Category: survival horror

Shock Waves

A Novella of Amusement Park Terror by Matt Kurtz

5/5 Star Review

The year is 1988 and Danny and his girlfriend, Stacy, work at The Lone Star Land Amusement Park. On a Saturday in September, Stacy reveals to Danny that she is pregnant on their break and Danny doesn’t take the news very well. Later that evening, he is feeling guilty about his reaction and wants nothing more than to head over to her ride and apologize. Near the end of his shift, there is an explosion at the construction site next to the park that knocks out the power. People are stuck on rides and general chaos ensues. No one is prepared when a creeping crawling horde of mutated creatures make their way out of the blast site and into the amusement park – slaughtering and devouring everyone in their path. Danny is determined to make his way to Stacy and joined by a small group of survivors, he leads the way across the park.

Shock Waves is a whole lot of fun and it the perfect summer read! It’s chock full action, monsters, blood, gore, and tension – all set against the backdrop of an amusement park. Kurtz’s decision to set this novella in the late 80s was a smart one – the lack of modern technology added to the helplessness of our main characters as they were cut off from reaching each other ride to ride.

While Shock Waves definitely pays homage to the monster movies of yesterday, Kurtz steps it up and manages to weave a tight plot, believable dialogue, and relatable characters all in roughtly 150 pages. You felt for this tight band of survivors and cheered for them every step of the way. This isn’t just a story about the monsters, it’s a story about humanity and the lengths we go to to save our loved ones.

If you’re looking for some thrills this summer – I highly recommend checking this one out!

Whalefall

A novel of survival and grief by Daniel Kraus

5/5 Star Review

Jay Gardiner is diving alone in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows that it’s dangerous and that he shouldn’t be out there by himself, but he’s come here on a mission to find his dad’s remains from his suicide the previous year. He believes it is the only way to assuage his guilt and bring closure to his mom and two sisters who mourn at an empty grave. The dive begins well enough until Jay finds himself on the edge of the drop-off and a giant squid comes along. Following the giant squid up from the depths, a huge sperm whale appears to feed and draws both Jay and the squid into its mouth. Jay finds himself pulled into the whale’s stomach with only an hour’s worth of oxygen in his tank.

This book. Oh my goodness – this book! I walked in expecting a tense, survival story and left with that and so very much more. Kraus has crafted a tale that is both bleak and hopeful, claustrophic and mind-opening. I read it in one sitting – I absolutely could not put it down!

Let’s start at the surface – Whalefall is a survival story. It is intense and nerve-wracking. The chapters are short and counted down in PSI as Jay uses his oxygen. I am a diver and found this to be wildly clever as it’s a metric you keep a constant eye on. You want to start planning your ascent to end your dive with around 500 PSI in your tank. It added an extra layer of stress to this already claustrophobic and tense novel.

Let’s dig below the surface – Whalefall is a story of grief and a broken father-and-son relationship. It is heart-breaking and gutting. The chapters are short and counted in the years leading up to Jay’s father, Mitt’s, suicide. Jay is the youngest of the three children and the only boy. Mitt wanted a son to whom he could pass on all his knowledge and Jay wasn’t sure that Mitt was the kind of guy that Jay wanted to become. As Jay is caught in the literal belly of a beast, he is forced to remember all of the diving, nature, and survival knowledge that his dad imparted on him and with that knowledge, all of the memories that came with gaining it.

This novel is as much about relationships as it is about survival and I can’t recommend it highly enough. There’s so much more that I would love to say about this book, but I don’t want to drop any spoilers. Whalefall releases on August 8, 2023 and I hope you will pre-order it.