly different from their reality: Aaron poses as a young man of means helping his Aunt Margaret settle her late husband's affairs while Rosemary slips into her tried and true persona of amateur folklorist.

They soon learn that their uncle was right to suspect the worst, as his was only the latest in a string of weird deaths plaguing this otherwise ordinary place. But what, exactly, killed him, and why? More importantly, can the Harkers stop whatever it is from killing again?

I love monster hunting books, especially when done well. The Harkers are a wonderfully drawn pair, siblings who both rely on, irritate and look out for one another as they pursue their unusual calling. I loved how they weren't stereotypical, with Rosemary being the more confrontational and Aaron the more calculating, despite being penned in by the gender roles demanded by their times. It was also nice to see so many non-standard monsters, especially referred to in passing. The 1913 setting is also pretty great, as the Harkers find themselves caught in the middle of labor conflicts caused by selfish industrialists.

In terms of action and pacing, I was reminded somewhat of Jim Butcher's first Dresden Files novel, Storm Front. I do think that this book's major confrontation could have taken more space in the narrative, but overall, this was a solidly entertaining series debut, and just a really fun Halloween read.

Uncanny Times (Huntsmen #1) by Laura Anne Gilman was published October 18 2022 by Gallery/Saga Press and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781534415928">Bookshop!</a>

Siblings Aaron and Rosemary Harker hunt the monsters in 1913 United States. When an extended relative dies, they travel to investigate the Uncanny that killed him.

See my video review here: https://youtu.be/-HxSu09uuLU

The best part of this book is our two main characters. They are both our Points of View, and the dynamic between them is fascinating. Aaron is neurodivergent (a quirk that Rosemary blames on on the Fey in their ancestors), and so his mind doesn’t run on the same track as Rosemary’s. In their hunts, they often unbalance each other and disagree. However, they are all the other one has, and so they stick together as a dynamic duo.

For Aaron, being a Huntsman is a privilege. He is good at it, and finds satisfaction there. He likes to use it as an excuse for not participating fully in society.
For Rosemary, being a Huntsman is a burden. She wants to participate in society. In another life, she could have been a suffragette, but her job taking care of the monsters always has to be her priority instead.

This push and pull between the siblings (in personality and motivation) was so fun. The more I got to know them, the more I enjoyed this book.

The book also nailed the stetting. The vocabulary and societal norms are suitably from 1913.

In the end, the plot was okay. The ending, though the mystery was wrapped up, felt more tragic than happy. It fit the dramatic and somber mood of the rest of the story.

Thanks to Gallery/Saga Press and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

The cover is what initially caught my eye, and the blurb solidified that. This is quite an odd duck of a book (as the characters would say), a slowly paced historical fantasy mystery that at times feels more focused on the main character relationships than the murder plot. But I found it absolutely fascinating and very enjoyable!

“To be Huntsmen was to be quiet, to be known only to your prey, and never those around you, to never speak freely of the things you had done.”


Rosemary and Aaron were raised since birth to be Huntsmen. Charged with protecting regular humans from the the uncanny, they’re skilled at combat and subterfuge. When a distant relative reaches out after the suspicious death of her husband, Rosemary and Aaron arrive to find that all is not as it seems in the small upstate New York town of Brunson, and not everything they’ve been led to believe is true.

While I’m a huge fan of romance, it was nice change of pace to have a pair of siblings be the main characters. The book switches between Rosemary and Aaron’s POVS, giving insight into both characters’ thoughts. They don’t always see eye to eye but they work well as a team, balancing each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

“You have the worst habit of jinxing us.”
“It’s a simple grave desecration,” he said. “What could possibly go wrong?”
“I hate you so much right now.”


