The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim

Edgar Brim has always been different. He’s a boy tormented by monsters in his dreams, a boy who wakes up screaming, a boy who loses himself in stories. When he’s sent away to the College on the Moors to toughen up, he struggles with this new life until a stranger intervenes. Through trials and tribulations, Edgar does toughen up, but he also begins to suspect that the monsters tormenting his dreams are real.

The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim is an intriguing throwback to the slow-burn horror of 150 years ago.The dual plotlines of the Lyceum and the College on the Moors feel like separate books until the third act, when the storylines finally intertwine. This gives the book the old-timey feel of the classic horror stories; but although this fits into the novel’s time period, it also slows the novel down, bogging down the narrative a bit in Stoker-style repetition.

Thankfully, the engaging characters carry you through the slower spots. Tiger Tilley is an awesome sidekick, and she leads a cast of friends and rivals of Edgar’s that help bring much-needed light to Edgar’s dreary life. Here’s hoping they all return for another go soon.