Cryptid Killers By Allister Hodge - A Chilling Winter's Tale Of Murder And Mayhem

Cryptid Killers by Alister Hodge

I borrowed a copy of this book from Kindle Unlimited and am leaving this review voluntarily.

When I see the name Alister Hodge on the cover of a book, I will probably read it. I didn't learn about this one until I saw it come across my Facebook feed recently. I was looking for something a little different and decided to take this one on.

Cryptid Killers is a short and fast-paced story set at a ski resort somewhere in Australia. When I say fast paced, I mean reading this book is a lot like hopping a ride on a roller coaster in motion. The action begins on the opening pages and never lets up until the very end. It has a pair of great characters as heroes, as well as a pair of nefarious characters who are so buried in their own self-interest, they cannot see the danger they are unleashing to the resort's guests, who have paid a large premium to have a holiday.

At 149 pages, I was impressed by how Al crammed so much story into such a small space.

Cryptid Killers is a story that could cause one nightmares. The monsters in this tale are vicious and relentless, and there are too many to count. Al's descriptions of the horror caused by these creatures may be a trigger point to some readers, but for those who can take descriptions of injury and dismemberment, it is an entertaining read that might have one sleeping with the lights on.

I enjoyed this book, as I have everything I've read from Al Hodge, and I continue to look forward to his future work as an author.

When a skier is lost at a resort, Agent Rylan of the Cryptid Investigation Unit and her new partner, Eoin Carter, find themselves in a battle for their lives against an army of creatures who are rapidly emerging from hibernation. When they appear, they are ruthless, murderous, and very, very hungry.

As Rylan and Carter do their best to keep the resorts guest from becoming a hot meal in the frozen tundra, they also have to fight against the resort’s greedy owner and his henchman, who harbor ulterior motives.

One of Al's major strengths as an author is the characters he writes. While there wasn't a lot of background information given in this story, there is enough to help one become invested in their successes.

Agent Rylan knows her business. She is intense about her work, and she knows how to get the job done. I will not go into too much detail and spoil a plot twist. I want to know more about this character. Hopefully, there will be future books.

Eoin Carter is a former soldier who has seen his share of violence and death. He is pretty good at keeping his cool while he assesses and acts in situations. I don't think he was prepared for what he found on the mountain above the resort. Carter is a well-trained, tough ex-soldier. He and Ryland butt heads occasionally, but they actually work well together and are a great team.

Jacob Freidman is the villain of the tale. He, along with his henchman, make things miserable for Rylan, Carter, and just about everyone else on the mountain for their holiday. He is very rich and powerful; he has an ulterior motive and the consequences to others be damned.

My favorite plot point is also a major spoiler, and the thing about the story that makes me want more. It is also a major spoiler, so I will leave it by saying Agent Rylan has a lot of experience with cryptozoology.

My takeaway from Cryptid Killers is to warn others to be wary of things that come in pretty packages, like the ultra-modern resort. Sometimes those who are in the business of providing amazing experiences may have amazing ambitions and are willing to spend huge amounts of money to make even more money.

I have never been disappointed by anything I've read from Alister Hodge. He is an amazing writer who, through his characters, spins tales that are the stuff of nightmares. If you are looking for something that will thrill and give you the heebie jeebies, this is the book for you! Cryptid Killers is a story that runs at breakneck speed, don't blink, or you might miss something. Al includes things he has experienced in his profession working in the emergency room, and sometimes the reality of his descriptions can make one cringe. If you cannot handle such scenes, this might be one to avoid. But if you like horror with graphic scenes of mayhem, this is one you might want to dive into.

Highest Recommendations for a shorter read that moves.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Alister Hodge is an Emergency Nurse Practitioner, who lives in Sydney with his wife and two daughters. He is also a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney, the author of numerous journal and textbook publications, and the co-creator of an app to support triage nurse development in Australia.

As a mental break from providing healthcare in a busy Emergency Department, Alister leaves behind the everyday traumas and horror of the real world, by creating new ones for a post-apocalyptic landscape.

Progenitor By Christopher D. Abbott - There's No Shortage Of Suspensful Thrills In This Story!

