The Fisherman is a nightmarish wonder – part occult horror, part folktale and part cosmic terror. What could have been a slow start in less talented hands – building character and providing a wealth of background – was expertly weaved with foreshadowing that effectively bulldozed any thoughts that this might be a gentle read.

Abe is a believable and sympathetic, if sometimes self-destructive, main character. As a widower, fishing becomes his lifeline (pun intended) and he is eager to share its solace after Dan, a work colleague, loses his wife and sons in a terrible accident.

Although he is suspicious of Dan’s obvious lie about how he learned of Dutchman’s Creek, and discomfited by the tall tale recounted by a café owner, Abe brushes his doubts aside and follows his friend to the raging black waters. He catches the strangest fish he has ever seen before hurtling into a mind-bending, life-changing, chaotic hellscape – a nightmare from which he will never truly awake.

The rave reviews are well deserved. Langan’s novel is a true masterpiece of horror fiction.