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A review by tobin_elliott
A Dark Breed by Patrick McNulty
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Well, I wasn't expecting THAT.
In Sept 2024, I was one of the guys selling my wares at dReadCon 2024. My table neighbour was another horror author, and supremely nice guy, Patrick McNulty. During the lulls, we got to talking, and he managed to pique my curiousity for his stuff. It didn't hurt that the covers were also eye-catching as heck too,
I ended up picking up all three of his Monsters & Mayhem Collection. The sheer volume of my TBR pile means that I couldn't get near them until now, almost six months later.
And this first one? Absolutely grabbed me. There's so much done right here.
It's actually a very simple story, variations of which we've seen from HALLOWEEN to ALIEN, from 30 DAYS OF NIGHT to THE SHINING...a small group of people are cut off an alone against a vicious adversary. And because we've seen this story so many times, it takes some effort to make it work.
McNulty takes the effort. After a fantastic opening to inform the reader of how bad that adversary can be, the author pretty much drops all the horror elements right out of the story for the rest of the first half of the book. Instead, he wisely and carefully eases us into the complicated life of the Jackson family, the mom and dad, and the son and daughter. He drops us into their van as they head to a Christmas vacation none of them want, and he drops us into their lives, taking care to make every one of them very real, very relatable characters that we care for.
And then, pretty much right at the halfway point, McNulty, in a shocking little scene, brings all the horror roaring back in, puts the pedal down, and doesn't let up for the entire second half.
Let me just say, because of the work he does in the first half? Yeah, he's going to tear your guts out in the second half.
This book has all the best elements of King and Ketchum at their best, with note-perfect dialogue that's realistic and never forced, monsters that are terrifying, and a fantastic set up that never has to resort to silliness or dumb decisions to move the plot along (a particular irritation for me, especially with certain authors ...coughNickCuttercough...).
Seriously, I enjoyed this from the first sentence to the last. Fun. Nasty. Quick paced. Well written. And scary as hell.
HIGHLY recommended.
In Sept 2024, I was one of the guys selling my wares at dReadCon 2024. My table neighbour was another horror author, and supremely nice guy, Patrick McNulty. During the lulls, we got to talking, and he managed to pique my curiousity for his stuff. It didn't hurt that the covers were also eye-catching as heck too,
I ended up picking up all three of his Monsters & Mayhem Collection. The sheer volume of my TBR pile means that I couldn't get near them until now, almost six months later.
And this first one? Absolutely grabbed me. There's so much done right here.
It's actually a very simple story, variations of which we've seen from HALLOWEEN to ALIEN, from 30 DAYS OF NIGHT to THE SHINING...a small group of people are cut off an alone against a vicious adversary. And because we've seen this story so many times, it takes some effort to make it work.
McNulty takes the effort. After a fantastic opening to inform the reader of how bad that adversary can be, the author pretty much drops all the horror elements right out of the story for the rest of the first half of the book. Instead, he wisely and carefully eases us into the complicated life of the Jackson family, the mom and dad, and the son and daughter. He drops us into their van as they head to a Christmas vacation none of them want, and he drops us into their lives, taking care to make every one of them very real, very relatable characters that we care for.
And then, pretty much right at the halfway point, McNulty, in a shocking little scene, brings all the horror roaring back in, puts the pedal down, and doesn't let up for the entire second half.
Let me just say, because of the work he does in the first half? Yeah, he's going to tear your guts out in the second half.
This book has all the best elements of King and Ketchum at their best, with note-perfect dialogue that's realistic and never forced, monsters that are terrifying, and a fantastic set up that never has to resort to silliness or dumb decisions to move the plot along (a particular irritation for me, especially with certain authors ...coughNickCuttercough...).
Seriously, I enjoyed this from the first sentence to the last. Fun. Nasty. Quick paced. Well written. And scary as hell.
HIGHLY recommended.