The Faceless One by Mark Onspaugh
Reviewed by: Julie Nutt, Reference Assistant
Genre: Horror, Dark Fantasy
Suggested age: Adult
What is this book about? In the frigid darkness of Alaska, The Faceless One, a god of pain and suffering, lies in wait to be released from its icy tomb and take hold of a human host. Jimmy Kalmaku, who trained to be shaman as a young boy under his powerful uncle, now sits lonely and seemingly forgotten in a retirement home, skeptical of the myths and traditions he grew up believing, including that of The Faceless One. Once the malevolent entity is released, it begins its path of death and destruction – a path that only Jimmy and a chain of unsuspecting citizens will be able to stop before the Final Winter descends upon the world.
My review: The Faceless One is not for the faint of heart. The writing holds true to all five elements of horror: suspense, fear, violence, gore, and the supernatural. The demon known as The Faceless One (or T’Nathluk to the Tlingit people of Alaska), exacts sickening punishments on the mortals in its murderous path, and the author spares no details. And as for sparing no details, it’s not all blood and gore; the vivid descriptions of dream sequences and supernatural visions make it seem like you are staring right at the aurora borealis. The characters are relatable and well-developed, from grief-stricken families to hardened detectives. I rooted for the lead protagonist, Jimmy, to revisit his Tlingit traditions and rise up to become the shaman that his uncle trained him to be.
There are always conflicting opinions on books-turned-movies, but I feel like this one would be a success due to recent awareness surrounding the work of indigenous actors and stories, as well as the explosive action and luminous supernatural visions.
I read this eBook using the Axis 360 digital collection.
Three words that describe this book: graphic, terrifying, vivid
Give this a try if you like… supernatural horror; TV series Dark Winds or the Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman; indigenous spiritual traditions
Rating: 5/5
