Welcome to my Saturday Screams.
Today’s reviews are for all of you lovers of creatures. Got two of them that I really enjoyed. There be a fire breathing dragon and big, hairy beasts.
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Monster
by Frank Peretti
Genre: Horror / Christian Thriller
My Review
I’ve enjoyed other books by this author and couldn’t resist this one. It’s different from his other Christian thriller novels and takes a swing at the Sasquatch legend.
This is a Sasquatch story with a twist. Reed drags his wife, Beck, along on a weekend survival trek. It quickly turns into a nightmare when a huge animal comes out and takes Beth. As search parties organize and enter the wilderness in search of Beth, something else is out there, hunting them down, along with the creature that took her.
The twist for me was reading about what happened with Beth. She has to survive her abduction. And it’s scary and sometimes funny what she has to contend with. Sasquatch is in no way human. A large predator with plenty of attitude, the family dynamics for them is tumultuous and violent. Talk about dysfunctional. And Beth has to fight for her place in order to stay alive long enough to be rescued.
There’s a strong sense of urgency as you get into the story. And for such a large book, I was surprised how quickly I finished it. Grab the book, remember this is fiction, and just enjoy the ride. It’s well worth a go.
I’m still crossing my fingers that this will be made into a movie. It would be such an adventure.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Reed Shelton organized this survival weekend. Hired the best guide in the region. Meticulously trained, studied, and packed while encouraging his wife, Beck, to do the same. But little did they know that surviving the elements would become the least of their worries.
During their first night of camping, an unearthly wail pierces the calm of the forest. Then someone – no, something – emerges from the dense woods and begins pursuing them. Everything that follows is a blur to Reed – except for the unforgettable image of a huge creature carrying his wife into the darkness.
Dependent on the efforts of a small town and a band of friends, Reed knows they have little time to find Beck. Even more important, he soon realizes that they aren’t the only ones doing the hunting. Something much faster, more relentless – and definitely not human – has begun to hunt them.
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Leviathan
by James Byron Huggins
Genre: Science Fiction / Horror / Spiritualism
My Review
I can’t quite pin down the genre for this. I notice it’s been tagged as science fiction, which I agree with that. But I feel it’s also a horror and spiritualism genre too.
There’s the beast. What a beast it is too. It started out as a benign creature. Then the idiots alter it genetically, hoping to use it as a weapon. I swear, no matter how many times I come across this plot, it just never gets old for me.
Imagine a harmless creature turned into something that looks like a dragon. Then make it impossible to kill and program it’s brain like a computer. Then imagine it getting a mind of it’s own and a raging desire to kill and burn.
Thor is a mysterious viking, a giant of a man living an isolated life in an ancient tower on the harsh and frozen Grimwald Island, his only companion his valiant steed, Tanngrisner. Until the men come. He’s a gentle giant and quickly comes to care for these men and their families, as they do him.
When the beast escapes his confinement under the ice, they must keep it from reaching the surface, for there will be no stopping it’s bloody revenge then.
What really drove this story for me was the character’s. The author really outdid himself in bringing them to life. Even some that are only briefly mentioned are easily imagined. I felt bad that they were hired to do an innocuous job, little knowing the terrible secrets being performed behind blast proof doors deep in the caverns below.
And I adored Thor. He’s an epic warrior and the best of heroes. His friendship with Connor and his wife and daughter is strong, forged with love and loyalty. The power of the bond between Thor and Connor is another favorite part of this book.
Take a bunch of people, good and bad, and isolate them somewhere with the harshest of elements, and then unleash holy hell on them. This is the best of scenarios for me and I loved everything about this book. I’ve reread this several times and will do so again. Can’t recommend it enough.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
In a cyberspace experiment deep beneath an Arctic island, Electromagnetic Chromosomal Manipulation recreates man’s most ancient nightmare. Searching to possess a living weapon that can bring every nation to its knees, scientists spawn a dark legend that once trembled the Earth, a beast that heralds the end of the world.
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