Crota

Rating:
Summary: Chilling and claustrophobic!
Review: Let me begin by saying that it's extremely hard to believe that this is Owl Goingback's first novel! What a terrific debut! The sky's the limit for a writer with this much storytelling skill.

"Crota" is a great story that weaves an Indian legend, small town life, "caving", and learning to believe in one's self into a horrifying and fast-moving plot. When an earthquake along the New Madrid Fault allows a legendary monster to walk the earth again, all hell breaks loose for the residents of a rural Missouri area. It takes the combined efforts of a brave sheriff and two Native American shaman to battle the beast. Along the way, copious amounts of blood is spilled and the deaths of a number of the residents is graphically portrayed. This is NOT a book for the faint of heart.

"Crota" is an extremely fast read and almost impossible to put down. It grabs you by the throat in the first 20 pages and refuses to let go until the end. It's comparable to some of the best works of Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, and Richard Laymon. If you like these authors, you won't be disappointed with "Crota".

"Bravo", Mr. Goingback, I can't wait to read your next book!

Rating:
Summary: Chilling and claustrophobic!
Review: Let me begin by saying that it's extremely hard to believe that this is Owl Goingback's first novel! What a terrific debut! The sky's the limit for a writer with this much storytelling skill.

"Crota" is a great story that weaves an Indian legend, small town life, "caving", and learning to believe in one's self into a horrifying and fast-moving plot. When an earthquake along the New Madrid Fault allows a legendary monster to walk the earth again, all hell breaks loose for the residents of a rural Missouri area. It takes the combined efforts of a brave sheriff and two Native American shaman to battle the beast. Along the way, copious amounts of blood is spilled and the deaths of a number of the residents is graphically portrayed. This is NOT a book for the faint of heart.

"Crota" is an extremely fast read and almost impossible to put down. It grabs you by the throat in the first 20 pages and refuses to let go until the end. It's comparable to some of the best works of Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, and Richard Laymon. If you like these authors, you won't be disappointed with "Crota".

"Bravo", Mr. Goingback, I can't wait to read your next book!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book - great research
Review: Needless to say, I don't agree with Kirkus Reviews. This book is much better than a Dean Koontz book (don't get me wrong, I like Koontz very well) in that there is a LOT of research that has gone into this book. I love the fact that the author added a lot of detail on ceremonies and beliefs of the Native Americans, plus added a good deal of folklore from the region. It adds much more depth to the book. This is a book that I sat and finished at one reading. From the beginning of the book when we are first learning what a Crota is, to the chase through the underground village, it is an excellent read. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Rating:
Summary: Crota is great fun
Review: Owl Goingback is a rather unique voice in the field of horror. He is of Choctaw-Cherokee descent and likes to write about Native lore and legends in his works. His career started with a bang as this novel won a Bram Stoker for best novel by a new writer back in 1996. Crota is entirely deserving of such praise.

The story takes place in the small town of Logan in Hobbs county, Missouri. On a country road two bodies are discovered ripped to shreds and with their insides gutted out. Some members of the Logan police force think it was done by satanic cultists, others think it was related to drugs. Little Hawk, a local Shaman, knows better. He says it's the work of the "Crota". Sheriff Skip Harding dismisses such talk as nonsense until he comes face to face with the creature during an emergency dispatch call. He barely survives and then enlists the help of Little Hawk to help him hunt down the Crota, who lives underground among a series of passageways and tunnels.

There are so many cool things in this book such as the hunt for the Crota in the underground maze and the native stories told by Little Hawk and the old indian Strong Eagle. The pages in this book really fly by for Goingback has an easy and engaging writing style that really shines throughout the book. I would recommend Crota to anyone who's in the mood for a different kind of horror tale. It's true that there have been countless horror novels about a monster terrorizing a small town but the way Goingback combines this old formula with indian lore and mysticism is what makes "Crota" so refreshing and unique.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating first novel
Review: Owl Goingback leapt onto my favorites list with this first novel. This is a tale of Native American legend as fact that I had not seen this well done since Cruz's Nightwing.

A legendary monster it loosed from its earthly bonds thanks to an earthquake and thus the horror begins. This book starts in tenth gear and still manages to pick up speed and the horror gets kicked up a few notches.

