This hardcover copy of "Siren of Depravity" is copy 88 of 100 copies and is signed an numbered by Gary Fry.

When Harry Keyes learns his brother was adopted and actually his half brother, he starts digging into his family's sordid past...I got Siren of Deparvity from DarkFuse via Netgalley. Darkfuse ftagn! Since I'm a sucker for Lovecraft-flavored fiction and whatever DarkFuse puts out, this one was a no brainer.Siren of Depravity is a dark tale of a man digging into things best left unearthed, both figuratively and literally. Harry Keys learns a family secret and tugs on that thread, unraveling the cu...

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Darkfuse, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I hope this one isn’t too honest.I have read several of Mr. Fry’s books through Darkfuse and can say that I have liked several of them. I especially enjoyed “Lurker,” “Emergence,” and “The House of Canted Steps.” However, I did not like “Siren of Depravity” at all. I even disliked the title.I found the whole novel, in my opinion, to be as overwrought as the title (which I ha...

Let me get this out of the way here at the outset - the first half of this novel is about as boring as can be. The second half, once the plot starts snapping into focus, makes up for the tedium and left me pretty well satisfied.Siren of Depravity is a book about familial secrets, abuse, torture, and Lovecraftian creatures of sex and destruction. For the most part, this is pretty good stuff, and after a rather lengthy and laborious build-up, author Gary Fry manages to inject a pretty high creep f...

Siren of Depravity is the new novel from Gary Fry and is published by Darkfuse. It’s been two years since his last novel, Severed, although in that time he’s written a number of high quality novellas and short stories. I’ve enjoyed all the novellas but often felt that the ideas and philosophical musings contained within would be better suited to a longer form, allowing them a little more breathing space, room to expand – or expound even.So it was with much anticipation that I delved into this ne...

Normally I absolutely love the titles Dark Fuse puts out. This one was ok, but really didn't thrill me. It's starts out slow and doesn't really pick up until you are almost done with the book. Harry Keyes hasn't spoken to his brother in years. One day he gets a call out of the blue and decides to go see him (on Dexters request). Harry and his brother had a rough childhood, dealing with an abusive father. When Harry goes to see Dex, his brother spills that he found adoption papers that show his m...

I don't know If Lovecraft understood what a rich tableau he was creating with the Cthulhu Mythos when he first started putting his ideas to paper. Even in the 21th century, horror writers still find new things to add and embellish to the Lovecraftian universe.Gary Fry is one of the newer writers in the ever-growing Lovecraftian Circle, so to speak. Almost all of the books he has written have clear Lovecraftian elements if not thoroughly entrenched. Siren of Depravity is full blown Mythos with th...

Gary Fry's writing always takes place around his native North East and interweaves good storytelling with frightening horror elements and outer worldly cosmic happenings. Siren of Depravity introduces us to Harry Keyes, his wife Olivia and daughter Eva, but all is not normal in the Keyes Household. During his daughter's 7th birthday he receives a call from his brother Dexter who he last had contact with some 10 years ago. His brother requests help to locate his mother (not the same as Harry's m

The second half of this book is incredibly disturbing.

The idea of a story about a dark, tormented, and dysfunctional family with Lovecraftian undertones is definitely something I'm interested in; however, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed at the execution.Written in first person perspective, Siren of Depravity is narrated by the main character, Harry Keyes. Harry is anything but the perfect husband: he's cheated on his wife and has a habit of lying to her. His pride and joy is his little girl, Eva. Harry also has a brother, Dexter, who just

Review of SIREN OF DEPRAVITY by Gary FryBritish psychologist-academic Harry is a man who has it made--on the surface. A lovely and devoted wife, a musician and academic; an adorable and clever daughter, just turned seven; a firm bond with his widowed mother. But just as scratching a painting reveals the brushstrokes underneath, scratching Harry's surface reveals horrors with which he has never really come to grips--horrors which suddenly begin to surface, like dinosaurs scrambling from a tar pit...

THE SIREN OF DEPRAVITY, by Gary Fry, is a difficult book for me to review, as a whole. The first half of the book I found rather "dry" as the main character, Harry Keyes, is a stuffy, academic man who has a tendency to restate his thoughts and observations multiple times. I also felt that quite a bit of the more mundane day-to-day activities didn't need to be stated in such detail, and others could easily have been omitted altogether without losing anything crucial to the plot. The set-up establ...

This is book seven of books I have read by Gary Fry. Gary has been kind of hit and miss with me at times. If you know what I mean. With Lurkers and Conjure House it was hit. But with Savage it was miss. Not that I didn't like reading all his books, which I have. Like this book, the beginning was slow and a little boring at times. This made it a little hard for me to keep reading. Once I got further into the story I didn't have that problem. I started to get into the story. I've always enjoyed a

Siren of Depravity is a strange combination of extreme horror and traditional early 20th century horror writing. When done correctly this kind of juxtaposition can be a lot of fun (see the recent works of Edward Lee). I didn't get the same kind of joy from Siren of Depravity.The story is told in the first person, and Harry is so stuffy, stodgy, and stereotypically "British" that it seems like a put-on. I was convinced through the first portion of the book that this "stiff upper lip" attitude was...

Siren of Depravity is a pretty good Lovecraftian tale of a man’s quest to uncover the dark beasties that lurk in his past. There are many and Harry must weed thru his childhood recollections to find out the true from the false. Some secrets are better left buried. The first half of this one moves pretty slow and is dry in parts. It’s funny because it really picks up at the end and has plenty of action and horror nasties. I don’t mind slow burn reads, but this one was almost like night and day an...

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Fry is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the modern horror field!I like psychological horror, but I also like Lovecraftian abominations, and luckily for me this novel delivered both in spades. So hurrah!Highly recommended.

Unnerving Magazine ReviewGary Fry mentions Ramsey Campbell in the opening credits of Siren of Depravity. In many ways this story mirrors Mr. Campbell’s style. It is a slow burning wick atop a stack of dynamite. There is much retrospection and second-guessing of self. These are a pair of tools Mr. Campbell used well. Also, as it often happens in one of Mr. Campbell’s books, I began wondering if anything was going to happen in Siren of Depravity... and then it did.Slow wick. Stack of dynamite.Howe...

I’ve read a number of Gary Fry’s works and I think this is one of the best, if not the best, narratives he’s written. A number of reviewers draw comparisons to Lovecraft. I can’t comment on the accuracy of this. I’ve read only one Lovecraft tale and didn’t like it at all. Siren of Depravity, though, is one mind-blowing read and I was hooked from the beginning. The tale is a slow burn, no doubt about it. But, this slow burn is insidious. There’s an icy chill just below the surface, and I found my...

Warnings for animal violence, sexual violence.The writing here isn't very good (it's simplistic and repetitive); the narrator's first-person voice is annoying (he's a stuffy intellectual, or so he thinks, so that's the reason), and the majority of this book is a huge info dump.But I'm still giving it 3 stars (I liked the book) because I enjoyed the plot quite a bit. No spoilers but I was actually spooked a time or two reading, and this genre of horror is one of my favorites. A fun, fast read if

I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.After over 10 years with no contact, Harry Keyes suddenly hears that his brother Dexter has found something that could change their family forever. This begins a chilling and thrilling adventure into depravity.I highly recommend this book to fans of horror looking for a unique read. I found this one to be thrilling, full of adventure, and a true-page turner. I look forward to reading further books from this au...