The Devouring

Rating:
Summary: Fun creature feature.
Review: As a horror fan, I couldn't resist a novel called THE DEVOURING. Not when the cover has menacing yellow eyes staring through an old door and a blurb that says "What you can't see can kill you!" I mean hey, that's the recipe for pure fun to a horror geek like me. And as cheesy as all that sounds, I'm happy to say it was actually pretty entertaining in a late-night creature-feature kind of way... People are being mutilated and abducted in a small Colorado town. Some creature seems to be stalking the snowy mountains and swooping out of the night sky to snatch it's victims. Federal agents are on the case, along with a few locals, and things go from bad to worse as they find that there is more than one creature and humans aren't at the top of the food chain anymore. (The locals also find that the feds are almost as unpleasant as the bloodthirsty critters.)... Douglas Hawk has cranked out a fun creature feature with THE DEVOURING. If you enjoy fast moving horror-action with a strong B-movie flavor to it, check this one out.

Rating:
Summary: Creatures 2, Story 1
Review: Mysterious flying creatures attack and disembowel a young woman and later attack a weather station and its crew. The FBI is sent to the little town of Crystal Wells to investigate, but some members have their own agenda. Local resident and snow tractor driver, Morgan Blaylock, stumbles upon the truth and must battle both the creatures and rogue agent, Richard Case. Case wants to cover up the killings and capture the creatures for his own profit.

I gave the book an extra star for the concept of the creatures. They are unique AND bloodthirsty! It would have been a great monster story, but the plot holes and foibles just got bigger and more distracting as the story progressed. But there is a lot of good action and it's a fast moving story.

Rating:
Summary: Creatures 2, Story 1
Review: Mysterious flying creatures attack and disembowel a young woman and later attack a weather station and its crew. The FBI is sent to the little town of Crystal Wells to investigate, but some members have their own agenda. Local resident and snow tractor driver, Morgan Blaylock, stumbles upon the truth and must battle both the creatures and rogue agent, Richard Case. Case wants to cover up the killings and capture the creatures for his own profit.

I gave the book an extra star for the concept of the creatures. They are unique AND bloodthirsty! It would have been a great monster story, but the plot holes and foibles just got bigger and more distracting as the story progressed. But there is a lot of good action and it's a fast moving story.

Rating:
Summary: Don't let the packageing fool you....
Review: This novel appears to be one of those cheap, formulatic horror novels that are a "dime a dozen," but, as I discovered, it was anything but. The basic story itself is a little familiar, being: man against an evil, centuries old species that comes out of hiding for survival purposes, but, the author tells this somewhat familiar tale in such an exceptional and very intelligent manner, that the reader will forgive any feelings of deja vu. Douglas D. Hawk is an obviously intelligent man whom appears to have done his homework concerning his chosen craft. His characters are well developed, his settings are well crafted, and he has a great sense of humor that never sinks to silliness. This novel moved at a brisk pace throughout, keeping the reader's full attention. An avid reader can see the outcome a mile away, but, once again, the author does an admiral job of putting a "freshness" to an often told tale, thus, the ending remains pleasant and satisfying. I would recommend this novel to all horror lovers in general.

Rating:
Summary: Don't let the packageing fool you....
Review: This novel appears to be one of those cheap, formulatic horror novels that are a "dime a dozen," but, as I discovered, it was anything but. The basic story itself is a little familiar, being: man against an evil, centuries old species that comes out of hiding for survival purposes, but, the author tells this somewhat familiar tale in such an exceptional and very intelligent manner, that the reader will forgive any feelings of deja vu. Douglas D. Hawk is an obviously intelligent man whom appears to have done his homework concerning his chosen craft. His characters are well developed, his settings are well crafted, and he has a great sense of humor that never sinks to silliness. This novel moved at a brisk pace throughout, keeping the reader's full attention. An avid reader can see the outcome a mile away, but, once again, the author does an admiral job of putting a "freshness" to an often told tale, thus, the ending remains pleasant and satisfying. I would recommend this novel to all horror lovers in general.