HE WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.
Shortly after cruise ship the Maria Calypso embarks on its latest voyage, the passengers and crew notice someone in pursuit: An elegant figure wearing a white suit who somehow keeps pace in his rowboat.
No matter how hard the crew pushes the engines, they can’t escape The Boatman … and it isn’t long before sinister and mysterious events begin to unfold on the Maria Calypso.
What will it cost to learn the true nature of the man who hunts them—and will the price to keep on living prove to be too dear?
If you love a good horror novella like me, you definitely need to put this one on your radar! It’s more atmospheric psychological horror slow-burn dread rather than anything terrifying—and no major body horror or gore. If you haven’t read Alex Grecian’s work before like I hadn’t, this book will impress you with how much he’s able to pack into a short novella. The writing is great, and the well-developed characters and fully fleshed-out plot almost feel like a full-length novel. And he weaves in some great horror and thriller tropes, including a relentless supernatural chase, isolated setting, existential dread, race against inevitability, and survival under constant psychological pressure—in a narrative that’s likely unlike anything you’ve read before!
The story is mostly told via the 3rd-person POVs of June and Walt but occasionally shifts to other crew members on board, including Captain Billy Prescott, his safety officer Amanda, and Dr. Vincent, all of whom play key roles in evading the Boatman and keeping the passengers on board safe and healthy. But the ship journeys onward for five decades, and while all these characters remain on board, maintaining order and developing a sort of “dystopian found family,” many others leave. And soon they come up with rules—no new passengers and no children. The Boatman is mostly in the background as an unstoppable force of death, but there is one key scene where he makes his presence known, and what he has to say is pretty darn creepy!
The horror is mostly atmospheric. There are some terrifying scenes early on when the man in the white suit first attempts to take the life of the captain, but afterwards the horror mostly comes from the psychological dread of wondering when he’ll catch up with them—as it’s clearly inevitable.
The book has only four chapters, all of which are quite long, but it’s easy to remain engaged as the plot is always moving, and the timeline often jumps years, taking characters to different parts of the world. Each chapter also ends with some fascinating information about the landmark or port the ship is approaching—completely unnecessary but so interesting, and it gives the story more of a creepy real-world feel!
What made this book so effective for me, aside from its highly original plot, is how unpredictable it is. You literally never know what’s going to happen next or what part of the world they’ll be landing in. The second half has some compelling emotional conflicts between the survivors that question their moral compass and highlight the long-term psychological cost of living under constant pursuit. The climax is quick and thrilling and is followed by a final twist that’s both emotional and shocking—and may take you a few moments to wrap your head around! You’ll likely feel unsettled afterwards, but it’s still totally worth a binge read!
Narrator Performance
The Boatman is narrated by award-winning narrators Patricia Santomasso and Sean Patrick Hopkins, both of whom have lots of experience in narrating short atmospheric horror books like this one.
Santomasso narrates a large portion of the book, including much of the descriptive storytelling and the POV of protagonist June. She portrays June with a grounded, emotionally intelligent-sounding voice that suits her as a writer and someone who is genuinely excited about her future with Walt at the start. As the decades on the ship unfold, Santomasso gradually hardens June’s tone to sound more restrained and focused on survival—especially when she’s forced into calculated decisions with her husband, Walt, and the ship’s leaders. In the final scenes, Santomasso’s performance becomes especially compelling as she conveys June’s strength and the emotional weight of leaving loved ones in a final twist.
Hopkins voices Walt Dennison and other male POVs in the story. His portrayal of Walt makes the character sound down-to-earth and logical, especially when he and June interact—their dialogue comes across as a couple who communicate openly, even under extreme pressure. There are some disagreements later on where Hopkins also conveys a morally gray side to the character, which makes him more interesting but maybe less likable. Hopkins also voices other notable male characters—Captain Billy Prescott, Dr. Vincent, and the Boatman himself. The scenes where the Boatman reveals himself are especially well executed—after a long buildup of creeping dread, Hopkins gives him a voice that sounds controlled and unsettlingly calm, emphasizing him as a supernatural force but also adding a surprising element that you may not be expecting.
This duet narration works because of how well Santomasso and Hopkins complement each other, especially in their pacing, ability to create atmospheric dread, and the back-and-forth between June and Walt. If you’re considering reading The Boatman, the audiobook is absolutely the version to experience it!
Narrator Performance
The Boatman is narrated by award-winning narrators Patricia Santomasso and Sean Patrick Hopkins, both of whom have lots of experience in narrating short atmospheric horror books like this one.
Santomasso narrates a large portion of the book, including much of the descriptive storytelling and the POV of protagonist June. She portrays June with a grounded, emotionally intelligent-sounding voice that suits her as a writer and someone who is genuinely excited about her future with Walt at the start. As the decades on the ship unfold, Santomasso gradually hardens June’s tone to sound more restrained and focused on survival—especially when she’s forced into calculated decisions with her husband, Walt, and the ship’s leaders. In the final scenes, Santomasso’s performance becomes especially compelling as she conveys June’s strength and the emotional weight of leaving loved ones in a final twist.
Hopkins voices Walt Dennison and other male POVs in the story. His portrayal of Walt makes the character sound down-to-earth and logical, especially when he and June interact—their dialogue comes across as a couple who communicate openly, even under extreme pressure. There are some disagreements later on where Hopkins also conveys a morally gray side to the character, which makes him more interesting but maybe less likable. Hopkins also voices other notable male characters—Captain Billy Prescott, Dr. Vincent, and the Boatman himself. The scenes where the Boatman reveals himself are especially well executed—after a long buildup of creeping dread, Hopkins gives him a voice that sounds controlled and unsettlingly calm, emphasizing him as a supernatural force but also adding a surprising element that you may not be expecting.
This duet narration works because of how well Santomasso and Hopkins complement each other, especially in their pacing, ability to create atmospheric dread, and the back-and-forth between June and Walt. If you’re considering reading The Boatman, the audiobook is absolutely the version to experience it!
The Boatman is narrated by award-winning narrators Patricia Santomasso and Sean Patrick Hopkins, both of whom have lots of experience in narrating short atmospheric horror books like this one.
Santomasso narrates a large portion of the book, including much of the descriptive storytelling and the POV of protagonist June. She portrays June with a grounded, emotionally intelligent-sounding voice that suits her as a writer and someone who is genuinely excited about her future with Walt at the start. As the decades on the ship unfold, Santomasso gradually hardens June’s tone to sound more restrained and focused on survival—especially when she’s forced into calculated decisions with her husband, Walt, and the ship’s leaders. In the final scenes, Santomasso’s performance becomes especially compelling as she conveys June’s strength and the emotional weight of leaving loved ones in a final twist.
Hopkins voices Walt Dennison and other male POVs in the story. His portrayal of Walt makes the character sound down-to-earth and logical, especially when he and June interact—their dialogue comes across as a couple who communicate openly, even under extreme pressure. There are some disagreements later on where Hopkins also conveys a morally gray side to the character, which makes him more interesting but maybe less likable. Hopkins also voices other notable male characters—Captain Billy Prescott, Dr. Vincent, and the Boatman himself. The scenes where the Boatman reveals himself are especially well executed—after a long buildup of creeping dread, Hopkins gives him a voice that sounds controlled and unsettlingly calm, emphasizing him as a supernatural force but also adding a surprising element that you may not be expecting.
This duet narration works because of how well Santomasso and Hopkins complement each other, especially in their pacing, ability to create atmospheric dread, and the back-and-forth between June and Walt. If you’re considering reading The Boatman, the audiobook is absolutely the version to experience it!