Rosemary is the older sibling and naturally protective of Aaron. She’s thoughtful and methodical, preferring to use logic and technology against the often unexplainable uncanny. Aaron on the other hand prefers sigils and spells and is much more impetuous. He’s written as neurodivergent, mostly with a disregard for social conventions. He tends to be a bit callous, for instance, focusing more on the excitement of a new hunt than that a relative has just died. Rosemary’s father had an interesting theory for why he’s that way, but no matter what, he’s a Huntsman to his core. And while Rosemary wonders what her life would be like if she weren’t a Huntsman or even how much more freedom she’d have if she wasn’t a woman, she feels the same way, and can’t imagine life without her brother as her partner.

“Anyone wandering this late likely deserves to see a hellhound pacing through the streets.”
“Don’t call him that,” Rosemary said, walking a little faster to keep up with the tug of the lead. “It’s unkind.”


And of course there’s Botheration, their hound. He’s much than a simple dog and he’s almost as much a part of the team as the siblings, helping detect traces of the uncanny that are too small for them to find. His relationships with Rosemary and Aaron – not to mention the reactions of other people when they meet him – were one of my favorite parts of the book.

Northeast America in 1913 is a wonderful setting for the book. There’s union uprisings, suffragettes, and the lure of easy travel by rail. But there’s also the uncanny, who greatly outnumber humans. They mostly keep to themselves or only go where they’re invited (if you’re foolish enough to invite a brownie) so the Huntsmen only go after the ones that become dangerous. There’s tantalizing hints about various types of uncanny and magic and it’s definitely something I hope to see more of in future books! The book is slowly paced with sudden action scenes surrounded by lots of more mundane research. As the first book in the series, a lot of time is spent learning the characters of Rosemary and Aaron, enough that it overshadows the actual murder mystery at times.

Overall, a delightful read but not the type of book for someone looking for high tension in the plot. This book is much more suited for a snowy afternoon and a cup of tea, so if that’s what you’re looking for, highly recommended!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Uncanny Times is a bit of a slow read. It was only toward the end that I felt like I couldn't put it down to find out what happened. However, it's the first book in a series, which means world-building and character development. That can slow things down, and it's not going to put me off reading future books in this series.

One thing I adore is the lack of romance. Too many books say they're going to be supernatural based and then include some sort of romance. I don't need that in every single book I read, so one of the things that drew me in was that this story involved siblings who were hunters. Thank you, Laura, for keeping the romance out of the story.

3.5 stars, rounding up. Uncanny Times is a delicious combination of historical, fantasy, mystery, and horror. I love the setting, 1913 rural New York, and really enjoyed the sibling dynamic between Aaron and Rosemary. And Botheration! Possibly my favorite name ever for a fictional canine.

The story begins with Aaron and Rosemary responding to a strange summons from their father's cousin — in the event of his death, he has requested that they come to town. Strange, but not so strange for a family full of Huntsmen. Aaron and Rosemary, though young, are well-trained in their roles as hunters of the Uncanny, and are eager to get to Brunson, New York to search out the uncanny responsible for three recent deaths. What they find is not what they expect, and certainly nothing they've ever encountered before. Will they be able to stop the monster from attacking more innocents, or will they fall prey to it as well?

This was a super fun concept, gothic in atmosphere and with plenty of banter between the characters. Rosemary is a strong, intelligent female, and her brother is a nice counterbalance to her personality. I did find the book to be a bit slow, but I generally find that's to be expected with the first book in any series. There is much more character defining and world building in the first book than in later installments. I also relished the lack of romance in this book, as it is refreshing from time to time to focus on a relationship that is not romantic in nature. I think it wrapped up a bit quickly, but this is a minor gripe.

Thank you to Laura Anne Gilman, Gallery / Saga Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

I should really read more by this author. I’d read the Retrievers books years ago and loved them, The first Vineart book didn’t quite work for me and she’d fallen off my radar. This book really put a smile on my face. It’s just a little creepy and atmospheric without being scary. A perfect tone for a Halloween read. I like the two siblings Hunters. I liked the pacing. I thought the author did a good job with fleshing out the time period. There really wasn’t anything I didn’t enjoy about it! It’s probably really more of a four than five star book but I’m rounding up for the good time I was given reading it.

