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glenvisceration's review
3.0
Honestly a two star book but I tricked myself into believing it was a parody of some sort. It was pretty enjoyable any time it wasn't following the main character.
"Then, irrelevantly, the phone began to ring."
"Then, irrelevantly, the phone began to ring."
dnemec's review
3.0
This was actually pretty damn good. Jellyfish get a taste for human flesh and attack mankind. Makes me glad that it isn't beach season!
jenniferlwatson's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
whatmeworry's review
2.0
This review first appeared on scifiandscary.com: https://www.scifiandscary.com/slime-review/
I enjoyed John Halkin’s previous book ‘Slither’ despite its many flaws. It was a silly, fun horror novel in the classic 80s Brit horror mould. Slime’ was a disappointment by comparison. It’s incredibly similar to the earlier novel, with another hero who works in the TV business and another set of aquatic monsters. Unfortunately, it fails to capture ‘Slither’s’ cheesy fun and it left me cold.
This time around the hero is an actor in a popular soap opera. He witnesses an early attack by a new species of jellyfish (replacing the water worms of ‘Slither’) and becomes vaguely involved in the fight against them as they spread like a plague around the British coast. He also sleeps with a lot of different women because he’s ruggedly handsome.
The plot covers the gradual escalation of the jellyfish threat, with the normal formula of new characters being introduced and then killed off. Eventually the creatures get into the water system, prompting the great copy line “Turn on the tap…and die of terror”. Halkin never makes the most of this though, the attack scenes are dull and lack the gory entertainment value that they might have had in the hands of someone like Shaun Hutson.
The book is just too long as well, nowhere near justifying its 250 pages. Much of it is taken up with descriptions of the hero’s love life and failing marriage, both of which are far less interesting that people dying slimily.
I enjoyed John Halkin’s previous book ‘Slither’ despite its many flaws. It was a silly, fun horror novel in the classic 80s Brit horror mould. Slime’ was a disappointment by comparison. It’s incredibly similar to the earlier novel, with another hero who works in the TV business and another set of aquatic monsters. Unfortunately, it fails to capture ‘Slither’s’ cheesy fun and it left me cold.
This time around the hero is an actor in a popular soap opera. He witnesses an early attack by a new species of jellyfish (replacing the water worms of ‘Slither’) and becomes vaguely involved in the fight against them as they spread like a plague around the British coast. He also sleeps with a lot of different women because he’s ruggedly handsome.
The plot covers the gradual escalation of the jellyfish threat, with the normal formula of new characters being introduced and then killed off. Eventually the creatures get into the water system, prompting the great copy line “Turn on the tap…and die of terror”. Halkin never makes the most of this though, the attack scenes are dull and lack the gory entertainment value that they might have had in the hands of someone like Shaun Hutson.
The book is just too long as well, nowhere near justifying its 250 pages. Much of it is taken up with descriptions of the hero’s love life and failing marriage, both of which are far less interesting that people dying slimily.
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