The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Minutes ago, I finished Katherine Arden's “The warm Hands of Ghosts,” and I'm still trying to catch my breath. This book is not for the faint-of-heart or your typical beach read, but it is worth it, no matter how haunted it leaves you.

Having loved the author's previous “Bear and the Nightingale“ series, I was very intrigued that she had chosen a story during the last few years of World War I. I did not realize how raw and gritty the book would be, perhaps, because I had some expectations that the fantastical elements of the other series would reappear. That is not a criticism against this book, but against my expectations going in. What is common between this and her other books is her great skill in taking you to a place, where you can see, smell, hear, and touch.

At first, I had a hard time getting into the characters and I think it's because both Laura and her brother, Freddie, weren't always fully in the present moment, sometimes jarred back to horrific scenes of war or the aftermath in field hospitals in the middle of sentences or thoughts. Both of them, like so many other people returning from war, were shattered by what they experienced.

Unfortunately, I only met one of my Great Grandparents who had served as in World War I; the others had passed away before I was born. I would've been interested to hear my Moravian Great Grandfather‘s stories; he deserted and was imprisoned in a castle for a chunk of the war. I probably wouldn't be here if he hadn't done so. As I read this book, I pictured each of them and imagined what they may have went through.

And after reading this book, as well as Robert Graves' “Goodbye to All That” and some of Wilfred Owen's poems, the terrifically awful tragedy of the Great War was amplified. The descriptions of trench and hospital life seem like something out of a horror movie, not something that could possible happened to so many of our ancestors. But it did. Not to be outdone by the horrific actuality of that war, Katherine Arden wove in the sinister fiddler, one of the more evil and mysterious villains I've read in a long time. I won't say too much about that party if the story because it's better to read it yourself.

The Author's Note, as well as a post in Goodreads (wouldn't recommend reading those before reading the book) delve into Arden's struggle to write this book, as well as some of the inspirations. Her journey to complete. This book was almost heartbreaking. And now, I look forward to any further books she might be able to share with us.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts will live in my head rent-free for eternity. This is such a hauntingly beautiful book. This is probably top 5 of 2024 for me and I have read A LOT.

The plot, location, characters were all good. What the author wanted you to think about was clear. However, this is a slow book. It took .25 of the book for one of the protagonists to get to the correct country. I wanted to love it. I love all of the ingredients used, but just struggled to get through this book.

I was completely absorbed in this supernatural historical fiction story. It had a beautiful haunting atmosphere

Dark historical paranormal fiction that takes all the brutal misery of World War I and kicks it up a notch with a few friendly ghosts and a mysterious fiddler straight out of a Charlie Daniels Band song (look it up, kids). Not for the faint-hearted, with unflinching, horrifying descriptions of the bloody trenches and field hospitals. Battle-hardened, determined nurse Laura Iven is a strong heroine, but her younger brother Freddie is the character who will live rent-free in my mind for a long time. Just 21 years old, Freddie endures many levels of physical and emotional hell as his war trauma is compounded by actions he takes to save the life of a wounded German soldier when both men are trapped underground. His loyalty and his sanity are both tested numerous times, to the point where ending his existential pain feels like an act of mercy.

It's impossible to imagine a truly HEA ending for this dark story, but at least there is love, grace, and (at least for a few decades) peace. In her author's note, Katherine Arden makes the case that the WWI years were “as close to a moment of historical science fiction as we will ever get: an indescribable mash-up of changing mores and technologies. And its participants, like time travelers, were people of one era flung without warning into another.” The Warm Hands of Ghosts perfectly illustrates that premise, making it much more than just another piece of book-club-bait historical fiction.

I loved this author's other books, so I was really excited for this one. I know I'm in the minority, but I did not like this at all. The generous 2 star rating is just because her writing style is beautiful as always, I just hated the story.
There was no character development at all. I didn't connect with them, so I didn't care what happened. Based on all the high ratings, this book is obviously appealing to a lot of people, but it did not work for me. It deals with war, grief, death, ptsd, with paranormal twists.
I was bored and thought it was way too long. If you're looking for another Bear and the Nightingale, you will be disappointed.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.