I totally loved this! It wasn’t exactly the book I was expecting because the synopsis on Goodreads for 2 of the 3 featured editions is completely wrong (Amazon is correct though). HOWEVER, I enjoyed the book immensely more than expected because it’s actually about monster hunters solving murders in New England in the early 1900s.
Rosemary and Aaron Harker are siblings who have taken over the family business - hunting down folkloric monsters that have developed a taste for humans. When the widow of a distant relative reaches out and asks for their help investigating his death they pack up and head for upstate New York where they find multiple unusual deaths and some questionable characters in town. They also encounter things that make them question long held beliefs held by the Huntsmen as a whole.
Rosemary and Aaron clearly have an interesting past and upbringing and based on hints dropped throughout the story, their mother had a traumatic death and their father was at fault. Rosemary is a strong, clever woman in a time when women were still largely expected to be quiet and obedient and often chafes at propriety. Aaron is often described as “fey” or a bit odd in terms of humor or even how he views one of their hunts and this is put off to a larger portion of fey blood in his veins. My favorite character might actually be their specially bred hound, Botheration (Bother for short) who is remarkably intelligent and astoundingly large. Bother tracks uncanny creatures and has some interesting gifts of his own that I won’t spoil here.
The mystery aspect was fascinating and as always, I love a good supernatural spin to any mystery. Uncanny Times was a great story that balanced character and plot development extremely well. At no point did I find the story too slow and in fact, wouldn’t have minded even more details about the characters’ pasts though I’m sure more details will be in the next installment. Overall, I was really pleased with this and would definitely recommend it to any fans of monster hunter type books (The Witcher, etc.) or for those folks like me who just love a good fantasy/mystery genre-bender!

It's 1913. Rosemary and Aaron Harker, sister and brother, are Huntsmen. Their blood isn't entirely human, and they have the ability to hunt and kill the Uncanny, unnatural creatures of the night who sometimes hunt humans.

The Uncanny don't hunt humans often, because of the Huntsmen. When they do, the Huntsmen respond, and kill the offender against a long, uneasy truce. The Huntsmen don't try to wipe out the Uncanny, because there are too many of them, and humanity would be the losers.

Rosemary and Aaron receive a letter, telling them a distant cousin, knowledgeable about the Huntsmen but not quite one himself, has died. He left a note saying that if he died in unusual circumstances, Rosemary and Aaron should be summoned. They quickly pack and leave, with their hound, Botheration, for a small town in upstate New York.

They arrive to find a very charming small town, which has recently had a new influx of money, due to the new mill. The bed & breakfast where they are staying is lovely, charming, and run by a kind and friendly woman, who nevertheless is in firm control. Other guests include two businessmen, who are there to investigate possible real estate developments.

The Harkers' cousin was a doctor, and well-respected. He treated many of the less prosperous in town, and was sympathetic to the union movement. That made him less popular with some of the wealthier in town. He was killed taking a late night walk, and the police have concluded that he was killed by a cougar. However, they have also, oddly, taken the good doctor's journal, written in Latin to protect his more outré observations--because the doctor was knowledgeable, somewhat sensitive, and observant on matters of the Uncanny. His wife, though, although not of Huntsman blood, is intelligent, strong, and somewhat in her husband's confidence about the Uncanny. He was worried about something seemingly haunting the area.

And, it turns out, there were two previous deaths, also attributed to a cougar.

But a cougar would eat its prey, not leave it. especially since the other two were in more isolated places.

Rosemary discovers a nest of brownies in a local bakery. Brownies are relatively harmless, but they're an indicator that there are in fact Uncanny in the town. In a more adventurous part of their investigation, they learn both that the doctor's injuries are not at all consistent with a cougar attack, and that there are also ghouls.

The local librarian says that there are no stories about monsters or strange events, but she's also very nervous about something.

And then Botheration, who has had little to do on this hunt, does scent one. It's a mercreature, with a message for them. It seems the local Uncanny are worried about what's afoot in the town. think the humans have brought it, and want the Harkers to solve the problem.

