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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
I'm so pleased with Valancourt Books and their Paperbacks from Hell series reprints. I started off my first round of reads with Gregory A. Douglas/Eli Cantor's THE NEST.
I am not the biggest fan of creature feature horror so this was a step out of my comfort zone, however, Douglas served as a fantastic introductory author and I'll definitely be back. Also, if you think this book won't bother you because cockroaches aren't scary - guess again. This book is an all out creeptastic gore-fest with lots of cringe worthy moments.
The book is paced like an RPG with our cast of heroes - the sheriff, the scientist, the brassy dame, the wise old dude, the dumb tough guy,...(you get the point) - squaring off against an invasion of killer cockroaches on a sleepy island near Cape Cod.
I was honestly surprised with the quality of this paperback classic that has recently risen to cult-like status. Douglas is a great writer, his dialogue is realistic, his characters are memorable, the plot was paced well, and there's a healthy - but not obnoxious - smattering of GRE words thrown in to elevate the whole book. My only complaint is that the scientific descriptions about cockroaches were a little long in the thorax and it felt like I was reading my high school Biology textbook. No thank you.
Do yourself a favor, add THE NEST to your October horror must-reads if you're looking for a good creature feature, and watch the 1988 film too while you're at it.
I am not the biggest fan of creature feature horror so this was a step out of my comfort zone, however, Douglas served as a fantastic introductory author and I'll definitely be back. Also, if you think this book won't bother you because cockroaches aren't scary - guess again. This book is an all out creeptastic gore-fest with lots of cringe worthy moments.
The book is paced like an RPG with our cast of heroes - the sheriff, the scientist, the brassy dame, the wise old dude, the dumb tough guy,...(you get the point) - squaring off against an invasion of killer cockroaches on a sleepy island near Cape Cod.
I was honestly surprised with the quality of this paperback classic that has recently risen to cult-like status. Douglas is a great writer, his dialogue is realistic, his characters are memorable, the plot was paced well, and there's a healthy - but not obnoxious - smattering of GRE words thrown in to elevate the whole book. My only complaint is that the scientific descriptions about cockroaches were a little long in the thorax and it felt like I was reading my high school Biology textbook. No thank you.
Do yourself a favor, add THE NEST to your October horror must-reads if you're looking for a good creature feature, and watch the 1988 film too while you're at it.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5/5 stars!
One of my favorite sub-genres of horror is the creature feature, and boy does this one deliver!
On a small island off the coast of Cape Cod, something is happening in the middle of the island's dump. There's hissing and movements, then someone's dog dies and so begins THE NEST.
I'm not going to make like this book is some kind of literary achievement, because it's not. (Does anyone really pick up a giant cockroach book and think it's literary? I guess it's possible, but it's not the case here.) What this book IS is....just plain romping and chomping F-U-N!
Set on an island in my home state-the isolation makes for a cockroach feast! And that's basically what we get: cockroaches feeding on this one and on that one, in increasingly inventive and gross ways. (See my previous statement: F-U-N!)
Being that this was originally written back in 1980 we also get: some preachy scientist talk, some man-splaining, a smidge of schmaltzy romance, a wee bit of anti-feminism, and a tad of classism. Did I mention the gross cockroach kills?
Okay, so this isn't the "great American novel" but what it is is a lot of gross out laughter and chills, and a few hours of mindless entertainment. In these political times, who couldn't use that? I would have given this three stars based on the writing alone, but I added a half star and rounded it up to 4 total, because of the FUN factor!
Recommended to fans of 80's horror and creature features!
Valancourt Books has teamed up with Grady Hendrix and Will Errickson, (Authors of PAPERBACKS FROM HELL), to bring you an entire line of horror books from the 70's and 80's called the PAPERBACKS FROM HELL series. Find out more about the series here: http://www.valancourtbooks.com/paperbacksfromhell.html
*I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
One of my favorite sub-genres of horror is the creature feature, and boy does this one deliver!
On a small island off the coast of Cape Cod, something is happening in the middle of the island's dump. There's hissing and movements, then someone's dog dies and so begins THE NEST.
I'm not going to make like this book is some kind of literary achievement, because it's not. (Does anyone really pick up a giant cockroach book and think it's literary? I guess it's possible, but it's not the case here.) What this book IS is....just plain romping and chomping F-U-N!
Set on an island in my home state-the isolation makes for a cockroach feast! And that's basically what we get: cockroaches feeding on this one and on that one, in increasingly inventive and gross ways. (See my previous statement: F-U-N!)
Being that this was originally written back in 1980 we also get: some preachy scientist talk, some man-splaining, a smidge of schmaltzy romance, a wee bit of anti-feminism, and a tad of classism. Did I mention the gross cockroach kills?
Okay, so this isn't the "great American novel" but what it is is a lot of gross out laughter and chills, and a few hours of mindless entertainment. In these political times, who couldn't use that? I would have given this three stars based on the writing alone, but I added a half star and rounded it up to 4 total, because of the FUN factor!
Recommended to fans of 80's horror and creature features!
Valancourt Books has teamed up with Grady Hendrix and Will Errickson, (Authors of PAPERBACKS FROM HELL), to bring you an entire line of horror books from the 70's and 80's called the PAPERBACKS FROM HELL series. Find out more about the series here: http://www.valancourtbooks.com/paperbacksfromhell.html
*I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
Every time a woman did something in this book, the men were all like, "LOOK AT YOU :')" 😂