The Resurrectionists

I would have read this novella just because of the author, whom I admire; but the combination of history plus the Lovecraft Cosmos (a century prior to Lovecraft's own advent) made the story all the more delectable, as did the plot thread of overcoming injustice, bigotry, racism, and sexism.

A decade after the bloody American Revolution, a freed former slave, Salem Hawley, is inadvertently involved in trying to stop nefarious body-snatching in the blacks' cemetery, from which corpses are removed for anatomical studies (much as the notorious Burke and Hare in Edinburgh). The resurrectionists are not the sole issue at hand; a small group of megalomaniacal physicians at New York Hospital have seen Cosmic Truth on the battlefield. The infamous Al Azif in hand, the intent is to bring the Old Ones into our dimension, and let our world burn.

I love when a book is both eerie and creepy and you're terrified to sleep with the light off.
This is one of those book, an engaging and very good novella.
I look forward to reading a novel by this author as this was very good.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Resurrectionists takes place during the time where the illegal practice of body snatching for medical schools was rampant. Salem Hawley, a free man after winning his emancipation for fighting on the side of the colonies during the American Revolution, is now fighting in another war after his friend's family graves fell victims to the criminal gang - the resurrectionists. He vows to find the perpetrators but unbeknownst to him, Hawley is about to stumble upon something malevolent and sinister that may endangers his life.

This is one engaging read right from the first page! It is a well-written novella - from the intriguing plot to the storytelling. Historical fiction blends with cosmic horror makes one unique plot. I liked how Hicks puts a twist to the New York Doctor's Riot 1788. It is brilliant and creative! For a novella, you usually don’t find much depth in the characters but this is not so in this case. I find the characters are pretty well developed - just enough for this novella and enough to entice you to read the next book in this series. I find Salem Hawley character is endearing and I am rooting for him right from the beginning. It is also interesting to know that there are two characters which are based on real historical figures (although not an accurate depiction) - Dr. Richard Bayley and John Hicks Jr.

In a nutshell, this is one intense and eerie read! I am thrilled that this book is part of a series and it did compel me to pick up the next book in this series. I really enjoyed the plot and am curious to see how the whole story pans out in the series. But I am not sure if I could stomach the gory, bloody (oh so much blood!) part of the story. Yes, this book is not for the weak stomach!

***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from High Fever Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***

I’m going to get right to the point: I had a BLAST (the capitals should further reiterate my point) reading this book. I feel like my reading pace, as of recent days, has been akin to trudging through knee-high mud. It’s been painfully slow, frustrating, and I was in danger of expiring before making real progress. Then I happened upon this jewel of a novella; I was reminded that reading doesn’t have to be a much-dreaded chore. I was so completely immersed from the start – it didn’t hesitate to plunge right into the nauseating particulars of body snatching and desecration of the dead. Scenes were graphic and often extreme, in the sense that it married sexual arousal and violence. It wasn’t pretty, but it was seriously addictive. The fact that a lot of attention fell upon the villains and their own ambitions also interested me on a deeper level. They were despicable, yes, but no matter how terrible their work, my curiosity wanted them to succeed. That’s the thing about this sub-genre: I so desperately want the monsters to cause havoc. All hail the tentacles!

Salem Hawley was the likeable sort, and I feel I was properly introduced to his character despite the short length. His experiences honed in on the persecution the black community had to endure – unlicensed exhumations going ignored by society – and so I felt invested in his struggles to make change. To be frank, the ill-treatment was heartbreaking, packing that extra punch due to the realness it represented. I applaud the level of emotion that was found in the writing and conveyed through Salem’s own anger. In that way, he was a genuine person, and I can’t wait to read more of him; to see his development and how he overcomes the bane of the knowledge he acquired.

The portrayal of the 1788 Doctors’ Riot of New York City was tremendously compelling with its blending of historic events and aspects of a more cosmic nature. In all honesty, I can take or leave historical fiction. It’s not something I actively seek out, but if I find myself reading it, I can appreciate the author igniting an interest that motivates me to research the topic. Did you know that Richard Bayley and John Hicks were real people? Obviously their depiction here is not accurate, but one hell of a spin was put into their story. I think I like this version better.

In conclusion: I’m so thrilled that The Resurrectionists is the beginning of a series, as I got the distinct impression Salem’s journey was far from over. This novella captivated me from the get-go, introducing me to an array of characters that were fascinating in their own right. The last chapters held a special kind of mayhem, and I was in my element throughout.

I for one sometimes get tired of books being compared to movies. I hate the pigeon-holing that can occur from a comparison and an immediate image that we all generate. As an example – if I told you a horror book I was reading reminded me of a comedy movie, you’d be thrown, confused and not sure what to think. If I said a horror book reminded me of a horror movie, if you hated that movie, then you might not give the book a chance, right?

