by Kenneth Grant ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
Though its monsters are a bit too hazy, this tale deftly merges trepidation with exhilaration.
A Baltimore teenager may be the only one who can stop a dark, mysterious entity from taking over the world in this supernatural thriller debut.
Hunter Peak is looking forward to his upcoming 18th birthday so he can be on his own and escape the crushing weight of his dominating mother. He should have enough money to move out of his home, as he has been receiving steady pay from a college professor for historical-data research. But lately, Hunter has been sensing something, a darkness that he sometimes feels is watching or following him. He chalks it up to paranoia, but there may be more to it. A distraught professor Jameson tells Hunter that there has been a breakthrough with the academic’s experiments, with ties to the research the teen has been doing. Jameson takes responsibility for what the media have dubbed “the occurrences,” a string of inexplicable disappearances around the world. He further cryptically states that, because of Hunter’s research, an unspecified “they” have targeted the teen. It’s clear later that someone wants Jameson’s files on Hunter, a series of thumb drives. As the occurrences continue, the darkness becomes somewhat discernible shadow creatures that attack seemingly random people. Largely concealed and unknown villains may be after Hunter because they believe he’ll unravel their ultimate goal. But uncovering answers won’t be simple, especially since the media are certain they have identified the culprit behind the shadow attacks: presumed terrorist Hunter, allegedly using nerve gas to cause hallucinations and mass hysteria. Grant’s novel seamlessly shifts between action scenes and horror. Hunter, for example, is initially the hunted, dodging things that he often can’t see and on the run as a branded terrorist. The story covers a wide range of characters, most of whom have a connection to Hunter, like reporter Charity Chandlis, who’s tracking the recent events. These also include Hunter’s allies: his childhood pal Jessica Mason; schoolmate Shadon; and Mark, a friend to the professor. A nicely understated love triangle even adds another dynamic to the protagonist, as Shadon and Jessica may have a mutual fondness for Hunter. Meanwhile, the author keeps the baddies (including “they”) generally obscure, both in details and origin. This works to great effect with the shadow monsters: Speculation that they are demons enhances the idea of Hunter’s questioning God’s existence, in contrast to his churchgoing mother. But descriptions of the evil creatures are primarily vague. Indeed, the monsters’ shapes vary, but traits are disappointingly scarce for most appearances (at one point, they’re called “mini black blobs”). Not surprisingly, creatures with more particulars prove indelible: “Using its writhing appendages as leverage to manipulate its mass, grabbing onto rails, posts and beams to push and pull itself while cruelly tripping and toying with its prey.” Regardless, the beasts are unquestionably menacing, and while the final act clarifies most of what was happening (for example, the occurrences), questions remain and the creatures are no less horrific.
Though its monsters are a bit too hazy, this tale deftly merges trepidation with exhilaration.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 510
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
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New York Times Bestseller
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
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by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2016
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
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IndieBound Bestseller
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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