Devolution

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks, 286 pages

An insular yet technologically connected eco-community in the wilds of Washington seems like an idyllic place to live...until Mount Rainier erupts, cutting Greenloop off from the rest of the world. The handful of residents are prepping for a survivalist winter when an additional complication arises in the form of mysterious, smelly, and potentially violent unidentified creatures that have been flushed out of their Rainier habitat by the eruption. Will the techno-hippies of Greenloop make it out alive?

One of the big problems I generally have with horror (particularly monster horror) is when the big bad is fully revealed, it deflates the tension and horror that’s been building up to that time. This book managed to show the monster(s) and keep that tension ratcheting up. The pacing was excellent, the oral history format worked well for the story (especially the zoological tidbits interspersed with the journal entries), and the character growth was a pleasant surprise. My one regret is trying to read this before bed when there are animals (well, pets and kids) roaming the house.