BOOK REVIEW: BISHOP BY CANDACE NOLA

2/8/2022

a quickly-paced adventure thriller and a creature-feature with echoes of Stephen King’s Cycle of the Werewolf: a fun, fast read that keeps the reader turning the pages until the very end.

Bishop by Candace Nola

Narrator: Jamison Walker
3 hours and 44 minutes
Audible.co.uk Release Date: 13 July 2022
Publisher: Uncomfortably Dark Horror

A Book Review by Rebecca Rowland

Bishop is an outcast, the lone wolf residing deep in the forests of Alaska whose name is only spoken of in hushed warnings. When a mother and daughter disappear during their treacherous hike through those same forests, their closest relative Troy travels to the nearest ranger station to assist in the search and rescue, but when the weather takes a turn for the worse, it seems only one man can help locate the women in time: Bishop. However, the man shrouded in mystery has a secret no one could have anticipated, and it comes with both power…and danger. Troy teams with Bishop in a race to find his sister and niece, but there is something much deadlier than the Alaskan wilderness stalking all of them, and not everyone will make it out of this expedition alive.

Candace Nola’s novella Bishop vacillates between the stranded hikers and the search team, and while the scenes depicting the dangers inherent in traversing the harsh winter terrain are harrowing enough, the chapters featuring the monster are the ones that really bring the chills: “Her left hand began creeping along the ledge for the lighter she left there after lighting the stove. Touching cold plastic, she grasped it and flicked the button. The small flame exploded to life, and she screamed in terror, dropping the lighter. The monster was crouched over her, its decaying visage staring right into her eyes, dragging bony clawed hands down the walls on each side of her. Needle-sharp teeth dripping with gore filled its grinning mouth as it began to cackle and screech in a hideous raspy voice” and the creature’s predatory assault begins. As a whole, the book is both a quickly-paced adventure thriller and a creature-feature with echoes of Stephen King’s Cycle of the Werewolf: a fun, fast read that keeps the reader turning the pages until the very end.

The horror reading community seems to be split on the usefulness of audiobooks. Some claim they cannot properly achieve what an author strives to create because the words are reinterpreted through the narrator. However, if the narrator understands what the author is creating and communicates it properly, an audiobook can enhance the reader’s enjoyment of a story. While it was already available in print and eBook, Splatterpunk Award-nominee Nola recently released an audiobook version of her novella Bishop, and Jamison Walker’s elevates the narration of it to a level on par with a radio play. His voice practically sizzles through the speakers when he voices the creature’s ominous taunts, evoking the monstrosity Nola constructs for her villain in lines like “There isssss no God here” with gravelly whispers.

I first met Bishop when I acquired Nola’s book in print in the late spring; I was able to reacquaint myself with him by listening to the audio version this summer. While I rarely make this claim about a character, I must say: I would enjoy seeing a sequel. Bishop is a fascinating, well-developed antihero on par with other “monsters fighting monsters” such as Marv Wolfman’s day-walking vampire Blade. Nola has given him a proper backstory and established him as a force to be reckoned with; I’m excited to see what terrors lurking in the darkness he’ll take on next.

Caught between an ancient evil and a man with nothing to lose, a young girl's fate hangs in the balance."

Erin Rogers and her daughter Casey have been missing in the Alaskan wilderness for five days. Troy Spencer is determined to find his sister and niece at any cost. Once there, a local tells Troy about a loner, Bishop, a man shrouded in secrets, who may be his only hope.

As Troy sets out to find the mysterious Bishop, Casey is lost in the woods, alone and frightened, seeking help for her gravely injured mother. But she is not alone, something ancient stalks these forested trails, something evil that hungers for fresh blood.

The trio soon finds themselves caught in a struggle against time as an ancient rivalry is renewed.

Bishop by Candace Nola (Author)
Jamison Walker (Narrator)

"Caught between an ancient evil and a man with nothing to lose, a young girl's fate hangs in the balance."

Erin Rogers and her daughter Casey have been missing in the Alaskan wilderness for five days. Troy Spencer is determined to find his sister and niece at any cost. Once there, a local tells Troy about a loner, Bishop, a man shrouded in secrets, who may be his only hope.

As Troy sets out to find the mysterious Bishop, Casey is lost in the woods, alone and frightened, seeking help for her gravely injured mother. But she is not alone. Something ancient stalks these forested trails, something evil that hungers for fresh blood.

The trio soon finds themselves caught in a struggle against time as an ancient rivalry is renewed.