Progenitor by Chrostopher D. Abbott

I have been Facebook friends with this author for quite some time. Recently, I realized I have never read his work, so I decided it is high time I rectify that oversight. Looking through his catalog of 15 books, I chose Progenitor as a science-fiction story set during World War II. In my twenties, I read a lot of stories from that era and saw this book as an opportunity to revisit that time-period with a sci-fi bent.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and appreciated the characters. It's suspenseful, frightening, and moves at warp-speed, there's never a dull moment.

August 14, 1942: Army Chief of Staff, General William Marshall (not to be confused with the actual soldier, George C. Marshall) and his aid, Captain John Keeney arrive in Washington D.C. to find utter devastation. Everything has been laid waste. But the destruction wasn't caused by the war. It resulted from an attack by giant creatures right out of some horror movie. No one knows what they are. Are the destructive titans aliens, mutations, or maybe demons straight from hell? All Marshall and Keenley know is they have to escape and find shelter so they can figure out what to do. As they try to escape the devastation and the continuing attack, they are joined by Colonel Charles Bradley, a British officer who can keep his wits about him.

Barely escaping the devastated nation's capital, they head for Camp Detrick, a secure facility with underground labs where research is being done under a presidential mandate. While it may be secure, it is anything but safe. Even though they escaped the threat from above monsters above, there are also plenty of human monsters in the facility and their secrets are exposed one-by-one.

By far, my favorite character in the story is Colonel Bradley. This guy makes James Bond look like a Red Cross volunteer. He is a dynamic and complex character who is gentle and generous to his friends, and deadly to his enemies. Braders, as he is affectionately called by Marshall, Changes from ruthless killer to a kind soul in a heartbeat as the need arises. Mostly what he is searching for is the truth, and one way or another, he will get it, sometimes just through conversation, and sometimes at the point of a gun.

General Marshall is a soldier with a heart. He honestly cares about people and will go out of his way to help when he can. Bill, as he is known by his friends, has no problem issuing and enforcing orders, but one of his greatest assets is his willingness to listen to those advising him before he decides. He can assess a situation and come up with ideas to resolve them. He reminds me much of the description of the actual person (George C. Marshall) as I have read about him in the past.

There are numerous other characters who standout in Progenitor, and they all read as very human; everyone has flaws - some more than others - which helps them read as authentic. The cast of the book is very diverse, including people of all types; straight, gay, deviant, evil, mean, and amicable. Abbott does a great job keeping everyone consistent with their behavior and the characters’ voices are distinct.

My main takeaway from Progenitor is how many of the characters and situations are what they at first seem. The character development continues through the entire story and it isn't until one is quite a way through the book that the reader gets a complete picture of many in the cast. 

Progenitor unfolds at an expeditious pace culminating in a surprise ending that I didn't expect. It was quite satisfying for me. 

Having read none of Abbott's work before, I was thrilled with this story despite some moments of extreme suspense and some bloody scenes. I didn't think the violent scenes were too over the top for the average reader, but those easily put off might want to avoid this story.

I gave this book a five-star rating on Goodreads and Amazon and recommend it for those that like a bizarre sci-fi, horror thriller.

Christopher is a Reader's Favorite award-winning author and Feature Writer.

Christopher is a writer of crime, fantasy, science-fiction, and horror.

His Sherlock Holmes stories, published in the Watson Chronicles, have been recognised by readers and peers alike as faithfully authentic to the original Conan Doyle.

Described by New York Times Bestseller Michael Jan Friedman as "an up-and-coming fantasy voice," and compared to Roger Zelazny's best work, Abbott's Songs of the Osirian series of works brings a bold re-telling of ancient Egyptian mythology. Abbott presents a fresh view of deities we know, such as Horus, Osiris, and Anubis. He weaves the godlike magic through musical poetry, giving these wonderfully tragic and deeply flawed "gods" different perspective, all the while increasing their mysteriousness.

Christopher has published with Crazy8 Press, and has written for major media outlets, including Screen Rant.

Visit his webpage at https://cdanabbott.com/

Well, there it is...

Qapla!

The Cavern by Alister Hodge - Great Story Not For The Faint At Heart

The Cavern by Alister Hodge 

Not long ago, I received an email from Alister Hodge asking if I would be willing to review his new book, The Cavern. His email included the Kindle file, so how could I say no?

