NOWHERE TO LAND

A flight from the United States to South Africa turns into a deathtrap when a genetically modified monster gets loose midflight in Houston’s horror thriller.

When Flight 1219 takes off on its 14-hour journey across the Atlantic Ocean, the double-decked Boeing 747 carries both passengers and freight and a crew that includes four pilots. In the cargo hold, there is a mysterious, massive crate, set to be delivered to Granthom Research Group and escorted by a pair of shady scientists; among the other passengers are a famous rock musician and a U.S. senator as well as a 3-year-old girl. As the plane is over the sea, a nightmarish creature crawls out of the crate—a colossal beast with tentacles, a huge maw, poisonous saliva, and corrosive green blood that can burn through metal. It starts killing passengers, including three of the pilots, and panic spreads among the survivors when it becomes clear the creature is as intelligent as it is deadly. As the aircraft flies into a thunderstorm, it’s running out of fuel, and it’s up to air marshal Quentin Kane and former U.S. Navy pilot Eden Stone to take charge. Houston’s gory and remarkably fun novel feels like an amped-up, somewhat bonkers mashup of Snakes on a Planeand Frankenstein, with nonstop action, cinematic flair, and plenty of recognizable tropes from slasher and action movies. The narrative hops around many different characters’ perspectives but mostly focuses on Quentin and Eden, a pair of tough-as-nails action heroes with traumas to get over and something to prove (while also falling in love). It may feature some clichés, predictable beats, and cheesy lines such as “the moment we boarded this airplane, we opened a bag of nightmares,” but its familiarity will appeal to genre fans, who may wonder when a movie version is coming out.

A grand, edge-of-your-seat creature feature.