Well – at the end of last week, I found myself doing just that over on Twitter. People either saw I was reading this on Goodreads or they themselves tweeted that they wanted to read it and I chimed in.

So to go straight to the guts of what I said – this book is like watching a mashup of the following movies; Gangs of New York and Sweeney Todd (no singing!) Throw in Lovecraftian themes with a medical-gallows narrative running throughout and you have a somewhat good starting point.

Hicks also throws in social themes, based off when the story is set, and he has another winner on his hands.
Lately, I focused more on what the book brought to, minimizing the synopsis a bit, simply because you all can go read the synopsis on Goodreads, or if you’re reading this on Kendall Reviews you can scroll below this review and it’ll be there.

But there’s a few plot points I’d love to expand upon a bit here.

The story follows two distinct narratives. The first is the physician’s side. Bodies are being stolen from graves, predominantly from the African-American cemeteries. On the surface it appears to be more of the same and continued poor treatment of that group of people. Underneath though, we learn of horrible experiments being conducted – a book being used to try and open a door. Hicks does Lovecraft and cosmic horror better than most here. The battle field scenes were astounding and you’ll find yourself smelling gunpowder and hearing injured men crying for help.

The other part of the story follows our main character – Salem Hawley. Salem is a free man now, and once he finds out about these grave robberies takes it upon himself to bring some attention to it. Soon though he is pulled into something far deeper than he imagined.

If you follow Hicks on any of his social media’s he is very vocal about the state of the world currently and posts/tweets frequently about social injustices and I enjoyed seeing this come through in the character Salem. Not much back story is given about Hawley, but we don’t need it. The way he moves and reacts and cares is enough for us to see the lifeblood Hicks has poured into this character through his words.

I chuckled at the beginning when Hicks included a character with the last name Hicks (Jr too be accurate). ‘Here we go,’ I chuckled, the author pulling a Stephen King movie cameo. But that was my ignorance to the real life story that this book was based off of, and I was glad to see Michael lay out the story (with links) and the liberties he took in the afterword.

I said it before on Twitter, but this was one of the few times I went into a book knowing it’s a part of a trilogy and was happy it was. Usually I struggle with some of those titles because I know not everything will be wrapped up, but in this case it works really well. The main part is wrapped up and Hicks gives us Hawley’s next direction, which I can’t wait for.

5/5 stars for a stunning blend of medical thriller/cosmic horror and grim-filled gutter violence. A must read!
**Please note this review will be featured on Kendall Reviews and when it is Goodreads/Book Bub and Amazon will updated accordingly!**

Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis

Having won his emancipation after fighting on the side of the colonies during the American Revolution, Salem Hawley is a free man. Only a handful of years after the end of British rule, Hawley finds himself drawn into a new war unlike anything he has ever seen.

New York City is on the cusp of a new revolution as the science of medicine advances, but procuring bodies for study is still illegal. Bands of resurrectionists are stealing corpses from New York cemeteries, and women of the night are disappearing from the streets, only to meet grisly ends elsewhere.

After a friend’s family is robbed from their graves, Hawley is compelled to fight back against the wave of exhumations plaguing the Black cemetery. Little does he know, the theft of bodies is key to far darker arts being performed by the resurrectionists. If successful, the work of these occultists could spell the end of the fledgling American Experiment… and the world itself.

The Resurrectionists, the first book in the Salem Hawley series, is a novella of historical cosmic horror from the author of Broken Shells and Mass Hysteria

Review

Thanks to the author for an advanced reading copy of The Resurrectionists (The Salem Hawley Series, Book 1) in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this eARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novella.

THAT KEALAN PATRICK BURKE COVER, THOUGH

Not since Victor LaValle’s The Ballad of Black Tom have I been so intrigued by a Lovecraftian inspired novella, though the shock and awe presented in Hick’s work is truly captivating.

The character of Salem Hawley is one you can truly stand behind as he fights for the betterment of his fellow Black Man, though to say he simply falls into a greater conspiracy is putting it lightly. Something otherworldly has awakened and it’ll take more than pikes and shovels to force it back from whence it came.

The only downside I can be a little nitpicky over is that I felt like it ended abruptly. Even knowing that it is apart of something greater, I felt too wound up for it to be over. Having said that, I do like how Hick’s builds up for the coming sequels and the author notes give us a glimpse into his inspiration.

All in all, a very enjoyable read for fans of Hick’s work and for those who enjoy Lovecraftian/Cosmic horror.