Set in the Australian Outback near the small town of Pintalba, The Cavern opens with the discovery of a cave system revealed by a sinkhole on a nearly defunct sheep ranch. A young couple arrives on the scene and pays the owner of the ranch to be the first to explore the discovery. As they move about underground, they discover a beautiful cave setting complete with an underground lake. The couple also discovers more than they bargained for when they are attacked by a strange creature.

When another team hears about the new cave system, they lay their plans to also explore and map the discovery. The team is joined by Sam, a vacationing paramedic who will go along as medical support for the team that consists of his girlfriend, Ellie and Ellie's brother, Max. It is originally planned that Sam will remain at the base camp ready to go into action if there is a medical need for him.

When the crew stops for refreshments at a Pintalba pub, they are warned by the proprietor A veteran named Jack, to stay away and leave it alone. When asked, Jack wouldn't tell the explorers why they shouldn't venture forth. The team of explorers thinks he might be hiding some secret, or maybe he's just a crazy old man who is imagining something. Never the less, Sam, Ellie and Max are determined to be the first to explore and map the new cave system. Of course, they are unaware of the previous couple that also wanted to be the first.

While Sam's team sees all the beauty that they expect to see, they also learn that the cave system connects to a string of opal mines that harbors a horrible secret. There are monsters there that are vicious, relentless, and also have a peculiar intelligence. It isn't long before everyone is in a fight for their lives and it would seem to be a losing battle.

There is no shortage of excitement in The Cavern. It is a fast paced horror story that will keep a reader on the edge of their seat as one is taken on a rollercoaster ride of terror by Hodge. If the descriptions of the monsters aren't enough, their attacks are given in detail to the point that a reader will be thankful to stay on the surface of the planet and never venture below. Much of what is described must come from the author's experience as a professional medical practitioner. That is to say that the detail is stunning and horrifying.

Hodge also captures the flavor of what it might be like to be underground in a cave. Both the peaceful and serene feelings one might have, as well as what it might be like if one is trapped and unable to move when moving through narrow passages. There were several scenes that had me holding my breath as I read to the resolution of several situations.

The story concludes with an open ending that might be begging a sequel. While I would call this more of an adventure-thriller, there are hints at science fiction in several places in the book and am looking forward to and hoping for a continuation that will carry forth from the ending to show what the monsters are and where they came from.

The characters in the story are well developed to the point that I felt that I would like to know most of them. Each has their own dynamic and are believable as real people. Sam, the (more or less) main character is a bit of an adventurer, but he doesn't care for the idea of exploring caves, and he is really repulsed at the idea of scuba diving underground. Yet, he faces and defeats his fears in favor of helping others that might be injured. He is a likable character, and as most of the others in the story, has a sense of courage.

The most surprising character is the bartender, Jack. In the story, he is kind of a curmudgeonly old man, but not in such a way that he will put people off. He is a veteran and seems to know a great many things, especially about the monsters that he has encountered in the past. When the monsters are discovered, the cavers decide that they have to be taken out of the picture, but none of them have the right weapons to do the job. Jack is the one who comes up with the firepower to take care of business, but also displays a load of grit as he takes on the creatures. Jacks scenes were my favorite in the story and I think that many will also find him an inspiration.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys medical drama and monster driven thriller stories. As a fan of Sci-Fi, I enjoyed The Cavern immensely and didn't take long to read it; it only took me three sittings to get through it. I was very eager to get back to it when I was forced to put it down. I could have read it in one sitting actually thanks to the relentless action in the book, it never really lets up.

I will add this, owing to the graphic descriptions of the monster attacks, and how the author goes into great detail on how the attacks take place and the results of those attacks, one might consider whether they can handle this story. There is very little left to the imagination.

The following is from the author's Amazon page:

Alister Hodge is an Emergency Nurse Practitioner, who lives in Sydney with his wife and two daughters. He is also a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney, the author of numerous journal and textbook publications, and the co-creator of an app to support triage nurse development in Australia.

As a mental break from providing healthcare in a busy Emergency Department, Alister leaves behind the everyday traumas and horror of the real world, by creating new ones for a post-apocalyptic landscape.

Well, there it is...

Qapla'!