The Hollow Ones is the first in a modern fantasy series called The Blackwood Tapes by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. The novel serves as an introduction to the world of FBI Agent Odessa Hardwicke and her enigmatic new acquaintance, Hugo Blackwood. The Hollow Ones combines the masterful fantasy storytelling that readers have come to expect from del Toro and the insidiously creepy ambience that drew enthusiasts to Hogan and del Toro’s previous collaboration, The Strain. These skilled writers have delivered the beginnings of another series that is sure to please. The characters in this novel are multifaceted with noble qualities and flaws that make them realistic. The plot is mysterious and has interesting ripples without becoming convoluted or confusing. While the story is purely imaginative, it wrestles with some very real social and moral issues, most prominently racial discrimination, and it tackles these issues skillfully without devolving into preachiness or sacrificing engaging storytelling or robust characterization. The only regret after reading this book is that the next one is not available yet.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  15 religious exclamations; 22 mild obscenities; 5 religious profanities; 5 derogatory names; 28 scatological words; 2 anatomical terms; 2 f-word derivatives.

Note:  The word “Negro” is used in a historical context 5 times (not tallied).

Violence/Gore:  Acharacter threatens another with a gun; a character is threatened by a vicious animal; a few reports of mass murders; a few reports of lynchings; report of blood and bones used in a magical ritual; report of a murder; characters examine a dead body; gunfire is heard, implying that a person was shot; a character shoots at others; a fight with no major injury; a fight between humans and animals in which an animal is killed; a few creepy scenes involving monsters; a man shoots and bludgeons others to death; a fight with characters and a monster in which an adult kills a child; a fatal car wreck; a character jumps to their death; a shootout in which people are injured and killed;an extended scene (7 pages) in which characters are killed by gunfire and knives with bloody description given; a gory scene in which people, including an infant, are killed using knives and blunt trauma; a fight in which people are killed or wounded, with one being stabbed in the head.

Sex/Nudity:  Characters hug and kiss a few times;a joke about being naked at the hospital (not sexual); a few mentions of things such as a “gentleman’s club”, strip club, and “sex dungeon”; a store sells candles shaped like genitalia; a character has a tattoo featuring naked people; the word “orgasm” is used in a metaphor about something not sexual;characters kiss and it’s implied that sex follows; a rumor about an extramarital affair.

Mature Subject Matter:

Lynching (reported); mass shooting (reported); murder; serial killing; political corruption (reported); racism; segregation; death (spouse, friend, parent, sibling, child); stillbirth (report); terminal illness; slavery (mention); grave robbing (reported); suicide; arson; hostage situation.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Report of someone driving under the influence; adults smoke tobacco; adults drink alcohol; adults use unspecified illegal drugs; mention of drug-dealing.