Review: Extremely Formulaic, Mildly Entertaining
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 21, 2012
Yes, this book cries out for an editor but as an independent author Dunn has worked hard on this novel without a doubt. It follows all the rules to grind out an average horror novel, with stereotypical characters and relationships, formulaic confrontations with the "creature" that ratchet up the stakes until the end. There are a few flaws which the reviewer who gave a "2" rating meticulously found and pointed out, but on the other hand I think there were other aspects that got overlooked in the other reviews. The author did a bit of homework on the actual creature and it was an oddly believable monster - more than most in ebook horror novels. I liked that it actually evolves within its surroundings and has an impact on its environment. I think this book deserves a "3" rating as is since it is "structurally-sound", and if the author re-edits a bit it should arrive finally at a 3.5 (not higher mostly due to all the cliches). The Ruins is a superior novel since the characters are more 3-dimensional that the ones found in Creepers. I hope that in Dunn's other work he focuses a bit on bringing the characters to life so we as readers can care whether or not they live or die. As is, I often had a hard time telling the characters apart and wasn't sure who exactly lived or died in some cases.