In the near future, Tilly, a former army pilot mourning the loss of her father, has been recruited by a British conglomerate to fly a rescue team into war-torn China in search of their missing conservationist and his team. Joined by an eclectic collection of misfits, Tilly and her makeshift crew must brace themselves for a long slog up the forested and danger-filled Yellow River. Can anything prepare them for the genetically-altered horrors and unscrupulous folks that await them along the way? Blending military sci-fi, light fantasy, and a touch of horror, Gone Where the Goblins Go offers a wonderfully strange blend of Apocalypse Now and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Dark bleatings everybody! This book is a bit of a weird one for me because it’s pretty light on the horror, although the horror is there. I’d describe the experience of reading this book as something similar to making your way through a Final Fantasy game (pre FFX) on your way to uncover the abomination that is the last boss. I gotta say, the ‘last boss’ of this book didn’t let me down, and I was pretty surprised by it. Come to think of it, in many ways, it was very much like Sin. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Ex-military pilot, Tilly, is hired with a crew to search for a missing floating laboratory, known as a WHEEL. The mission inevitably goes a bit awry, and Tilly finds herself in unfamiliar territory with dickheads to her left, and the truly unexpected to her right. Nestled in the main plot, we also have Tilly’s memories of her dearly departed Dad, and a whole lot of subtext.
I have to say, after reading a number of reviews of this book, I honestly think that it’s being sold a bit short. Art is subjective, of course, and everyone’s opinions are valid, but I found so much nuance within the pages that it surprises me if I see lower than a 3 star rating (I honestly hate star rating systems though – they’re a subjective minefield).
Tilly is a flawed and complex character, and I loved her. She’s interesting and strong, with a relatable moral compass and inner demons. I found the other characters entertaining and fleshed out appropriately for their roles, and could clearly see them all in their interactions.
Thematically, this book resonated with me and I found it thought-provoking. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface and I enjoyed uncovering it. The story deals with grief, loss, prejudice, and that good old ‘Man Acting as God’ idea, and it does it through an un-obnoxious, subtle social and political filter. And then, for fun, it also throws in science fiction, fantasy, and horror elements on top of what is essentially a road-trip type of structure. There’s also a beautiful circular narrative embedded in Tilly’s personal journey, and when it’s done well – as it is here – that’s one of my favourite structural devices.
I do have a few criticisms but mostly they’re based on personal preference. For example, I absolutely DETEST dreams in stories, and there are some dreams here. I couldn’t possibly explain why – it’s as illogical as my intense hatred of FFX’s Wakka. Wait, actually, my hatred of Wakka isn’t illogical at all – I hate him because he’s super racist and also a bitch. But anyway, I hate the dream trope for no good reason. There are exceptions to this rule, obviously – it’s used a lot in Frazer Lee’s Hearthstone Cottage and I love that book. Perhaps it immediately irritates me the second I recognise it because quite often, it’s used as a lazy expositional shortcut, or is just in there to throw in a speculative or other-worldly horror scene but has no actual value as far as the story goes. The author here isn’t guilty of this, by the way, but even when dream sequences are necessary and utilised in an interesting way, authors have an uphill struggle when it comes to me liking them because I’m so pre-deposed in my automatic irritation. I suppose another criticism I have is that since there is so much going on, both plot-wise and thematically, it perhaps could have done with a liiiiiiiitttle tightening up in places, but I personally didn’t find it hard to follow and I enjoyed the reading experience.
If you’re looking for more hardcore horror, I wouldn’t say this book is what you’re after. However, I absolutely do recommend it to sci-fi and fantasy fans that enjoy a horror slant. This isn’t a coming-of-age story, but I would also recommend it to people who enjoy those because Tilly embodies that kind of personal journey. Overall, a very enjoyable read!
If you’d like to get your own copy or check out the author, the links you need are below:
Happy Goat Horror 
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