In my humble opinion, T. Kingfisher is producing gothic horror and fantasy in a class that includes Caitlin Starling and C. J. Cooke. I eagerly approach each of her novels with a level of expectation that is extremely high, and she never disappoints. That said, WOLF WORM may be her most chilling creation yet.

In the Author’s Note, Kingfisher points out that in 1899 North Carolina, its citizens refer to the Lumbee people as “Croatan.” The name should stir the excitement of history buffs who can equate it to a similar term found carved in a tree at the site of the lost civilization of Roanoke. Kingfisher does not go into this at all and simply uses the story about the Lumbee as part of the horror that may exist in the woods surrounding the North Carolina manor house where much of the novel is set.

"WOLF WORM is gothic horror at its finest, featuring terrifying bouts of fear and suspense that keep the pages turning at a furious rate. It raises the bar on what T. Kingfisher has imagined thus far..."

Sonia Wilson is a scientific illustrator who has taken on a private assignment working for the reclusive and eccentric Dr. Halder, who is obsessed with insect life and is putting together a master work on it where Sonia’s illustrations will reside. Sonia will stay at Halder’s manor house, which is managed by a limited staff that includes Mrs. Kent --- the housekeeper, cook and all-around conscience of the area --- along with her husband, Jackson, who does physical work around the property. There are also visits from a local healer, Ma Kersey, as well as the extremely odd and fanatically religious Mr. Phelps, who does side jobs for Halder and firmly believes that devils are living in the woods.

There are ominous rumors about Sonia’s predecessors and the supposed fate that befell them when they disappeared. Sonia starts off with illustrations of various insects of which Halder seems to approve. She continues to work on her own, trying to untangle his frustrating order system for his collection, and begins to grow curious as she moves into the territory of rare and dangerous insects with which she is not familiar. Among them is the wolf worm, which bores into flesh and takes over. It causes all sorts of damage and has been linked to a number of supernatural abilities.

Many different animal species, such as deer, possums and raccoons, start acting out of character and appear to be wildly rabid. Sonia wonders how this may relate to the work that Halder is doing. He is obsessed with parasitic insects that work in a necrotic way, breaking down the body of whatever they choose to attack. When some of Mrs. Kent’s prize chickens go missing, Sonia wonders if Halder is having Phelps take them to him for experimentation.

This brings me to the most important place in the novel --- the small shed on the property. Phelps tells Sonia never to enter it as it is full of gunpowder and is quite dangerous. With a warning like that, how can a person not become curious? Of course, Sonia makes her way into the shed. What she finds defies her imagination and answers some questions about Halder and the recent history of the people who have visited or worked at his manor. I will keep the revelation that Sonia uncovers a secret, but I will say that it is extremely horrific and brilliantly conceived by Kingfisher. Sonia will be in for the fight of her life after discovering a horror unlike anything anyone could have warned her about.

WOLF WORM is gothic horror at its finest, featuring terrifying bouts of fear and suspense that keep the pages turning at a furious rate. It raises the bar on what T. Kingfisher has imagined thus far, and I cannot wait to see how she responds with her next work.