Evilution

Rating:
Summary: 'Horror has a new name'
Review: Chase Black is jobless, and her boyfriend has left her, and when a letter arrives telling her she has won a house in the country by entering a competition she doesn't even remember entering, Chase is understandably sceptical. The house is situated in the village of Paradise, the inhabitants of which are far from friendly: in fact they are downright scary. The reason for the villagers behaviour is eventually revealed, and it's a terrifying revelation.
I was drawn in to the story right from the start. It was easy to read, and consisted of some imaginative situations with likeable characters. It would be unfair to give away the solution to the mystery, but it's well worth reading this book for. There are some faults with the book, but the author shows great potential, and an undeniable energy and enthusiasm. Add Shaun Jeffrey to my list of authors to watch.

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling terror ride
Review: Chase Black is not having much luck. Her boyfriend has left her, she has no job, and she lives in a rough neighborhood. Then, out of the blue, she gets a letter telling her that she has won a house in a village. At first she thinks that it's a hoax, as she doesn't remember entering any contest to win a house, but when a man named Drake shows up to collect her in a limousine and take her to her prize, she has no choice but to believe she must have entered. But she soon discovers there's no such thing as a free lunch (or house in this case). Accompanied by her friend Jane, Chase is determined to believe that her life is changing for the better - it's a fresh start.

Unfortunately, things aren't quite as idyllic as they seem. Why is the village surrounded by thick fog that never dissipates? Why are the locals acting so strangely? Why can't she leave? And who is the strange figure that seems to be following her?

This is a rollercoaster of a story. To find that the village has been surrounded by fog for almost two years adds a sinister overtone. You just know something bad is going to happen. And sure enough, it does. The pace is fast and despite a few grammatical errors, this first time author shows an excellent story telling skill. The characters are written well enough that their fears seem real, and you feel for their predicament. This book contains all the elements a horror mystery story should - just when you think you know what's going on, the author opens another door to reveal something unexpected. It rises above the usual slasher story. Shaun Jeffrey is an author to look out for.

Rating:
Summary: Take cover...It's raining cliches...
Review: In the first 50 pages of this "horror" book the following words are mentioned: bats, graveyard, fog, eerie, scary, creaking, shadows, dark, weird, strange, dead, dissapeared, unknown... Ant that's just a small part of the cliches that will bombard you.

But it's a horror novel you say and such words are inevitably unavoidable? Well that should be the case to a degree, to a control degree to be precise. But an author who takes a "best of" from all the horror novels he's ever read and throws it together in a massively uninspired assembly isn't going to be rising in the ranks of his contemporaries too soon.

This novel is utterly unscary and spectacularly predictable. There's no twists you cant predict, hell, most of the lines coming out of the mouths of the thin characters are so predictable you feel like you've (sadly) read this before.

On a more positive note, if you're a beginner with horror novels this might do for you. If however you've endulged in depth in the genre simply forget it. Look elsewhere for your horror fun because this will bore you to a still.

Rating:
Summary: Take cover...It's raining cliches...
Review: In the first 50 pages of this "horror" book the following words are mentioned: bats, graveyard, fog, eerie, scary, creaking, shadows, dark, weird, strange, dead, dissapeared, unknown... Ant that's just a small part of the cliches that will bombard you.

But it's a horror novel you say and such words are inevitably unavoidable? Well that should be the case to a degree, to a control degree to be precise. But an author who takes a "best of" from all the horror novels he's ever read and throws it together in a massively uninspired assembly isn't going to be rising in the ranks of his contemporaries too soon.

This novel is utterly unscary and spectacularly predictable. There's no twists you cant predict, hell, most of the lines coming out of the mouths of the thin characters are so predictable you feel like you've (sadly) read this before.

On a more positive note, if you're a beginner with horror novels this might do for you. If however you've endulged in depth in the genre simply forget it. Look elsewhere for your horror fun because this will bore you to a still.

Rating:
Summary: Truly Terrifying
Review: On a simple level the story is about a woman, Chase Black who wins a house in a competition she doesn't remember entering, who then finds herself in a strange village, populated by an eerie and quirky group of residents. The village is surrounded by impenetrable fog, and when she discovers the secret horror that is being perpetrated, she tries to escape.

Meanwhile, two teenage friends, Ratty and Izzy find themselves lost in the fog, and they soon discover that all is not what it seems. Who are the strange, ghostlike characters lurking within the mist? And what has happened to the residents of Paradise, a village that has been cut off from the rest of civilisation for almost two years? Motivated by the need to find his granddad, a resident of Paradise, Ratty treks through the fog, but what he discovers is more horrifying than anything he could ever imagine.

