Uncanny Times by Laura Anne Gilman review: Slow but intriguing
If you’re interested in supernatural stories, Uncanny Times by Laura Anne Gilman is a book to check out. Here’s my honest review for the first novel in The Huntsmen series.
Disclaimer: I was sent a free copy of Uncanny Times by Laura Anne Gilman via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
There are some great supernatural books out there. If you’re a fan of TV shows of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural, you’ll want to check out the first in The Huntsmen series. While it is a little slow to get started, it’s one of those that certainly sets up an intriguing premise for future books.
This is not Gilman’s first novel overall, though. In fact, one of the seasons why it has a Buffy feel is because she’s written some of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer books. It’s clear she knows how to build worlds, and that’s what makes this first novel so intriguing.
What is Uncanny Times by Laura Anne Gilman about?
The story follows Aaron and Rosemary Harker. The siblings hunt down the Uncanny, the mystical and supernatural. People don’t like Huntsmen, but there is a place for them in the world.
When they learn their uncle has died suddenly, they head out to see what actually happened. They hadn’t spoken to their uncle in years, so the only reason to reach out to them before his death would be because something Uncanny was involved.
The novel is set in 1913 America, with the country on the verge of war. It certainly helps to set some of the tone for the events the Harker siblings will experience.
Uncanny Times book review
The novel itself takes some time to get into the meat of the story. THis is the first in a series, which means world building is necessary. We get to know the Harkers and the world of Huntsmen in the opening chapters.
It’s only around the final 30% or so that this really picks up. It did take me some time to get to this part of the story. Once I got there, I couldn’t put it down, but it wasn’t the most pressing book on my digital shelf to read up to that point, I’m sad to say.
The ending was resolved a little too quickly considering the slow burn up to this point. I would have preferred some of it pulled earlier in the book so that we could have gone on a bigger journey with the Harker siblings.
The siblings themselves were well written and development. I got a sense for both of their personalities when it comes to hunting and life in general. Something that I greatly appreciated was the lack of romance. Don’t get me wrong; I like to ship characters now and then. However, I read this for the mystical aspects of the story, and I wasn’t disappointed in having to deal with a romance at the same time.
While it was slow to start, I’m still intrigued to read more stories of the Harker siblings. I’m here for future books in the series.
Stars: 3.5 out of 5.
Next. Only Child by Casey Kelleher review. dark
What did you think of Uncanny Times by Laura Anne Gilman? Share in the comments below.