*An ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion.*

I came to this looking for a good old-fashioned horror story and I was not disappointed, although somewhere in the middle of the carnage and viscera I did wonder why I do this to myself. I really liked the character of Salem Hawley and wish there had been more of him. I suppose something needed to be saved for the future of the series. I also appreciated the utilization of a somewhat underrepresented time-period (post-Revolution, pre-Civil War), and the usage of the events leading to the New York Doctors' Riots of 1788 as a backdrop. I understand why this is considered "Lovecraftian" but I would recommend this to those who like their cosmic horror a little less cerebral and a lot more somatic. Congrats, Mr. Hicks. I was totally grossed out.

The Resurrectionists was a deliciously dark and tortuously good rollercoaster ride of cosmic horror. I’m so glad to see that it’s the first in a series as Mr Hawley’s work clearly isn’t through and I am already eager to read more of his adventures.

Salem Hawley is a former slave living in late 18th century America and recently having earned his freedom, fast learns that being a free man just means you don’t know from which way the oppression or beatings will come

The underlying theme of this novella is the strong sense of community that the recently freed slaves have and how, on some level, they each depend on one another to get by. Whether it’s writing a letter for those too illiterate to do so for themselves or taking up arms against those oppressing one of their fellow ex-brothers in chains.

The Resurrectionists focuses on those in the medic profession who unearth bodies to use in their experiments. Not simply experiments to further the human understanding of medicine. As cruel as stealing bodies is, that would be a noble and forgivable reason compared to the actual reason … desecration in the name of calling forth cosmic gods of darkness to our mortal plane.

In the opening line of this review I said that it was ‘tortuously good’. That wasn’t just a pretty tagline or play on words. That’s a genuine clue as to what to expect. If you don’t like reading of torture in extravagant detail then this book most certainly is not for you. You pretty much get hit in the face with a vast array of human suffering right from the get go.

Also, if racism (the N-word in various forms gets thrown out quite a lot, as do senseless beatings) then do yourself a favour and do not read this as you’ll only give the author a poor review score, which he genuinely does not deserve.

The Resurrectionists is a fantastic novella-sized offering of the dark and sadisticness of human nature from a time that is thankfully long in the past. The novella is set in 1788 and, as such, the Doctor’s Riot focuses heavily in this piece. The author did take a few liberties, as any good historical fiction author is want to do (after all, history doesn’t always happen in such a way that accommodates the sudden appearance of cosmic gods of darkness), but does so in such a way that does not detract from the story and his liberties blend in seamlessly.

Salem is now a free man after fighting for the colonies to free this new land from original tyranny, only to find another war here at his home after one of his good friends wife's and baby's graves was robbed. They claim they rob graves to further medicine, but some go to far, the Resurrectionist, doing things that might wipe out the new colonies and possible the world if they are not stopped for they know not what they are doing.

This is another wonderful book by author Michael Patrick Hicks, I really like his style of horror. This book was a bit different since it was set so far back in time but it worked so well, it made it so interesting. Hicks has a way of painting the whole picture for you in detail but at the same time not being wordy, he makes me feel as though I am really there seeing everything in full gruesome color. I love his characters and I can not wait to see what happens with Salem in the future.


this will appear on my blog on 6-4-2019

4.5/5 stars! Grave robbers! Murder! Lovecraftian cosmic horror!

TL;DR - Surprisingly rich world building for only 150 pgs. Vivid, gory details while still somehow remaining tasteful? I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. I cared about the good guys and loathed the bad guys. I appreciated that this book, although written by a white man, pays a lot of attention the historical black experience in early America. The black characters in this book were complex, neither purely good nor bad, but REAL. Also, the saviors were black men. There was no "white savior," pretty refreshing tbh.

Set in post-revolutionary New York City, medical science is in the midst on revolution. Cadaver dissection is illegal, but how are doctors supposed to learn about the human body if they can never see inside one? Resurrection Men were hired by doctors to steal bodies of the recently deceased from their graves to be used to dissection. Shady, but ultimately necessary right?

During this time, the majority of the black population in the newly formed United States were still enslaved and those that were free were hardly considered to be people by most white men. Because of this, the cemeteries for people of color were robbed more than that of whites.

Also common was prostitution and these women would often go missing with no one who "mattered" caring to look for them. They disappeared and were gone forever. Murder as a method of procuring bodies for anatomists is not fiction, it actually happened (search Burke and Hare). The author runs with this idea with an even more horrific twist! Doctors murdering people to try and bring forth the elder gods to our plane of existence!

Our protagonist, Salem, is a recently free black man that fought on the colonial side of the revolutionary war and earned his freedom because of it. Being one of the few literature people in his community, he is roped in fighting for the rights of those buried at the black cemeteries and their families. Sometimes, the necessary thing feels very wrong and Salem finds himself doing some unholy things in an attempt to prompt a law banning the stealing of bodies.

