Book Review: “The Hobgoblin of Little Minds” by Mark Matthews

Published by Wicked Run Press

This book will be released January 28th, 2021.

Werewolf fans rejoice! Mark Matthews is hooking us up!

Before I get started, Vincent Chong should probably get a standing ovation for that cover art. Mark must've owed him a huge favor or something. Onward...

One bit of writer advice that I've always thought was particularly critical is, "Write the book that only you can write." As a professional in the behavioral health industry, AND a horror writer, this is a book that only Mark Matthews could have written. Matthews's knowledge of mental health and treatments really adds a layer of authenticity to the story. The story is also unquestionably original. I've read many werewolf novels in my time (which reminds me, everyone should go read Michael Cadnum's Saint Peter's Wolf), and this may be the most inventive in terms of subverting werewolf tropes. Matthews has outdone himself on that front.

So what didn't work? I was invested 100% in the plot intellectually, but not emotionally. I wonder how this could've been repaired, because the protagonist was surely an empathetic one. Maybe more bonding scenes between the protagonist and her father? I don't know and truthfully this feeling surprised me, because I consider Matthews's novella, Body of Christ, to be nearly perfect in this regard. 

Overall, I'd recommend this to werewolf fans wanting a new twist on werewolf mythology. For everyone else, Body of Christ compels you...

Grade: C

Review by Jason Cavallaro

jcavallaro42@gmail.com

Twitter: @pinheadspawn

I received a copy of the book from the author for review consideration.