There's something in town that scares the Uncanny.

The atmosphere gets creepier and creepier, and meanwhile, the real estate investors have convinced the police that the Harkers are connected to the union organizing at the mill. So they are trying to avoid getting kicked out of town, while hunting something even the other Uncanny can't identify for them.

It's a story with good characters, solid world-building, and an atmosphere that keeps building.

Recommended.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

This new turn-of-the-20th-Century supernatural hunter series boasts engaging characters, a gigantic magical hound, and a murder mystery. Siblings Rosemary and Aaron Harker come from a long tradition of hunting monsters. When an elderly cousin dies under mysterious circumstances, they journey to a small town, along with their oversized hound, Botheration. On the surface, the death appears to be natural, but as Hunters of the uncanny, the Harkers know something sinister is at work. At every turn, their investigation leads nowhere, even when one corpse after another turns up.

That’s the setup, but it falls short of conveying my experience of reading the book. Gilman’s a skillful writer, and here she perfectly balances the tension of a murder mystery with exploring a world that’s just enough skewed from the mundane to be endlessly fascinating, and best of all, to hang out with three really interesting characters (I definitely include the dog in this category!) Even the minor characters bring vivid quirks that deepen the journey through this town and its mysteries.

Despite the dramatic elements, plot twists, and escalating danger, the pacing is measured rather than thriller-taut, yet I found myself turning page after page, reluctant to put the book down. If the opening of a novel is an invitation to the reader, Uncanny Times provides superb hospitality, chapter after chapter. I hope this is only the beginning of a long-running series of the Huntsmen adventures.

Slow but steady narration, but with a worthwhile conclusion. A brother and sister team of "Uncanny" predator hunters discover something outside their experience. True Magic!

Amazing book of the occult detective/monster hunter variety. The use of a brother/sister team is fairly unique. The depiction of neurodivergence is also handled in a nonchalant but sensitive manner. Highly recommend

The description of this book sounded just up my alley: siblings who hunt supernatural creatures. Bonus, takes place in the early 20th century, and I usually like this type of historical fantasy. And the setup is good, the plot is interesting, but I felt meh about the characters. And for me, feeling a connection with the characters is one of the most important things about a book. So without that feeling of connection, I just wasn't as into the book as I had hoped to be. I did rather like the dog, Bother, though.

I do think that this is a good story and other readers will really enjoy this book. It just wasn't for me. 3.5 stars

DNF at 45%.

The blurb for this sounded so promising, and I loved that book cover... unfortunately, the content of the book was a disappointment.

The story moves at a snail pace. None of the characters are interesting enough to be memorable. I mean, a duo of supernatural hunters, brother and sister at that, should be fun, right? Wrong. Probably because their POVs sound so similar that I can barely tell them apart. The other characters are not memorable at all.

And as I said, the story is so slow that nothing really happened by the time I reached the almost halfway mark.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Laura Anne Gilman is a solid writer who usually has a unique take on things. (Wine. Magic. Enough said.) Her political rants are also on point — look up her Patreon or social media accounts. So I’m always surprised that she’s not way more popular than she actually is. Maybe this series* will change that.

This book is probably my favorite thing that she’s ever done. Our main characters are brother and sister, so there’s no romantic tension to get in the way of the plot**. Using the Harker surname here is a little cliché, but it’s a handy shortcut to say that these people are monster hunters.

Their upbringing seems to have been a little bit problematic and a lot traumatic. They were essentially orphaned as teenagers by a hunt that went wrong for their parents. They are also confronted with the fact that what they were told about the Uncanny being monsters lacking human-intelligence and the powers of speech was… less than accurate.

Tracking down an Uncanny serial killer probably isn’t the time to confront that truth, but it definitely seems like it’ll be a future problem that Aaron and Rosemary will have to deal with. In fact, I think the whole book takes place over 3 or 4 days and neither of our protagonists get much sleep in that time frame.

