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The Monster Librarian Presents:
Reviews of Science Gone Awry in Horror Fiction
Humanity's search for new discoveries, attempts to explore the unknown, and desire to alter nature for benefit has been the focus of many horror books. While this particular subgenre does also fit in the science fiction genre, it has a place in horror fiction, as the science experiment or product often ends up killing folks in a gruesome way. (Note: Scientists trying to reanimate the dead are often a cause of zombie outbreaks. Those books can be found on the Zombie list)
Godmode
by Quan Williams*New
Review
Necro Publications, 2013
ISBN:978-1-939065-19-3
Available: Paperback, eBook(Kindle, Nook, Smashwords)
Elijah wakes up in a cage without any memories. He's trapped in a laboratory in the bottom sub-level of a corrupt pharmaceutical company. Dead scientists are everywhere. He must escape this hell the only way he can-- one floor at a time-- passing by specially bio-engineered creatures, created by the company, that have escaped and are now hunting their makers. Slowly, Elijah's memory returns. In the form of flashback glimpses, we learn that he lied, manipulated and womanized his way up the corporate ladder. In return, the company threatened to kill his wife and daughter unless he agreed to work with them on their perverse experiments, as a subject. Elijah is now superhuman, and he wants to make things right.
The premise of this story was interesting, and I looked forward to reading it. However, I found that it wasn't really the kind of thing I like to read. The author spent a lot of time describing the fight sequences in detail, and after awhile that got really tedious for me. Editorially speaking, there were some typos, but not enough to spoil the story. The characters' voices were distinct, and the plot line worked alright. However, the tension didn't develop for me as well, likely due to the heavy use of detail, and the almost constant, never ending fighting. I felt like I was watching one of the Resident Evil films, only not as well done. I found the protagonist to be so lacking in ethics that I couldn't buy into his quest to make things right, and just hoped he would get killed. As a result, the ending seemed contrived to me, a setup for a sequel-- just an okay read. I have not read any of the author's previous works.
Contains: Graphic Violence, Gore, Adult Language, Sexual Situations
Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher
Bad
Night In The Holding Cell
by Dennis Latham
Y.S. Gazelle Books, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-9796744-6-4
Available: New
After he is charged with assault by his landlord, Simon Dawson turns himself in
to the police. Simon's lawyer assures him that he will be out by morning. But
when a flood raises a corpse, and that corpse gets tossed in the holding cell
with Simon and his three cellmates, Simon will be lucky if he can make it
through the night.
Dennis Latham's
Bad Night In The Holding Cell
is a fast, fun read, perfect for a stormy evening, or a sunny day at the beach,
or… well, anywhere you want to be entertained by a good story. The first part of
the story is spent in character building. We meet Simon, the cops, and,
eventually, his cellmates. As each prisoner shares their story, we get peeks at
a secret government project, which seems to have lost a body. Odd, since a body
has just shown up at the police station. When the corpse hits the cell floor, we
go from character to action, as the blood hits the fan. And there is LOTS of
blood. Latham's storytelling packs a punch. And a kick. And did I mention the
blood? Mayhem rules the second half of the book, as Simon tries to survive, and
Latham orchestrates it all with a master’s hand. Recommended for libraries and
any fan of good, old-fashioned, gory storytelling.
Contains: Violence, strong lanuage, and gore
Review by Erik Smith
Bantam Books, 1989
ISBN: 9780553284119
Available: New and Used
Mark Tanner is a teenager who is small for his age. He enjoys animals and photography. His father, on the other hand, is a sports enthusiast, especially when it comes to football. Their relationship is tense because of their differences. That is until Blake Tanner, Mark’s Dad, gets transferred to Silverdale. The quaint town is almost completely owned by Blake’s company and it has the best of everything, including the football team. The boys are overly large and violent in their competition, and the town lives and breathes football. At first, Mark is more of an outsider than ever, but that changes when he is brought to the sports center and is treated by Dr. Ames. The treatments cause Mark to almost instantly begin to grow taller, more muscular, and violent. Mark and his family suddenly find themselves in the center of a conspiracy, and it’s one that could cost them their lives. The book starts off a little slow, but quickly picks up and grabs the reader's attention. The portrayal of the villains is believable because they are not wholeheartedly evil. Some are just misguided while others are working for a higher purpose where the ends justify the means.
