Synopsis:
The year is 1899 and Sonia Wilson is a scientific illustrator without work, prospects, or hope. When the reclusive Dr. Halder offers her a position illustrating his vast collection of insects, Sonia jumps at the chance to move to his North Carolina manor house and put her talents to use. But soon enough she finds that there are darker things at work than the Carolina woods. What happened to her predecessor, Halder’s wife? Why are animals acting so strangely, and what is behind the peculiar local whispers about “blood thiefs?”
With the aid of the housekeeper and a local healer, Sonia discovers that Halder’s entomological studies have taken him down a dark road full of parasitic maggots that burrow into human flesh, and that his monstrous experiments may grow to encompass his newest illustrator as well.
Review:
The day after I started Wolf Worm, a friend, who had seen my status update on Goodreads, asked me about the book. I told her that it was my first T. Kingfisher book and the look on her face told me all I needed to know. It was the same look I’ve given people when I was jealous that they were reading a book or an author for the first time. That look that said, “I wish I was in your shoes.” After reading Wolf Worm, the latest from T. Kingfisher, I can confidently say I’ll be diving into more of her work this year and the future.
Just before the turn of the century in rural North Carolina, Sonia Wilson takes a job as an illustrator, capturing the images of insects for a reclusive and mysterious Dr. Halder. As a history teacher, I fell into the time period immediately and could feel the care that Kingfisher put into researching and putting the post-Civil War South into this gothic horror tale. I don’t typically go for a lot of horror stories, but this one worked for me on many levels.
Side note: I wrote a novella called Ant Apocalypse in 2013 that featured zombie ants and even writing and then listening to the subsequent audiobook creeped me out — and that was my own writing. This book had some very similar themes, particularly towards the end. There were more than a few creepy-crawly shudders as I listened to Mary Robinette Kowal’s excellent audio narration.
As we go through Wolf Worm, T. Kingfisher introduces us to a complicated, but mixed race society of the American South a couple decades after Reconstruction and the role that religion plays into the lives of our characters as well. Ultimately, that’s all set dressing for the very clinical scientific story that plays out as Sonia works, mainly on her own, but occasionally with her employer to examine (in exquisite detail) the insects that Dr. Halder is studying.
In the end, there were a few unexpected twists as the story ramps up. We learn more of Halder’s backstory, including details of who preceded Sonia in her position and what happened to Halder’s wife. By the time the story reaches its pinnacle, I was more than a little anxious and it took a lot to not bump up the speed on the audiobook.
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher is a fascinating historical gothic novel that explores the dangers when scientific exploration goes too far and crosses too many ethical boundaries. Even as I felt extremely uncomfortable at times, I couldn’t help pushing forward, desperate to find out what was happening in those spooky Carolina woods.
Thank you to Tor Nightfire for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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