Horror Book Reviews
Nov 17, 2022 16:56:59 GMT -5
Post by proceduralbob on Nov 17, 2022 16:56:59 GMT -5
As previously alluded to I am a voracious reader and I thought I would start putting together some reviews of books I'd read.
This is especially timely as my most recently read book is...
This will be a largely spoiler-free review, with the information I will be spoiling coming from the dust jacket or the first couple of chapters, but if you prefer not to see even mild spoilers do not read on. Although I will not be discussing any of this in detail in the review, please be advised that the book contains depictions of violence, gore and intense calorie restriction.
Devolution is a 2020 book by Max Brooks; aka, the author of World War Z (among other things). Devolution follows a similar structure; like World War Z it is an epistolary novel about a seemingly fictional/fantasy experience written as though it is being discussed by real people, academics, and emergency services. Where World War Z was a zombie apocalypse, Devolution focuses on the Sasquatch/Bigfoot. A small "smart community" two hours drive from Seattle, where a small group get to enjoy the comforts of living in the wilderness and cut off from city life, but still enjoy smart phones, Wi-Fi and getting fresh food delivered by drone, gets cut off from civilization completely by the eruption of Mount Rainier and are forced to contend with first their survival preparedness, and then with what the ecological disturbance has sent out of the woods and into their community. The story is told through a mix of academic publications, interviews, news footage, and the journal entries of one of the community members.
As someone from Australia, I know of Bigfoot from popular culture but I am not familiar with the ins and outs of the cryptid the way someone from the Pacific Northwest would be. I am just as poorly informed about volcanoes. And yet, one of my favourite subgenres of literature is the survival story, so I was always going to be personally drawn in by the idea of a small, ill-equipped community suddenly having to ration, forage and develop skills for survival until rescue, even before a Sasquatch gets involved. I'm going to attribute this to being someone who grew up on Tomorrow, When The War Began by John Marsden.
Max Brooks successfully combines satire, horror and cryptozoology to put together a book that is entertaining, frightening and easy to read. An easy five stars for me, even though I am aware that it is not going to land that way for everyone. If you appreciate fiction more grounded in reality or aren't a fan of epistolary or found footage style storytelling, this book probably won't be for you. However, if you enjoy social satire and don't mind suspending disbelief for the sake of the story, this one might be your next big read.
I've seen some discussion online of finding the ending challenging and - though I will be circumspect so as to avoid spoilers - I did not personally find this to be the case. If you are someone who does not mind a little ambiguity, I don't expect this to be a problem for you either. If on the other hand you like to have things very clearly laid out, you may find it a little unsatisfying.
This is especially timely as my most recently read book is...
Devolution by Max Brooks
Devolution is a 2020 book by Max Brooks; aka, the author of World War Z (among other things). Devolution follows a similar structure; like World War Z it is an epistolary novel about a seemingly fictional/fantasy experience written as though it is being discussed by real people, academics, and emergency services. Where World War Z was a zombie apocalypse, Devolution focuses on the Sasquatch/Bigfoot. A small "smart community" two hours drive from Seattle, where a small group get to enjoy the comforts of living in the wilderness and cut off from city life, but still enjoy smart phones, Wi-Fi and getting fresh food delivered by drone, gets cut off from civilization completely by the eruption of Mount Rainier and are forced to contend with first their survival preparedness, and then with what the ecological disturbance has sent out of the woods and into their community. The story is told through a mix of academic publications, interviews, news footage, and the journal entries of one of the community members.
As someone from Australia, I know of Bigfoot from popular culture but I am not familiar with the ins and outs of the cryptid the way someone from the Pacific Northwest would be. I am just as poorly informed about volcanoes. And yet, one of my favourite subgenres of literature is the survival story, so I was always going to be personally drawn in by the idea of a small, ill-equipped community suddenly having to ration, forage and develop skills for survival until rescue, even before a Sasquatch gets involved. I'm going to attribute this to being someone who grew up on Tomorrow, When The War Began by John Marsden.
Max Brooks successfully combines satire, horror and cryptozoology to put together a book that is entertaining, frightening and easy to read. An easy five stars for me, even though I am aware that it is not going to land that way for everyone. If you appreciate fiction more grounded in reality or aren't a fan of epistolary or found footage style storytelling, this book probably won't be for you. However, if you enjoy social satire and don't mind suspending disbelief for the sake of the story, this one might be your next big read.
I've seen some discussion online of finding the ending challenging and - though I will be circumspect so as to avoid spoilers - I did not personally find this to be the case. If you are someone who does not mind a little ambiguity, I don't expect this to be a problem for you either. If on the other hand you like to have things very clearly laid out, you may find it a little unsatisfying.