Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Competent base under siege story that adheres to all the usual sci-fi/horror clichés and tropes.
4.5 Stinger rocks! A fugitive alien spaceship crashes in a dying Texas border town and is quickly followed by a second, a brutal bounty hunter who comes to be known as Stinger. This is an atypically action sci-fi outing from McCammon but don’t fear as the author’s talents for rich characterization remain intact. In fact, this is a book of two separate identities that really mesh (until they don’t). One part is a compelling dramatic novel about the townsfolk of a town on its last legs; gang members, drunks, people who’d given up on life. There’s little to live for until the characters are forced to fight for survival. And the other part is a badass 80’s action movie creature feature with monsters, explosions, and burrowing needle-toothed abominations. And these two parts go back and forth, escalating in drama and action in a way which is just wonderful. Until about 80% of the way and the whole thing starts to teeter towards generic action movie territory. But still, the fact that there are a handful of moving, genuinely good dramatic scenes followed by crazy monster attacks and helicopter explosions makes this a delight. McCammon does a thing where more than once he portrays a characters as a real scumbag from one point of view and then flips to to their perspective and makes you feel for the scumbag! Artistry. It does kind of run out of steam at the end but, for a while, it’s magic. Technically a reread for me as I read this when I was thirteen (because of that awesome cover) and remember getting in trouble over some school work because all I wanted to do was devour this book over the 3-4 days. Surprisingly good book for teens!
I’ve long been a fan of Mccammon’s work. Books like Swan Song, Baal, and Blue World (the latter a collection) are a distillation of horror from the 80s (and early 90s), not written by Stephen King. Stinger is one of McCammon’s novels that, for whatever reason, I never got around to reading. But with Peacock adapting the book,* I thought it was high time to give it a whirl. And, oh boy, this magnificent novel took me back to my teenage years when I first fell in love with horror.
Inferno, Texas, is an old mining site on the brink of economic collapse. Now that the mine is dry, no one has worked. It’s also a tinder box, riven by gang violence and racial tension. So, the perfect place for a spaceship to crashland, ejecting an alien inhabiting Stevie, Jessie and Tom's young daughter. Hot on the heels of the alien refuge is a bounty hunter, the eponymous Stinger, and fuck me, he’s a violent arse.
What struck me about Stinger (the novel, not the alien monster) is how progressive it is. The gang warfare between the Rattlers and the Renegades is symbolic of the racial tension between the white and Latino populations. But it’s also how Inferno represents the failure of Reagan’s “trickle-down” economics. A husk of a town left to rot once the money has run out. That the “Queen of Inferno”, Celeste Preston, is left behind—her husband dead, having hidden millions of dollars and leaving his wife with the tax bill—only shows that capitalism gives no fucks.
All that thematic stuff, brimming under the surface, doesn’t get in the way of fun. The story moves at a clip, but it becomes a gory masterpiece once Stinger arrives (his first appearance is a startling, cinematic moment). I forgot how rock n roll mainstream horror was back then, with scenes of violence and savagery that are as disturbing and dramatic as one of Art the Clown’s kills. Kids could pick this shit up in the bookstore or library. And they did! And boy, did it fuck us up in mostly good ways. What takes the sting…ahem…out of the violence is that it’s all so ridiculous and wild that you never take it seriously. Still, the ick factor is high.
Stinger is pure, adrenaline-soaked fun. You’re gonna love it!
*Teacup is terrible, and you should not watch it. It's all the weaker because it’s less an adaptation and more of a nod and wink at the source material.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Racial slurs
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
The premise of two aliens races suddenly arriving on Earth and creating havoc is a great idea. One alien is a peacekeeper, trying to find a way back to it's own world. The other is a hunter that leaves destruction in its wake. Add to that the writer of [b:Swan Song|11557|Swan Song|Robert R. McCammon|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1271812903s/11557.jpg|2947187] and [b:Boy's Life|11553|Boy's Life|Robert R. McCammon|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1314302694s/11553.jpg|16685995], and this should be an enjoyable read. However, weak characters with absolutely no likeability really drag this story down. The setting is a town on the Texas/Mexico border that is rapidly becoming a financial ghost town. The residents are losing hope quickly, and because of that, most are becoming a resentful, racist group of individuals. The kids either belong to the caucasian "Renegades" or the hispanic "Rattlers", rival gangs. The sheriff is on the take and not a fan of the Mexicans either. The only successful business man in town is the local chop shop/drug dealer. The once prosperous mining business is now a bust, residents are moving away, businesses are closing, the school is closing, sadness is everywhere!
Then the aliens come and create a mess. A big, purple net is dropped over the town, no one can escape! The first alien takes over the body of a little girl (aww, she's cute, so we have to like her...right?). The second alien starts destroying everything and everyone trying to find the first alien. What are the people in this bigoted, washed up town to do? Well, start loving each other and kick some alien booty! Yes, indeed. Unfortunately, by the time the love-fest begins I really didn't care anymore. Even when it's revealed what the first alien is and why it's being chased, I wasn't impressed. I was actually kinda grossed out.
The premise itself is what earned this the 2 star rating.
Then the aliens come and create a mess. A big, purple net is dropped over the town, no one can escape! The first alien takes over the body of a little girl (aww, she's cute, so we have to like her...right?). The second alien starts destroying everything and everyone trying to find the first alien. What are the people in this bigoted, washed up town to do? Well, start loving each other and kick some alien booty! Yes, indeed. Unfortunately, by the time the love-fest begins I really didn't care anymore. Even when it's revealed what the first alien is and why it's being chased, I wasn't impressed. I was actually kinda grossed out.
The premise itself is what earned this the 2 star rating.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have to say that it appears besides "Boy's Life" I'm not destined to like any of Robert McCammon's books. "Stinger" dragged forever. I almost DNFed it, but I just decided to finish it so I could count it as a bingo read. I ended up not caring about any character we are introduced to, I wasn't scared, and I just went than goodness when I got to the end.
The dying town of Inferno, Texas is on its last legs. In a few months when the local high school closed there won't be anything left of the town. When a spacecraft crashes, the remaining members of the town are left to fight off an alien calling itself Stinger. Stinger is after another alien that calls itself Daufin.
Ultimately I think if the book had been edited a bit more, or we stuck with very few POVs that it could have worked better for me. I also didn't really like Daufin that much. Taking over the little girl named as Stevie and using her as a "guardian" isn't something that I thought a good alien would do.
The writing didn't move me at all. And McCammon has been able to make me cry due to his writing. I just felt bored. The flow was pretty bad too. I think jumping between 10-15 characters is what did it. Some chapters were long, some were only a few pages.
The ending unfortunately fell flat for me.
The dying town of Inferno, Texas is on its last legs. In a few months when the local high school closed there won't be anything left of the town. When a spacecraft crashes, the remaining members of the town are left to fight off an alien calling itself Stinger. Stinger is after another alien that calls itself Daufin.
Ultimately I think if the book had been edited a bit more, or we stuck with very few POVs that it could have worked better for me. I also didn't really like Daufin that much. Taking over the little girl named as Stevie and using her as a "guardian" isn't something that I thought a good alien would do.
The writing didn't move me at all. And McCammon has been able to make me cry due to his writing. I just felt bored. The flow was pretty bad too. I think jumping between 10-15 characters is what did it. Some chapters were long, some were only a few pages.
The ending unfortunately fell flat for me.