Summer of the Monsters
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Average rating3.8
Monsters are real…and no amount of flesh can sate their diabolical hunger.
"Monsters aren't real." That's what sixteen-year-old Lucy Brannigan has always believed, until, broke and desperate, she and her father move to an isolated farmhouse in the small Scottish town of Helsbridge. It's their last chance, and they have to make it work. For Lucy, life appears to be over. With no friends, and surrounded by miles of thick woodland, there's nothing to do. But why did the previous occupants leave their belongings behind? And why is their new home surrounded by dozens of scarecrows? And worst of all... what is the cause of the horrifying screams that wake her in the night? This summer, Lucy will be forced to learn the dark secret of Helsbridge. And as the bodies pile up, and the blood flows in rivers, she makes a shocking discovery that will change the course of her life forever. Monsters are real... and no amount of flesh can sate their diabolical hunger.
Summer of the Monsters is a tender and brutal coming-of-age horror story from the savage mind of David Sodergren, author of Maggie's Grave and The Haar.
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Every kid has that first book or series that they read on their own. When they no longer needed somebody to read to them and could pick something out for themselves. For me it was Goosebumps. I still have that well loved paperback of "Vampire Breath" in my closet. You really knew what you were getting with those. Short, punchy, often gross and hilarious. David Sodegren's paperbacks are a lot like Goosebumps for adults. A brisk 200 pages, gratuitous kills, with a plot and characters just deep enough to sink your teeth into. At worst they're entertaining and at best they'll be remembered in the genre for years to come.
Although compared to The Haar, I would say this is one of his weaker entries. The novel spends quite a bit of downtime with the characters, giving them a lot of time for their interpersonal drama to the point where it can feel like we're just spinning our wheels in the first half. This is broken up by chapters of Sodegren's typical gratuitous kills where he briefly becomes an Italian gore film director. The problem here is the kills are few and far between and serve little purpose other than to build tension for a climax that's over almost as soon as it arrives. Although I think this short format is usually to Sodegren's benefit, this one could've used a little more runway to really stick that landing.
This was so much fun. David's stories are always so full of heart and charm, while still being downright terrifying, and this was no exception. Sammo ♥️
