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Blackwater I: The Flood

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Blackwater I: The Flood

By: Michael McDowell
Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Discover the gothic horror phenomenon that is sweeping across Europe, with over 2 million copies sold


As the dark and menacing waters of the local river submerge Perdido, a small town in the south of Alabama, the Caskeys - a family of rich landowners - must confront the tide of damage caused by the flood. Led by Mary-Love, the powerful matriarch, and by Oscar, her devoted son, the family must pick itself back up. But what they haven't anticipated is the sudden appearance of Elinor Dammert - a mysterious but seductive young woman with a troubling past. Her sole ambition appears to be to infiltrate the very heart of the Caskey clan...

'RIVETING, TERRIFYING...JUST ABSOLUTELY GREAT' STEPHEN KING

'Beyond any trace of a doubt, one of the absolutely best writers of horror' Peter Straub

'One of the genre’s most underrated writers' Poppy Z. Brite

‘His wonderfully conversational style made it feel as if he was imparting a terrible piece of gossip while describing all manner of disturbing events…. his wonderful six volume 'Blackwater' saga chronicles a fifty year period in the lives of the Caskey family, whose women bear a strange affinity for running water, and whose vengeance knows no bounds…constructed for maximum page-turning efficiency’ Christopher, Fowler

© Michael McDowell 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

20th Century Genre Fiction Gothic Historical Fiction Horror Small Town & Rural Scary Alabama

Critic reviews

Riveting, terrifying, and just absolutely great ... Michael McDowell must now be regarded as the finest writer of paperback originals in America.
One of the best writers of horror in this or any other country.
[McDowell's] wonderful six volume 'Blackwater' saga chronicles a fifty year period in the lives of the Caskey family, whose women bear a strange affinity for running water, and whose vengeance knows no bounds…constructed for maximum page-turning efficiency.
Leaves you questioning exactly who, or what, could be living amongst us
Complex, literary, nuanced
All stars
Most relevant
Blackwater kicks off with a bang with the central conflict between Elinor and Mary-Love being both petty and multilayered. Because on the one hand, Elinor does nothing to Mary-Love to warrant her unbridled loathing but we the reader also know that Elinor is not what she seems. Elinor is delightfully mysterious, her abilities and background are obscure and leave open frightening possibilities. The other characters are distinct enough to where you do care about them but this story is purely an introduction, the questions still remain - who and what is Elinor? How will the levee change her relationship with the town? And what will Miriam become?

Incredible narration for an epic start.

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