It is very rare to see a horror novel so well executed especially one that involves a monster. But even with a monster as a plot device, Owl Goingback does not skimp on the suspense and the settings.

One of the best horror novels of the year (maybe THE best, but there are a few I didn't read). If you like them creepy and scary, you have to read this one.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating first novel
Review: Owl Goingback leapt onto my favorites list with this first novel. This is a tale of Native American legend as fact that I had not seen this well done since Cruz's Nightwing.

A legendary monster it loosed from its earthly bonds thanks to an earthquake and thus the horror begins. This book starts in tenth gear and still manages to pick up speed and the horror gets kicked up a few notches.

It is very rare to see a horror novel so well executed especially one that involves a monster. But even with a monster as a plot device, Owl Goingback does not skimp on the suspense and the settings.

One of the best horror novels of the year (maybe THE best, but there are a few I didn't read). If you like them creepy and scary, you have to read this one.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for a first timer
Review: Owl Goingback's book, "Crota" was a great read and I am pretty impressed with his ability to tell a good, honest story. His ability to blend in traditional indian culture with a small town and a beast bent on killing, truly makes for a fun book. It's rare, in todays publishers pushing so much of the vampire [stuff] that we can get back to a more traditional horror story. My only complaint is the book was too short and read too fast. With a little more experience, character development and time I believe Goingback will become a top rate writer. What potential here. Oh, btw, I hope one never has to meet the "Crota"!

Rating:
Summary: Great book for a first timer
Review: Owl Goingback's book, "Crota" was a great read and I am pretty impressed with his ability to tell a good, honest story. His ability to blend in traditional indian culture with a small town and a beast bent on killing, truly makes for a fun book. It's rare, in todays publishers pushing so much of the vampire [stuff] that we can get back to a more traditional horror story. My only complaint is the book was too short and read too fast. With a little more experience, character development and time I believe Goingback will become a top rate writer. What potential here. Oh, btw, I hope one never has to meet the "Crota"!

Rating:
Summary: INCREDIBLE, FANTASTIC WRITER, MUST READ FOR EVERYONE
Review: SOMEONE HAD INTRODUCED ME TO ANOTHER ONE OF HIS BOOKS "BREED". AFTER THAT, I WAS HOOKED ON HIS WRITING. I HAD NOT READ ANYTHING THIS GREAT IN YEARS, BUT NOW I HAVE READ ALL OF HIS BOOKS IN JUST ONE SITTING. CAN'T PUT THEM DOWN ONCE I START, HOPEFULLY HE WILL WRITE NEW ONES SO I CAN START READING AGAIN. THE INDIAN FOLKLORE IS AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL AND ENCHANTING. I WISH MORE WRITERS WERE LIKE HIM. IN MY OPINION, I HAVE NEVER MET ANY WRITER THAT CAN HOLD MY ATTENTION BETTER THAN OWL GOINGBACK!!!!!!!ALL OF HIS BOOKS ARE A MUST READ:CROTA, BREED, EVIL WHISPERS, DARKER THAN NIGHT, EAGLE FEATHERS, ETC........

Rating:
Summary: INCREDIBLE, FANTASTIC WRITER, MUST READ FOR EVERYONE
Review: The most chilling moment in this book happens in the first quarter and it's a true hair raiser, which tells me that Owl Goingback does know what scares you. Unfortunately, after this chilling moment, the story goes back to business as usual-- body count. Somehow I expected better from a Bram Stoker Award Winner.

An unexpected earthquake wakes up a monstrous creature who has been napping in a cave in the center of the country. He starts looking for a late night snack. 20 cows, a bull, a deer, a dog, two rednecks, a farmer and a teenager later and I'm almost as comotose as the monster was for millenium. Very few of the characters are more than two dimensional targets set up for the monster to take down.

This book fails at sustained horror. The best horror novels are first of all well written books with a tight plot, characterization, and good story telling. The fear factor arises from a combination of many elements in the story, so there is not one path to scaring the reader, but the author cannot play one note over and over again and expect the reader to respond with the same amount of fear each time.