The Fisherman

The Fisherman wraps a horror tale within a horror tale. What occurred in the past comes full circle to intrude into the present day. This story is definitely within the Lovecraftian horror genre where horrible monstrous things in another realm are separated from this realm by only the thinnest of veils and those with forbidden knowledge may seek to open a doorway into that other realm. In the past such a doorway was opened in a village work camp that was covered over and buried long ago under a reservoir of water formed from the work camp's dam project. It's a place where horrors occurred after a visiting stranger moved into the valley near the work camp and began doing strange things with ropes along the soon to be dammed river. In present day the path to the other side can be found by following a hard-to-find obscure stream in the Catskill mountains sourced from the reservoir. Fishermen who seek out this hidden stream are liable to find more than fish and possibly a fate worse than death. But the story doesn't just deal with horror but with the heartbreak of personal loss and how the main characters attempt to cope with that loss. Langan spins an intricate, well-told creepy tale.