The Hollow Ones is a new(ish) collaboration between Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, their second after The Strain Trilogy from 2009. The novel follows two storylines in different eras, each dealing with young FBI agents experiencing supernatural threats.

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The overall style feels like an attempt at a gritty Dresden Files. Hugo Blackwood serves in the Dresden role as the cold, apathetic, mage who investigates the supernatural. Since the majority of the story is told from either Odessa Hardwicke or Earl Solomon’s perspectives, Blackwood comes across as an asshole which, while consistent with some aspects of his character, makes him pretty unlikable. It may be my own fault for having the Dresden comparison ready to go at the start, but Blackwood lacks the goofy, flawed charm that makes Dresden likable (misogyny in the first books notwithstanding).

Earl Solomon has to be the most interesting character in my mind, or at least the one with the best set up. As one of the first black FBI agents, he is sent to the Mississippi Delta in 1962 to investigate the lynching of a white man. I was really excited to see some of the racial threads pulled for this part of the story but most of the subplot doesn’t get into it and the best parts end up being overshadowed by the supernatural investigation. Even the lynching takes a backseat almost immediately in favor of a kid who is possessed and calling out Blackwood's name.

That actually exposes my biggest problem with The Hollow Ones as a whole in my mind. In the present day with Odessa Hardwicke, the hunt for the supernatural entity behind the spree killing in the very beginning takes so much priority that subplots like the real-world implications of the event and other crimes that are related and apparently important are pushed aside if they’re even something you can remember.

None of this is helped by Hardwicke really being the least interesting of the three main characters. There is some family history thrust into the story about three quarters in that, while relevant to the climax, wasn’t set up. It was a huge exposition dump to a question I never knew to ask.

That’s not to say this book is all bad. The villainous entity is absolutely vile in the best way. Quick scenes expressing it’s thought process are gut wrenching and actually forced me to put the book down. The supernatural investigation vibe was phenomenal and despite all of my criticism above, the setup for future installments has my attention enough to try a second book should it ever come. Especially once you learn enough about Blackwood and his history to become sympathetic and understand the overall direction of things. Is he an asshole? Yes, absolutely. Does it make sense? Honestly, yeah. It doesn’t make me like him, but I wouldn’t call it bad characterization either.

Ultimately, this feels like a messy bit of missed opportunity with some great promise, particularly with the talent involved. If they get a chance to continue the story, I think del Toro and Hogan can really run away with some wild and fantastical storytelling.

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