This is a fast-paced novel with a solid mystery and really great character interactions. Tense B&B dinners! Grisly crime scenes! A demon-hunting hell hound! Gilman always has interesting things to say about the lines between what makes us human and what actually makes a monster, and this series is no different. Did I mention I think it’s her best yet? I’m giving it 4.5 stars, with room to grow!

*This is being marketed as Volume 1 of the Huntsmen, and I hope that’s accurate because if I don’t get more Aaron & Rosemary, I might have to riot.

**There’s some slight romantic vibes between one of our siblings and a side character (no spoilers!), but it’s slight enough that it barely registers, in my opinion.

I loved Laura Anne Gilman's previous series, The Devil's West trilogy, and was so excited to get my hands on the first of her new Uncanny Times, the first book in her new Huntsmen series. Much like the former series, this one takes a bizarre alternate version of the United States and infuses it with the perfect amounts of menace and strangeness. Aaron and Rosemary Harker are siblings and members of the order known as the Huntsmen, a group of monster hunters.

I think one of the strongest skills of Laura Anne Gilman is how she writes the dialogue and relationships between her characters. Isobel and Gabriel's dialogue was my favorite part of the Devil's West trilogy and in this new series Gilman nails the relationship of the two main character siblings. Rosemary and Aaron are wonderful characters and I enjoyed reading both of them emmensely. I look forward to the next opportunity to do so.

Gilman is also an expert at weaving her stories into their settings and making them come alive. The Devil's West felt like a real lived place and the America of the Hunstmen is no different. Change is brewing for the world and Gilman makes the stress and insecurity that comes with those kinds of changes palpable in the background of her story. However it's also a shadowy and mysterious world with monsters lurking in the shadows and Gilman also plots and uses those spaces to great effect.

Uncanny Times is the start of an exciting new series by Laura Anne Gilman.

In 1913 New England, Rosemary and Aaron Harker are Huntsmen who keep the populous safe from the Uncanny. Part detective, part weapons expert, part actor, the siblings and their dog, Bother, travel to upstate New York to investigate a potentially uncanny death.

I love a good historical supernatural detective story and was excited for this one from one of my favorite authors, Laura Anne Gilman. Rosemary and Aaron are experts in their field but are still in over their heads, both when dealing with the myriad of uncanny, and with the furtive residents of this seemingly idyllic town. While they investigate, even greater uncanny events are hinted at in the wider world: friends' disappearances in Europe, crumbling treaties with the Fae, and questions involving their absent parents.

I'm looking forward to Rosemary and Aaron's further uncanny adventures.

Thanks to Gallery / Saga Press and NetGalley for providing a review copy.

Do you really like Supernatural but with that it came with more respect for female characters and a cool historical fiction setting? If so then this is the series for you. Uncanny Times sets up a world where Huntsmen pursue the Uncanny against the backdrop of pre-WWI era New England. As this book begins, siblings Rosemary and Aaron Harker are summoned to investigate the death of a distant relative. The mystery of what killed him is set nicely amidst the workings of a New England town full of local color--including growing tensions between industrial investors and labor advocates.

Uncanny Times is an engaging entry into a new historical fiction supernatural series. I loved Rosemary and Aaron; they are both realistically flawed characters, and there were enough hints dropped about each of their personalities that I know there will be plenty to explore in later books. I was especially interested to see Rosemary as the elder sibling. Historical settings like this almost always give us an older brother taking care of his younger sister, so the dynamic of the older sister paired with the younger brother (who is still more generally respected as the man of the pair), feels fresh and puts the two characters on more equal footing. Along those same lines, the book is conscious of class and gender conventions of the early 1900s but in what feels like a more realistic fashion to many other books I've read. People are treated like people, not caricatures of old timey sexism.

This story is a complete and satisfying mystery, but one of the most exciting part of the book is how it sets up the world and lays the ground for future stories. There is a lot going on behind the scenes and I'm looking forward to seeing what Rosemary and Aaron deal with next.