Review: A Dark, Bloody, and Fun Monster Tale!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 12, 2012
I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more from the writer in the future.What at first seems like only some much desired rain in a hot English summer soon turns into a nightmarish flood complete with an amazing and powerful supernatural behemoth. As the flood waters continue to rise, tension builds and the creature is granted more access to feed on helpless and desperate residents struggling to survive. The characters are very realistic and the prose is darkly beautiful throughout.I greatly appreciated the many scenes of various residents' encounters with the beast and their varied but almost always bloody ends. Reading about the town and its hastening demise from the rains while the townsfolk struggle with the reality of the situation was incredibly entertaining and I think realistically portrayed how humans will be humans - even in the face of surreal levels of danger.The story follows multiple interesting characters (some with previous interpersonal conflicts boiling)and the closest to a main character is a very well written alcoholic whose life had recently started collapsing on itself. While I certainly liked him, he was written realistically enough that his own shortcomings sometimes earned my disapproving judgment. The antagonist, more than a mindless monster, is also a character itself and its thoughts and motivations are explored to some degree, but not enough to take away the mystery or turn it into something that is ever fully "known". The climax was gripping and took the already thrilling tale to new levels of darkness.I highly recommend this book and am ecstatic about such a well written monster story coming from a lesser known writer and hope this quality of work gets it's due appreciation. In other words, I totally think you should check it out.