In a lot of ways, the story reminded me of the popular, quirky television series, The Prisoner. With an underlying metaphor on today's society, Evilution ponders some profound questions. Truly thought provoking, I found it a suspenseful story with countless eerie, terrifying moments. I recommend you read it with the lights on and the doors locked

Rating:
Summary: A terrifying thrill ride
Review: Our heroine, Chase Black, receives a letter out of the blue telling her that she has won a house in a quaint village called Paradise. But as things start to unravel, Chase realizes she did not win the cottage at all. From this point on, things get stranger and more eerie. In some ways, the story reminded me of John Wyndham's science fiction novel, The Midwich Cuckoos, but it was a lot stranger. Evilution is a classic horror novel that expands the envelope of the genre. Government coverups and paranoia all feature in a story that grips to the last page, and then doesn't let go. Read it if you dare.

Rating:
Summary: the Eagles? Hotel California inside John Carpenter?s Fog
Review: Out of work with no prospects and a lack of cash to tide her over, twenty-five years old Chase Block feels already depressed when her boyfriend Mat vanishes from her life. Despondent, she receives a letter from Storm Enterprises signed by a Nigel Moon informing her that she has won High Top Cottage in Paradise, Staffordshire. As she informs her friend gay amazon Jane, a disbelieving Chase does not remember entering in any contest nor can she find any information on the town.

Still when Storm Enterprises' Drake arrives to "collect" Chase, she and Jane go to the village to see her new home. However, seeing is a bit difficult as a thick fog engulfs the town as it has for a couple of years. As Chase finds a book warning of killings, Jane vanishes. Now Chase wonders if she should flee that is if she can escape the fog, but also worries about her friend and two teens who have wandered inside the hazy belt.

EVILUTION is classic horror that will frighten readers from the moment the two Londoners arrive at Paradise. The terse story line never eases up as the tension mounts and the audience wonders whether the heroine will survive especially since she obviously was selected and may not be able to leave (the Eagles' Hotel California inside John Carpenter's Fog). This is a terrific tale that genre fans will want to read.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: the Eagles¿ Hotel California inside John Carpenter¿s Fog
Review: Out of work with no prospects and a lack of cash to tide her over, twenty-five years old Chase Block feels already depressed when her boyfriend Mat vanishes from her life. Despondent, she receives a letter from Storm Enterprises signed by a Nigel Moon informing her that she has won High Top Cottage in Paradise, Staffordshire. As she informs her friend gay amazon Jane, a disbelieving Chase does not remember entering in any contest nor can she find any information on the town.

Still when Storm Enterprises' Drake arrives to "collect" Chase, she and Jane go to the village to see her new home. However, seeing is a bit difficult as a thick fog engulfs the town as it has for a couple of years. As Chase finds a book warning of killings, Jane vanishes. Now Chase wonders if she should flee that is if she can escape the fog, but also worries about her friend and two teens who have wandered inside the hazy belt.

EVILUTION is classic horror that will frighten readers from the moment the two Londoners arrive at Paradise. The terse story line never eases up as the tension mounts and the audience wonders whether the heroine will survive especially since she obviously was selected and may not be able to leave (the Eagles' Hotel California inside John Carpenter's Fog). This is a terrific tale that genre fans will want to read.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Gibbering terror, says author R. Douglas Weber
Review: Review by R. Douglas Weber author of Protocol-17: A Conspiracy Thriller
Shrouded by fog for nearly two years, the picturesque village of Paradise harbors more than its share of secrets. Having won a cottage in a competition she can't remember entering, Chase Black moves to Paradise, only to discover that its beauty is skin deep - murder and madness fester in its shadows. She comes across an old diary in the cottage. Opening the book, the words glare back at her. A tremulous hand has scribbled a warning:

I killed her. We killed her. They killed her. It killed her.

She dismisses it as the ramblings of a demented mind, nothing more.
But when her traveling companion Jane mysteriously disappears, she starts asking questions. Why are the villagers behaving so oddly? Who are the strange figures she sees lurking in the fog? As Chase becomes afraid that something terrible has happened, events escalate dangerously out of control. Now a virtual prisoner; too late she discovers the real reason she's there ...

Mr. Jeffrey seduces and terrifies, laying the groundwork with subtle hints and ever heightening tension. While his style and the "Village of the Damned" plot structure are reminiscent of John Wyndham's Midwich Cuckoos, the pacing is rabid and the small-town characters breathe with the vitality of Stephen King. Jeffrey's sharp characterization, engaging dialogue, tangy local color, and galloping impetus, make this a must read for all fans of the genre.
He strikes harder and with more finesse than most of his cotemporaries in the horror/thriller genre.

Rating:
Summary: Commendable first novel
Review: This is a commendable first novel. If you want to try a new author who can only get better, then I urge you to read this book. I imagine when he wrote this, he was having fun. There are several horror cliches, but I don't think they are meant to be taken seriously. The style of writing is crisp and fast, and the story keeps you guessing. I look forward to seeing more by Shaun Jeffrey.