Blackwater was an ambitious project. It was effectively one giant novel broken up into six distinct parts, each of which had its own cohesive storyline. The characters introduced in earlier books continued into later books as McDowell told the story of the rise and fall of a prominent Alabama family.
McDowell shines when he's focusing on interactive dialogue or creating vague unease within the crippling family dynamic. There is also a pair of recurring supernatural horror elements: the primary one of fish-monsters who are able to mimic human shape as well as breed with them, and the secondary one of the angry shades of dead people. All of these together create a distinct flavor of horror story.
The quiet, building nature of the work will not be for everyone. Moreover, the writing on the series is somewhat uneven, sometimes seeming rushed. It doesn't diminish the enjoyment from the books, though. The concept plays to McDowell's strengths and simultaneously produces a book series which remains distinct in the expansive realm of horror fiction. The readers are introduced to a tale of a Southern family as Lovecraft might have imagined it, borrowing lightly from the concept of Innsmouth while avoiding any sense of repetition.
WORKS:
BLACKWATER #1: THE FLOOD
BLACKWATER #2: THE LEVEE
BLACKWATER #3: THE HOUSE
BLACKWATER #4: THE WAR
BLACKWATER #5: THE FORTUNE
BLACKWATER #6: THE RAIN
--Bill Lindblad