Contains: Violence Review by Bret Jordan. Note from the Monster Librarian: Movie tie-in would be the 1998 movie "Disturbing Behavior".
Earthcore by
Scott Sigler
Dragon Moon Press, November, 2005
ISBN: 1896944329
Available: New
Earthcore is a story of greed leading people to a bad
end. Platinum is found in Utah in a place where it is said to be bubbling up
from under the ground. The origins of the find are the largest pure deposit
every discovered, but it is deep under the ground. Luckily the EarthCore company
has the technology to drill the 3 miles down to get to it. Unfortunately, the
company quickly discovers why the Native Americans consider the place cursed as
they discover evidence of an ancient culture that wields bizarre razor sharp
platinum knives.
This is a different kind of book. While not
strictly horror, it's really Sci-fi horror, it is definitely a monster story.
This book was originally released as a serialized podiobook (a book usually read
by the author and released as a podcast) and, while available in print format
from Amazon, it is really something to hear the author read the story to you. It
is available for free at: http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=24
or by searching Itunes' podcasts for it.
Contains: Vioence and a few adult situations. Entry by Nooker
Death Spore(AKA Fungus)
by Harry Adam Knight
Pinnacle Books, April, 1990
ISBN: 155817348X
Franklin Watts, April 1, 1989
ISBN: 0531151034
Available: Used
Death Spore/Fungus is a fun, quick, guilty little read. Set in England, Knight tells the story of a fungal research
experiment gone awry, causing all the different fungi around us every
day to grow uncontrollably, threatening to take over the whole country. It is
up to Barry Wilson to track down his wife, Jane, head of the fungus research project,
and to try to find a way to stop the plague. Knight’s
book moves along at a nice pace. Recommended. Contains:
Violence
The Fog by James
Herbert
Pan; New Ed edition,April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0330376152
Available: New and Used
Another fine bit of British horror. In this tale, a science
experiment, coupled with a local explosion, releases a deadly fog that drives
everyone who enters it into a mad homicidal frenzy. Herbert once again writes a
nice, tight, fast-paced story that is mighty readable. The book shares some
attributes to the movie “28 Days Later”, which is a good movie tie in.
Herbert's tale shows a terror that spreads from the countryside into London and
paints a very vivid apocalyptic style picture of madness. Recommended as
part of a core of a horror collection. Contains: Graphic violence, rape, suicide.
Sleeper by Steven
Harriman
Berkley,February , 2003
ISBN: 0425188817
Available: New and Used
A fun, recent addition to the category of monster books. Sleeper is about
a deadly, manmade monster held in a cryogenic chamber in the Pentagon, released during cleanup after the September 11th attacks. The
writing is fun and tight, the book adds from a number of genres including a
little bit of sci-fi and mystery, with plenty of action and suspense it is a
recommended read. Contains violence.
Spawn of Hell by William Schoell
Banner of Truth, June, 1984
ISBN: 0843921129
Available: Used
An evil corporation and
subterranean monsters that are are a mixture of human and animal that have a
taste for flesh and mush death and mayhem all tied up in book called Spawn of
Hell. David Hammond is our
main hero, an unsuccessful artist who meets with Anna Braddon a model as
they stumble upon the monsters. It is a lengthy tale but well written, it
has the feel of a 1980's creature feature that will make the older readers well
a little nastolgic. Recommended. Contains monster violence.
Berserk by Tim Lebbon
Leisure Books, 2006
ISBN: 0843954302
Available: New and Used
Tom's son Steven was killed in a military accident, or so he was told. While at a bar, Tom overhears two military men talking about monsters at the base where Tom's son died. One of the men tell Tom that Steven's body wasn't in the casket that he received but rather was buried at the old base. Tom on a quest to find his son's body and the truth about how he died. In searching for his son's body at the base he uncovers the corpse of a young girl, Natasha, who telepathically tells Tom that his son isn't dead and that if he helps her she will bring him to his son. The girl is a beserker a monster that was part of a military experiment. This leaves Tom and Natasha seeking other beserkers who escaped from the military base and Tom's son, while being hunted by Cole, a former military man who was part of the beserker project. This 337 page book goes fast, once the action starts it continues to flow and Berserk's plot keeps you turning the pages. Contains violence.
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