Loch Ness

Loch Ness is a 2023 historical fantasy novel by D.A. Nelson. It was released in May 2023 and was self-published by the author. The novel is set in Scotland in the late 1800s. I was provided with an advanced review copy by the author.

When farm girl Esther Abercrombie is offered a job as an assistant to the famous cryptozoologist, Dr Thaddeus Dwell, little does she know the dangers that are to come. Dr Dwell is on the hunt for the legendary Loch Ness Monster and he doesn’t care whether he gets it alive or dead. With his dwarf assistant, Cassius Ironblood, and a big game hunter, Charles Warrington, he wants to capture it and slice it up…all in the name of science, notoriety and greed.
But Esther can’t let this happen. Joining forces with the mysterious Duncan, they work together to thwart Dwell’s evil plans and save the monster from extinction. Along the way, she uncovers Duncan’s startling secret and finds herself falling madly in love.

I enjoyed the characters in this novel. Esther was a good protagonist to follow because the reader got to witness her struggle between doing what was expected of her, and doing what was right. The push and pull between the two added complexity and maturity to her character. Her character development over the course of the story wasn’t surprising but it was satisfying to follow. She begins the story without any strong conviction or goal, she doesn’t seem to want anything specific, but as the plot progresses, that changes. She becomes more sure and confident in herself and takes matters into her own hands to achieve her goals. Duncan was likewise very compelling. He fits the mysterious stranger archetype well at the beginning of the story, but as the story develops, the facade cracks and the reader gets to see some real depth to his character. He’s shown to be not only driven and determined, but also flawed and vulnerable. The dynamic that develops between Esther and Duncan was intriguing and added some extra tension to the plot. I don’t have as much to say about Dr. Dwell, because he’s not a complex character. He also doesn’t need to be for the story being told. He’s a man driven by his ego and everything he does, from his initial interactions with Esther to the final conflict, is based on him satisfying his ego and making an even bigger name for himself.

One of my favorite things about this novel is the sheer abundance of interesting and unique magical creatures that are part of the world. The plot centers around a hunt for the Loch Ness Monster, but it’s by no means the only mythical creature that’s part of the world. There are dwarves and yeti and many more creatures that it would take a long time to name. I love this for two reasons: it recontextualizes the hunt for the Loch Ness Monster and it does a great deal of world-building. I liked that this story takes place in a world where the existence of magical and mystical creatures is common knowledge. It makes the world richer, more expansive, without the author needing to go into great detail about more mundane aspects of a world where humans and mythical creatures coexist, which is good since this book isn’t very long. It frames the hunt for the Loch Ness Monster in a different light, because the hunt isn’t about discovering the unknown, it’s about ego and greed.

The plot of this book was very exciting and engaging. It starts off as a simple search for the legendary creature, but slowly the stakes gets higher and the tension escalates as the situation becomes more evident. There’s a lot of action and excitement as Esther balances working for Dr. Dwell and thwarting his efforts to capture the Loch Ness Monster. The plot moves rather quickly, but it’s not as straightforward as you might expect. Esther and Duncan suffer setbacks as they try to thwart Dwell’s plans. They make mistakes, there are points when the antagonists get the upper hand and the story may not have a happy ending. I like this because there was conflict and confrontations throughout the book, not just at the climax. There are some interesting twists in the plot, and revelations as the story progresses, which took me by surprise. The climax of the story was very engaging and satisfying to read. It didn’t feel like it went on for too long, but it also wasn’t over too quickly. The climax ends in an unexpected way, but it was really fitting for the narrative up to that point. I had two issues with the ending of the book. The ending itself has aspects that felt unneeded. Parts of it were included to wrap the story up with a nice bow, which wasn’t entirely necessary. Adding to this, something is revealed in the second half of the book, related to Duncan’s backstory, that doesn’t get resolved or followed up on. It isn’t mentioned again, even in passing, which feels odd, given the lengths taken to resolve every other plot thread.

Loch Ness was a book that I enjoyed overall. The plot was engaging and had plenty of twists and turns. There was an abundance of interesting aspects to the world-building. The characters were compelling. The ending left me a bit frustrated, but I think that has more to do with personal preference than anything else. All in all, this novel is an entertaining and fun read, with the right level of danger and tension.

Rating: 4 Stars

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