Editorial Reviews are In…

⏱️ Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

As many of you know, my second novel is set to release this February. Titled Medusa; Or, Men Entombed in Winter, it represents more than a year and a half of focused, obsessive work. I began writing Medusa well before my debut novel, Whalers, was published, but only now does it finally feel ready to fully discuss.

Medusa follows Peter Holloway, a Dartmouth College student whose friendship with the brilliant and dangerously charismatic Meddy leads to the creation of a student activism group that spirals into a cult deep in the frozen woods of northern Maine. It’s one part The Secret History, one part Wild Wild Country, filtered through my love of literary fiction.

I always feel a little strange trying to describe how “good” my own book is. Of course I think it’s good — I wrote the damn thing, but I’ve always been taught to be humble.

That being said, the current hype behind Medusa feels different than Whalers ever felt. The editorial reviews are in, and people whose don’t know me from Adam are all saying remarkably similar things. So rather than try to convince you that this book is good myself, I’ll let their words do the talking.

Let’s go through them… without comment.

Editorial Reviews:

Saffron Asteria is a podcaster and website creator highly invested in the world of indie novels. Her website, Indiosyncrasy, is dedicated to highlighting indie authors and their books, and her podcast, BOOKED, does weekly interviews with authors on their creations.

Saffron’s review of Medusa was glowing. Not only did she call it “one of the top books [she’s] read in [her] adult life” but she also praised the characters, pacing, and said she wishes that she can “read it for the first time again”.

Medusa is comfortably one of the best books I’ve read this year, and among the top books I’ve read in my adult life. There’s something so rhythmic about Farnworth’s writing that spoke to me, grabbed me by the eyeballs and lit a fire of excitement in my guts.

You can read her full review of Medusa by clicking this link.

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Next up, we have The Book Review Directory, a website that specializes in providing authors like myself unbiased reviews of their soon to be published work. They review books under the collective name of the website, so I couldn’t tell you who specifically read Medusa. All I know is they felt very similar to Saffron.

The review said called Medusa a “terrific and riveting narrative”, “a superb novel”, and “folksy, credible, and at times unsettling”. The review praises the character development, specifically the relationship between the main character, Peter, and Medusa herself.

Medusa is a nearly flawless novel with an absorbing and conceivable plot, fascinating characters, and a memorable climax. Kyle Farnworth has written a dynamite book that will linger in the reader’s minds for quite some time.

You can read The Book Review Directory’s full review here.

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Literary Titan, the website that gave Whalers their “Gold Book Award”, is the third and final review I’d like to highlight here. Ellie Pulliam reviewed Medusa for their website, and like the others, commented on the writing being “sharp”, “raw”, and “real”. In her review she mentioned how she liked how the novel “asked big questions without pretending to have big answers”, and even compared the book to one of my all-time favorites.

Reading Medusa felt a lot like diving into Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, that same haunting mix of intellect, obsession, and the slow, beautiful unraveling of people who think they’re smarter than their own downfall.

To read Ellie’s full review, click this link.

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Medusa has also been reviewed by Rabia Tanveer of Readers’ Favorite, among other early readers who have taken advantage of reading the Advanced Review Copy posted to this very website.

Rabia called the novel “thought-provoking and incredibly well-written.”

One early reviewer discussed the titular character by saying that “seldom has a character given me the creeps faster.”

Another said they “thought the use of Medusa in this was fantastic.”

To date, not a single reviewer has given it less than 5 stars.

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Medusa; Or, Men Entombed in Winter is a nearly 400 page literary epic that explores how even the best of ideas can unravel in the cold winter snow of northern Maine.

The cover (teased above) will be fully revealed on December 1st, 2025.

The novel will release on February 24th, 2026.

Love you guys.

-KF