Without giving away too much, Salem gets into trouble with the cultist doctors and chaos ensues! It ends in a total cliffhanger and I think I must read the next installment to see what happens next.

*I received an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my fair, unbiased review.*

Hicks's writing is as always top notch. No matter what he writes his novels are enjoyable to consume. Dark, grotesque, much visual horror in this historical novel. Excited about the next book of the series, as the story ends with a few surprises!

Is historical sci-fi horror a genre? It should be. And The Resurrectionists by Michael Patrick Hicks is the perfect example of said genre. It’s a fast read, but every page is packed with detail and descriptions that will linger long after the book is closed. The concept of the book is horrifying, as all good stories are. The gore is used to perfect effect and is extremely well-written. I’m very excited to see where this series goes in the future.

I received a free e-copy of The Resurrectionists by Michael Patrick Hicks from Net Galley and High Fever Books in exchange for my review.

As a visually-centered person, my favorite writers are those that are able to create vivid pictures in my mind of the places, people and events that they describe. In that, "The Resurrectionists" by Michael Patrick Hicks succeeds wonderfully.
The opening chapter has a strong visual punch that carries through to the end of the novel. The images called are not always pleasant, but they are vivid and dramatic. A lot of horror writers would stop there, making their stories simple one-note gorefests, but Hicks ties his talent for description to a strong narrative sense with the result that the messy bits have a reason to exist and serve the purposes of the story.
"The Resurrectionists" functions as much as historical fiction as it does horror, so that political realities meet metaphysical possibilities. It imagines a historical truth in the context of the well-known Lovecraft Mythos without invoking the notes that generally make such writing pastiche. It's a fresh take in the subgenre with clear nods to the work of the gentleman of Providence (and what appears to be at least one strong nod to King's Dark Tower series). Hicks's violence is at times poetic and he has a talent for description of the monstrous to rival that of Clive Barker.
This is the kind of book that hooks the reader early, demands attentive reading and rewards with a satisfying experience and a promise of more to come. It adds Michael Patrick Hicks to my personal list of authors to watch for.

Short and fast paced, THE RESURRECTIONISISTS delivers!

Salem Hawley is a free black man ever since helping the Colonies fight against the British. Now he is helping Americans battle against creatures of the cosmos. Doctors are trading in flesh, not only to further their science but to triumph in their nefarious efforts to bring forth these aforementioned creatures. Do any of Salem's actions make his make life as a black man at that time any easier? No, no they do not. Will he be able to help his fellow citizens fight an enemy most have never seen? If he does, will he survive the fight? You'll have to read this to find out!

There's a lot going on here for such a short novel. Clashing personalities, clashing cultures, a city in fear, cosmic frights and real life ones as well. Somehow, the personality of Hawley stands out as a shining example of good and hope, while most of the doctors come off as exactly the opposite. It amazed me how well these characters were drawn, considering how much page time they each were given.

I definitely recommend this book. I had previously sworn off books that are part of an unfinished series, however, I couldn't help but give in to this one-just look at the cover and you'll know why.

Recommended! (I can't wait for the next book!)

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

A thoroughly entertaining mix of history, politics and good old-fashioned Lovecraftian cosmic horror. ‘The Resurrectionists’ is a great, slightly pulpy read. It’s incredibly gory and wildly violent, but also rich in atmosphere and historical detail. Hawley is a good protagonist, determined, principled and relatable; but it’s the thoroughly evil villains that steal the show. Lots of fun and I’m looking forward to the next book.

This story is set in the early part of the 20th century in New York and involves graverobbers who get up to no good and desecrate graves for bodies for medical experiments, but also target the downtrodden, shall we say, for their live experiments, which go into explicit and gruesome detail. Not for the faint of heart indeed.

Our protagonist, Salem, is a free person of colour who tries to stop one of these grave desecrations when it targets someone he knows, but it ends in a vicious and bloody encounter.

Exploring the point of view of one of the villainous characters was an interesting choice, and one I felt allowed the reader to experience all of the gory details up close.

The plot built to a dynamic crescendo of events that kept escalating; in the interest of avoiding spoilers, I will stop there, but suffice it to say, Salem's journey was a compelling and nerve-wracking experience to read through.

Of additional note, the author's Afterword provides a fascinating glimpse into the history that inspired his work, and for those interested, there will be a sequel, it appears. I also wanted to call attention to the stunning cover art by Kealan Patrick Burke, a talented author and graphic artist in his own right.

Overall, I felt this very well-written book was an incredibly compelling read, and in spite of making me squirm at quite a few spots with the body horror, I enjoyed it and found it to be a gripping page-turner.