Northern Gothic

By Nick Mamatas

Northern Gothic is the story of supernaturally crossed worlds -- Manhattan's Chelsea district of the present and New York during the Civil War draft riots. William, a young Irish immigrant trying to avoid the war, and Ahmadi, a gay man from the South trying to make it in the Big Apple, find their paths -- and destinies -- intertwined as William is sucked into the racist violence of the riots and Ahmadi is pulled inexorably into the past.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1887128743
• ISBN13: 9781887128742
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Soft Skull
• Length: 110 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Beautiful, tough, and disturbing

Nick Mamatas infuses this "weird tale" that intersects New York's Civil War Draft Riots with a contemporary gay black man's life in Greenwich Village with a smart, and clearly politicized viewpoint. The inexorable play of events seems pitiless on the surface, but the subtly creeping horror works so well because Mamatas refuses to make demons out of the people who are caught in this storm of events. Skip "Gangs of New York" (well, for lots of reasons), and read this instead. It will get under your skin and engage your mind for days afterward.

Vivid, Fast Paced Read...

Nick Mamatas is now officially on my ones-to-watch list...This book really took me off guard. A friend recommended it to me, and I began leisurely reading it on a Sunday afternoon...the next thing I knew it was late evening and I had finished the book! It's tightly written and keeps you turning the page...It's a gutsy book, and has one of the most original plot lines I've read in some time...Definitely one to read...

Outstanding Work By Newcomer

Mamatas is a stunning new talent; his prose is evocative and his turns of phrase alternate between horrifying and fall-down funny. When I finished Northern Gothic I wanted /more/. There's a verisimilitude to the scenes that make it clear that Mamatas has done his research and has a keen sense for the inside of his characters' heads.

Wrenching, immersive experience

Mamatas pulls your head under water, drowning youin the Civil War draft riots in New York. The violenceand racism echo to modern times not just in historicalawareness, but into the life of a contemporary man whohas just moved to New York. His life falls apart as youwatch the city burn a century earlier.The scenes in 1863 are so vivid,believable, and pathetic that they will haunt you longafter you finish the book.