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jamieh2024's review against another edition
4.0
This one was a fun reading experience. While not great literature it was blessedly mindless in that one didn't have to worry about the story progression. As a reader sometimes its enough to sit back and enjoy the ride and I did with this book.
From the back cover:
Wakely was a small, farming community, a mere flyspeck on the map. But there was something terribly wrong there, something wrong with the people. They were pale and gaunt, many had abnormally long fingernails and some had noticed an enlargement of their canine teeth.
There were frightened at first, but soon came to love the darkness and hate the sunlight. They didn't want any strangers there, but they had a sudden craving for bloody, raw meat, and the supply of animals was running low...
There was something wrong with the town of Wakely--something that will chill you to the marrow of your bones.
From the back cover:
Wakely was a small, farming community, a mere flyspeck on the map. But there was something terribly wrong there, something wrong with the people. They were pale and gaunt, many had abnormally long fingernails and some had noticed an enlargement of their canine teeth.
There were frightened at first, but soon came to love the darkness and hate the sunlight. They didn't want any strangers there, but they had a sudden craving for bloody, raw meat, and the supply of animals was running low...
There was something wrong with the town of Wakely--something that will chill you to the marrow of your bones.
necrabelle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
harrietj's review against another edition
1.0
If a reader is seeking a fast paced and gruesome read, and if that's the extent of their desires, then this book will more than satisfy. Anyone seeking more will be disappointed.
Hutson excels when he describes gore, which in this book is plentiful, and vividly described. There's at least as much violence and cruelty directed at animals as at people, which I found quite difficult to read at times, so be aware going in. He does not excel anywhere else. His characters do not develop, his women hardly speak, and at times he has his characters say exceptionally racist things. Characters hardly react to enormously traumatic events. At one point a character flirtatiously giggles with a lover about her previous partner's head being shot off next to her. Hutson's characters do not act at all like real people.
The plot is thin, and easy to pick holes in, but where's the fun in that? It's pulpy horror schlock that reads like a first draft. I'm sure that's exactly what Hutson intended when he wrote it. It's a throwaway splatterpunk read, and the fact that it's being read now thirty years after publication is frankly impressive.
Hutson excels when he describes gore, which in this book is plentiful, and vividly described. There's at least as much violence and cruelty directed at animals as at people, which I found quite difficult to read at times, so be aware going in. He does not excel anywhere else. His characters do not develop, his women hardly speak, and at times he has his characters say exceptionally racist things. Characters hardly react to enormously traumatic events. At one point a character flirtatiously giggles with a lover about her previous partner's head being shot off next to her. Hutson's characters do not act at all like real people.
The plot is thin, and easy to pick holes in, but where's the fun in that? It's pulpy horror schlock that reads like a first draft. I'm sure that's exactly what Hutson intended when he wrote it. It's a throwaway splatterpunk read, and the fact that it's being read now thirty years after publication is frankly impressive.
jch2022's review against another edition
4.0
This one was a fun reading experience. While not great literature it was blessedly mindless in that one didn't have to worry about the story progression. As a reader sometimes its enough to sit back and enjoy the ride and I did with this book.
From the back cover:
Wakely was a small, farming community, a mere flyspeck on the map. But there was something terribly wrong there, something wrong with the people. They were pale and gaunt, many had abnormally long fingernails and some had noticed an enlargement of their canine teeth.
There were frightened at first, but soon came to love the darkness and hate the sunlight. They didn't want any strangers there, but they had a sudden craving for bloody, raw meat, and the supply of animals was running low...
There was something wrong with the town of Wakely--something that will chill you to the marrow of your bones.
From the back cover:
Wakely was a small, farming community, a mere flyspeck on the map. But there was something terribly wrong there, something wrong with the people. They were pale and gaunt, many had abnormally long fingernails and some had noticed an enlargement of their canine teeth.
There were frightened at first, but soon came to love the darkness and hate the sunlight. They didn't want any strangers there, but they had a sudden craving for bloody, raw meat, and the supply of animals was running low...
There was something wrong with the town of Wakely--something that will chill you to the marrow of your bones.
dannireadsallthetime's review against another edition
3.0
My first read by Shaun Hutson and this book is batshit crazy. I never thought I would see the day and actually say "There is too much gore in this book". I really enjoy gore and blood and guts and all things nasty, but I just felt that this book was just way too much, I am surprised I am even saying this to be honest with you. If you think you can handle it, by all means crack on, but this is really gory and ergghhh I think I gagged a lot reading this.
In a lovely little town of Wakley the animals start acting weird. The baby animals all start growing at twice their rate, and then they start attacking. Then it moves onto humans and the whole town is in turmoil. It is a great horror story and I really enjoyed this aspect of it, its just want you want from a horror story, its fast paced and exciting, it was just gore overload. I will definitely be reading more of Hutson I just hope I don't throw up.
In a lovely little town of Wakley the animals start acting weird. The baby animals all start growing at twice their rate, and then they start attacking. Then it moves onto humans and the whole town is in turmoil. It is a great horror story and I really enjoyed this aspect of it, its just want you want from a horror story, its fast paced and exciting, it was just gore overload. I will definitely be reading more of Hutson I just hope I don't throw up.
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