The Old Man's Request: Book One of the Utgarda Trilogy

The Old Man's Request is the first book in the Utgarda series by Joab Stieglitz. Released 3rd Nov. 2018, it's 113 pages and available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. The author is an experienced gamer and it shows in the narrative. This is a very plot driven horror novel set in a very Lovecraftian/pulp type universe.

It's a group mission plot with several specialist adventurers and lots of encounters with nasty supernatural creatures and malign human agents. The author has a deft touch with atmospheric horror and there are a number of well done jump scares scattered throughout the book (not easy to do on the written page).

There are some rough spots with the dialogue, it's stiff in some places, but not egregiously so. The plotting is uneven, but again, not substantially and doesn't destroy the flow of the book. It reminded me in a lot of ways of my old regular tabletop gaming group. For readers who enjoy that gamer 'vibe' this book will likely be a hit.

It is horror and there's a fair bit of graphic violence, along with demonic/infernal content. For readers who are sensitive to the subject matter, blood, gore, etc, it might be a tough read.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.