The Fisherman is a truly excellent and terrifying example of cosmic horror. With the desperation of grief as the focal point of all horrible actions in this novel, Langan maintains believability. This believability is an incredible feat for a novel smattered with otherworldly, eldritch imagery. The Fisherman is also perfectly paced; Langan builds dread consistently as he slow-drips in just enough sinister detail to keep a reader's interest piqued.

The Fisherman is genuinely so unforgettable and dreadful. And somehow, this story of epic proportions almost reads like a memoir. Abe is both a convincing and likable narrator. The fable-like story he and Dan hear from Howard at the diner could be an incredible, standalone tale. Instead, it serves as a background for Abe's own disturbing experience to come at Dutchman's Creek. It can't be easy to intertwine two separate tales of cosmic horror together so seamlessly, but somehow Langan manages to do so. And skillfully, at that.