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averymiller's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
When a janitor smuggles a laboratory mouse home, he has no idea of the horror he has unleashed upon the southwest. Holed up in a desert dive, two meth heads, an ex-cop, and a gambler have to find a way past the ravenous beast and to freedom...
As I get older, I'm rediscovering my fondness for gore-splattered creature features. Exponential, Adam Cesare's homage to The Blob and road horror movies, fits the bill.
Exponential is an homage to The Blob and it shows. Only instead of a giant amoeba, the blob of Exponential is a gelatinous pile of dissolving organs and bone fragments. Kind of like the contents of a Taco Bell burrito.
The group of strangers stranded someplace and threatened by an unspeakable menace is one of my favorite horror tropes and Cecsare mines the vein pretty hard. I was at once reminded of Tremors, Maximum Overdrive, and a hundred other B movies from the 80s and early 90s. The characters were surprisingly rich. Kate mourns a dead child. Ken tries to do the right thing despite being a meth dealer. Nez couldn't hack being a cop anymore. Vicki runs from her childhood.
The carnage level is very high. I never felt like the characters were working with a net, which is a good thing because that net would be saturated with blood and bits of monster before long. The ending was satisfying but I'm hoping Son of Exponential shows up one of these days.
Exponential is a shitty 80s horror movie in book form. I mean that in the best of ways. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
As I get older, I'm rediscovering my fondness for gore-splattered creature features. Exponential, Adam Cesare's homage to The Blob and road horror movies, fits the bill.
Exponential is an homage to The Blob and it shows. Only instead of a giant amoeba, the blob of Exponential is a gelatinous pile of dissolving organs and bone fragments. Kind of like the contents of a Taco Bell burrito.
The group of strangers stranded someplace and threatened by an unspeakable menace is one of my favorite horror tropes and Cecsare mines the vein pretty hard. I was at once reminded of Tremors, Maximum Overdrive, and a hundred other B movies from the 80s and early 90s. The characters were surprisingly rich. Kate mourns a dead child. Ken tries to do the right thing despite being a meth dealer. Nez couldn't hack being a cop anymore. Vicki runs from her childhood.
The carnage level is very high. I never felt like the characters were working with a net, which is a good thing because that net would be saturated with blood and bits of monster before long. The ending was satisfying but I'm hoping Son of Exponential shows up one of these days.
Exponential is a shitty 80s horror movie in book form. I mean that in the best of ways. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
tomesoftrouble's review against another edition
3.0
Opting for an ensemble of shifting viewpoints instead of a strong central lead makes it a little hard to invest at first, but about halfway through the book finally hooks you. Overall, it's a decent little creature feature. I definitely agree with the comparisons to Tremors!
necrotechnical's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bundy23's review against another edition
3.0
As usual Cesare's writing isn't particularly original, and it definitely ain't high art, but as pure entertainment it works exactly as it should. I especially like the way he introduces characters, sets up their backstory making you think you've met the hero of the day only to have them die a horrible death a paragraph or 2 later. It makes me smile every single time.
Of the 6 times I've ventured into Cesare's 80's slasher imagination this is probably my favourite visit (although [b: Zero Lives Remaining|22600474|Zero Lives Remaining|Adam Cesare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568908817l/22600474._SY75_.jpg|42085818] was pretty cool too).
Of the 6 times I've ventured into Cesare's 80's slasher imagination this is probably my favourite visit (although [b: Zero Lives Remaining|22600474|Zero Lives Remaining|Adam Cesare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568908817l/22600474._SY75_.jpg|42085818] was pretty cool too).
hotsake's review against another edition
3.0
3.25/5.
Overall this was a fun book to read but there were a lot of issues with the book as well. Too many characters were introduced just as they were killed and there is a main character that ended up not impacting the plot in any real way and felt like a forgotten piece.
I find Adam Cesare to be a fun writer and I enjoy his B-movie prose. I plan on reading anything and everything that he writes. Also, it should be noted that he gets better with every book and I can tell that even when reading his works out of order.
Overall this was a fun book to read but there were a lot of issues with the book as well. Too many characters were introduced just as they were killed and there is a main character that ended up not impacting the plot in any real way and felt like a forgotten piece.
I find Adam Cesare to be a fun writer and I enjoy his B-movie prose. I plan on reading anything and everything that he writes. Also, it should be noted that he gets better with every book and I can tell that even when reading his works out of order.
deadhighwaybooks's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
brigitte66's review
5.0
Like a cross between The Thing (who goes there) and Little Heaven. My favorite movie and one of my favorite books! Liked the characters, loved the monster, never bored with this one.
kkehoe's review against another edition
4.0
A fun monster-survival story reminiscent of the movies "Feast" and "Splinter". Interesting characters in a desperate locale dealing with a terrifying creature. Who could ask for more?