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The Obsidian Mirror
129 pages, Paperback
Published February 6, 2026
3 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 7, 2026
With The Obsidian Mirror, Zak Cowell presents the reader with a gothic mystery, gift-wrapped in liminal spaces and dark history. He hands the reader epistolic shears and invites them to slice away at the fog of the macabre to reveal a mystery both cosmic and tragic in equal measures. Recommended for people who like spooky vibes and a world that feels lived in… and died in.
February 8, 2026
Cowell’s The Obsidian Mirror is an atmospheric novella that propels folk horror beyond that of rural rites, into the realm of the cosmic. A quick, fun read for horror fans that yearn for remote manors, weird paintings, and dark histories.
February 6, 2026
Probably the element of this novella that stuck out to me the most was the Mausoleum of Dreams. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that the concept and atmosphere are both super creepy. It's the kind of place that has the potential to haunt your imagination well after the story is over.
There were elements of Cowell's writing style that I really enjoyed, and there were some places where the description was so on point and really packed a punch. However, I also felt like there were places where the descriptions got a bit repetitive and hampered the pacing. Additionally, I personally would have preferred a little more showing and less telling, but I do appreciate that Cowell's straightforward approach eliminates the ambiguity that an abundance of showing can bring.
I love epistolary elements in stories, so I enjoyed the inclusion of the website posts. I thought that made for a fun element of the story. I don't want to spoil the ending, so I'm being a bit vague here, but I liked Cowell's approach. It was different from most of the cosmic horror I've read, more subtle than apocalyptic, and in some ways that made it more horrifying.
There were elements of Cowell's writing style that I really enjoyed, and there were some places where the description was so on point and really packed a punch. However, I also felt like there were places where the descriptions got a bit repetitive and hampered the pacing. Additionally, I personally would have preferred a little more showing and less telling, but I do appreciate that Cowell's straightforward approach eliminates the ambiguity that an abundance of showing can bring.
I love epistolary elements in stories, so I enjoyed the inclusion of the website posts. I thought that made for a fun element of the story. I don't want to spoil the ending, so I'm being a bit vague here, but I liked Cowell's approach. It was different from most of the cosmic horror I've read, more subtle than apocalyptic, and in some ways that made it more horrifying.
February 6, 2026
The Obsidian Mirror takes us to Devil’s Peak; a foggy, creepy town with an intriguing backstory that sticks with you. The bits of lore, art references and connections to history give the story a nice balance of mystery, darkness and dread. The author does a great job building the suspense all the way to the end. I really enjoyed this novella and look forward to more of Zak’s work!
February 11, 2026
I got the chance to read this as an ARC from the author. Thanks, Zac, for the opportunity! The Obsidian Mirror delivers in every way a horror novella should. The story is quick, but it’s got real texture. There’s a story happening on the surface, and interstitials woven through the manuscript deepen the novel's mythology. The interstitials were my favorite part—they felt so reminiscent of Machen or Lovecraft’s best works, and they left me utterly unnerved (and wanting to spend more time in them). If you loved The Shining and are fancying a hotel with a dark past… you should pick this up immediately!
Thanks again, Zac!
Thanks again, Zac!
February 25, 2026
The story itself is fantastic and imaginative. It's a bit Ligotti like, but more dreamy and surreal, definitely steeped in the fantastique. It hints at a lot more than it shows, and I hope Cowell plans on writing some more books set in Devil's Peak. Penny, a character who shows up briefly halfway through, and then once again at the end has a lot of potential to be used as a recurring character in a kind of X-Files occult detective type way. I also loved the parts presented as excerpts from the Devil's Peak historical society website; having worked in local history myself, it was a nice easter egg.
What didn't work for me were the typos and formatting errors. There were a lot of them. It seems like these were publisher errors (I talked to someone who read an e-copy, and they didn't notice anything). There are also a few cases of awkward phrasing. It was enough to really distract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
What didn't work for me were the typos and formatting errors. There were a lot of them. It seems like these were publisher errors (I talked to someone who read an e-copy, and they didn't notice anything). There are also a few cases of awkward phrasing. It was enough to really distract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
February 7, 2026
The Obsidian Mirror is a twisted cosmic horror story with gorgeous imagery, liminal architecture, and deep, disturbing lore. I couldn’t get enough, and will be thinking about it well after the final page. Cowell threads together Diana's personal journey with an indifferent universe using beautiful prose and lasting symbolism.
February 6, 2026
The Obsidian Mirror begins as a classic gothic story of a housekeeper investigating the secrets of an old North Carolina mansion, and it goes on to include surprising elements of folk and cosmic horror as well. Full of thin places and ancient secrets, The Obsidian Mirror is a chilling adventure!
February 19, 2026
A big thank you to the author, who provided me with a digital arc, for review purposes. All views and opinions are my own.
The Obsidian Mirror is a novella that will cause you to feel your hackles raise, almost immediately. Zak Cowell paints simple, yet vivid picture of a small town, nestled deep within the blue ridge mountains. A place where you could very easily be carried away by the beauty of the landscape, and the feel of the town. The Obsidian Mirror reads like a nightmare folded in on itself. A latter day Gothic Horror saturated with mystery and paranormal menace. Events move at the rapid pace of swiftly beating heart, and all the while we get a sense of the greater, vaster things, both in the present, and in the past, that are at play. A fast read that seems to share lifes blood with Dark Shadows and Twin Peaks. It's clear that the town, the residents, the manor, and everything else that calls this place home, have much still to reveal. I look forward to seeing what Zak Cowell is able to coax out of this place of shadows, hidden history and dreams.
The Obsidian Mirror is a novella that will cause you to feel your hackles raise, almost immediately. Zak Cowell paints simple, yet vivid picture of a small town, nestled deep within the blue ridge mountains. A place where you could very easily be carried away by the beauty of the landscape, and the feel of the town. The Obsidian Mirror reads like a nightmare folded in on itself. A latter day Gothic Horror saturated with mystery and paranormal menace. Events move at the rapid pace of swiftly beating heart, and all the while we get a sense of the greater, vaster things, both in the present, and in the past, that are at play. A fast read that seems to share lifes blood with Dark Shadows and Twin Peaks. It's clear that the town, the residents, the manor, and everything else that calls this place home, have much still to reveal. I look forward to seeing what Zak Cowell is able to coax out of this place of shadows, hidden history and dreams.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews