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bookworm_brad's review
3.0
I have slightly mixed feelings about this book. As a quick read it fits the bill. The action scenes had enough excitement and there was suspense and drama in places.
Similar to another book I read not long ago the main issues I had were how the main character managed to find just what he needed, just when he needed it and yet the gun he found and used for hunting early on is never mentioned once the monster is released. That might have been a useful weapon but it appesars forgotten. Later on he is armed with a machete but I guess I missed the bit where he acquired that particular item. Even rewinding didn't explain where it came from. Luckily he also found tents and a trolley washed up on the shore (convenient) along with some rope though he later had to use vines to make rope as this seems to have disappeared like the rifle.
He also repeatedly says he has to be quiet to ensure the monster doesn't here him yet he hacks branches off several tree trunks on the beach. How does he do that without any noise? On a few occasions he discovers and sees things that he takes a few minutes to work out what they are while the reader knows immediately from a written description what they are. I mean, a desserted village, and a nearby area with lots of 6 foot long mounds in the earth: what could that possibly be, oh wait, it's a graveyard. Took him long enough.
After saying all that though it's a fun read/listen as long as you can suspend belief for a while.
Nigel Peever does a credible job with the narration but I really wish the production would cut out all the distracting sound effects and just read the story. The intro sounds at the start of each chapter are particularly irritating and far too loud through headphones or Bluetooth car/van speakers and some of the effects overpower the narration.
I received a free copy of this audiobook either from the author or a promotion or giveaway and am voluntarily writing an honest and unbiased review.
Similar to another book I read not long ago the main issues I had were how the main character managed to find just what he needed, just when he needed it and yet the gun he found and used for hunting early on is never mentioned once the monster is released. That might have been a useful weapon but it appesars forgotten. Later on he is armed with a machete but I guess I missed the bit where he acquired that particular item. Even rewinding didn't explain where it came from. Luckily he also found tents and a trolley washed up on the shore (convenient) along with some rope though he later had to use vines to make rope as this seems to have disappeared like the rifle.
He also repeatedly says he has to be quiet to ensure the monster doesn't here him yet he hacks branches off several tree trunks on the beach. How does he do that without any noise? On a few occasions he discovers and sees things that he takes a few minutes to work out what they are while the reader knows immediately from a written description what they are. I mean, a desserted village, and a nearby area with lots of 6 foot long mounds in the earth: what could that possibly be, oh wait, it's a graveyard. Took him long enough.
After saying all that though it's a fun read/listen as long as you can suspend belief for a while.
Nigel Peever does a credible job with the narration but I really wish the production would cut out all the distracting sound effects and just read the story. The intro sounds at the start of each chapter are particularly irritating and far too loud through headphones or Bluetooth car/van speakers and some of the effects overpower the narration.
I received a free copy of this audiobook either from the author or a promotion or giveaway and am voluntarily writing an honest and unbiased review.
thomaswjoyce's review
5.0
An entertaining and dark tale of dread and horror (And perhaps with a deeper meaning?)
So the author has spoken openly for his fondness of Lovecraft and Carpenter's 'The Thing' and the influences are clear to see in this story, from the appearance of the monster to the hints at elder cults and subterranean evil. Chant also does a great job of building the tension slowly after the explosive start of the plane crash. There is very little in the way of gore and needless bloodletting, but there is plenty of dread and tension boiling just beneath the surface as Dexter finds himself all alone on the tropical island, the only survivor. He is depicted as an everyman, his response to the screaming child on the plane is, as much as we'd like to deny it, extremely relatable. And it is easy to denounce his actions on exiting the aircraft as selfish and self-serving. But who here can honestly say they would have sacrificed themselves for a stranger in the burning wreckage of a plane? We would all like to think ourselves virtuous but, until we are in that situation who is to say how we would react? And Dexter certainly shows remorse later when he thinks back to the crash.
Now, I may be wrong here, this may say more about me than the author, but I felt there was a deeper meaning to the story. Dexter finds himself trapped on a deserted island, hunted relentlessly by a monster, and striving to survive the best he can given the circumstances. If the island is a difficult life situation (mid-life, an unhappy relationship, a stifling and unrewarding career) that the hero finds himself trapped within, the monster could represent death, or the ticking clock, while he strives to escape the isolation and difficult situation. He even considers suicide at one point.
I did find the repeated instances of Dexter awakening and being unsure of where he was and what was happening to be a little distracting at first. But when I considered the deeper meaning I realised that this repetition could be indicative of the days and weeks of finding oneself stuck in a rut and having to wake to the same feeling and dread day after day, with little hope of escape. But with persistence Dexter manages to do just that. Like I say, perhaps I'm reading too much into it.
I enjoyed Chant's first book, Burning House, very much but there are signs of progression with Maldicion. The way he builds the tension and dread, from the discovery within the village to the very last sentence, is brilliant. The nods to HPL and Carpenter are there, but the story is Daniel Marc Chant from beginning to end, and I'm looking forward to my next read of his work. (Mr. Robespierre!)
So the author has spoken openly for his fondness of Lovecraft and Carpenter's 'The Thing' and the influences are clear to see in this story, from the appearance of the monster to the hints at elder cults and subterranean evil. Chant also does a great job of building the tension slowly after the explosive start of the plane crash. There is very little in the way of gore and needless bloodletting, but there is plenty of dread and tension boiling just beneath the surface as Dexter finds himself all alone on the tropical island, the only survivor. He is depicted as an everyman, his response to the screaming child on the plane is, as much as we'd like to deny it, extremely relatable. And it is easy to denounce his actions on exiting the aircraft as selfish and self-serving. But who here can honestly say they would have sacrificed themselves for a stranger in the burning wreckage of a plane? We would all like to think ourselves virtuous but, until we are in that situation who is to say how we would react? And Dexter certainly shows remorse later when he thinks back to the crash.
Now, I may be wrong here, this may say more about me than the author, but I felt there was a deeper meaning to the story. Dexter finds himself trapped on a deserted island, hunted relentlessly by a monster, and striving to survive the best he can given the circumstances. If the island is a difficult life situation (mid-life, an unhappy relationship, a stifling and unrewarding career) that the hero finds himself trapped within, the monster could represent death, or the ticking clock, while he strives to escape the isolation and difficult situation. He even considers suicide at one point.
I did find the repeated instances of Dexter awakening and being unsure of where he was and what was happening to be a little distracting at first. But when I considered the deeper meaning I realised that this repetition could be indicative of the days and weeks of finding oneself stuck in a rut and having to wake to the same feeling and dread day after day, with little hope of escape. But with persistence Dexter manages to do just that. Like I say, perhaps I'm reading too much into it.
I enjoyed Chant's first book, Burning House, very much but there are signs of progression with Maldicion. The way he builds the tension and dread, from the discovery within the village to the very last sentence, is brilliant. The nods to HPL and Carpenter are there, but the story is Daniel Marc Chant from beginning to end, and I'm looking forward to my next read of his work. (Mr. Robespierre!)
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