Malevolent has been a new obsession, ongoing and will likely stay in my top three favorite stories until I die. I'm not entirely sure how to describe why, or what about this story in particular makes me love it so much, but an undeniable truth is that it is a masterpiece. Every character is diverse, carrying unique personalities and baggage, voices and tales (which, by the way, hurrah to you Harlan, how tf do you change your voice so much). I find myself fully immersed, living, fearing, and worrying right along with the characters. But possibly the one thing I love most about this story, is that there is no real 'evil' or 'good' person. It isn't something set in stone, unchanging forever. Arthur goes through hell and high water (oh gosh a pun I didn't intend) to even come to an inkling of acceptance. John goes through what many do and continue to experience, imperfection and the unfortunate truth of falling back on old habits. I could quite possibly write an entire essay of the masterful execution of character creation and performance.
Not even mentioning the fact that the story itself is so interesting. A private detective's eyes are used by a mysterious entity and they have to navigate quite perilous situations acting as each other's eyes and body.
All in all, Malevolent is the combination of excellent writing, excellent performance, and excellent execution. The immersion of the entirety of the work is indescribably wonderful, and the real chill you get from the scenarios they find themselves in is thrilling.
