TICK TOWN

On the eve of a community festival, a small Wisconsin town suffers attacks from giant, bloodthirsty mutant ticks in Micklos’ horror novel.

Tomahawk Hollow is a rural Wisconsin town heavily dependent on the tourism trade—the annual Jubilee festival is a key attraction. It is a bit of a problem, then, when hideous, waist-high, intelligent mutant ticks come out of the woods (which are home to a defunct pesticide plant). The savage monsters ravenously attack humans and animals alike, draining their blood and leaving a trail of carnage. Emmaline Blackdeer, a young reporter for the failing local newspaper, and her mentor-editor, Jackson Reed, attempt to investigate, but the corrupt mayor, Silas Cankerby, and a sinister squad of German mercenaries undermine their efforts with a coverup of apocalyptic proportions. Will Tomahawk Hollow survive? Will humanity? Readers of a certain age may recall the lurid horror paperbacks found in the spinner racks and airport gift shops of the previous century, with their schlocky scenarios of nature and animals run amok; memorable titles from the genre include The Swarm (1974), Slither (1986), Night of the Crabs (1976), and, of course, Jaws (1974). Here, first-time author Micklos (who is also a horror filmmaker) entertainingly hits just about all cliches in the formula, from gratuitous opening-pages sex to the community celebration-turned-bloodbath to corporate corruption to the sequel-friendly ending. (“The closest tick was nearly on him, though, rising slightly on its hind legs as if gloating over its prey. Its harpoon-like hypostome extended from its mouthparts like a hideous, barbed erection,” reads one lurid passage.) Unlike, say, Brian Wilford’s similar Rise of the Jellies (2024), there is no obvious comic spoofing; Micklos has the doom-serious tone down to a T (for tick) and plays the slaughter with a perfectly straight face, escalating skillfully and with a minimum of padding to the absurdly violent showdown in the heart of the hell-spawned tick nest. The downside is a never-less-than-predictable narrative arc; still, splatter-punk fans who relish such material will not be disappointed.

Gore nerds will appreciate this canny update of the trashy horror/SF potboilers of yesteryear.