Devolution by Max Brooks

August 29, 2021 Book Reviews / Horror

I received Devolution by Max Brooks as a gift while I was on vacation. Since I had read the Zombie Survival Guide and WWZ, I was excited and almost jumped right in, but I was diving into the Wizard King series and wanted to keep at it. I love everything I have read from Max Brooks and enjoy him as a person. His appearances on the Bill Maher show have always impressed me.

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Del Ray

Released: 2020

Stars: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

This novel not only maintained the authors level of excellence but surpassed, in my opinion, everything he is ever written. This novel is nothing short of amazing. It is everything a horror novel should strive for: originality, the ability to fight back against your foes, and characters so intense you don’t want them to die.

Katie Holland and her husband, Dan, have just moved in to Greenloop; an isolated, ecofriendly, and very small community located deep in the woods of Washington state. When Mount Rainier explodes, Washington is thrown into a panic. Later, when thousands are dying, no one remembers Greenloop which has been cut off from the exterior world as well. They encounter no one except the now starving tribe of cannibalistic Bigfoot.

The tale begins with Katie keeping a journal of her new experiences as she moves from LA into this isolated region. This becomes a survival journal where she sets out to document the experiences of the small community of roughly a dozen souls. An older woman takes them under her mentorship once she realizes they may need to dig in and become survivalists if they’re going to make it long enough to receive help. They start growing gardens, hunting, and preparing things which will aid in what could be the beginnings of a long winter. Their chances for survival take a dark turn when they go from would be hunters to hunted when a Bigfoot tribe discovers them. The Sasquatch seem to hate humanity and they’re coming for Katie and her new friend.

I have been a big horror fan since I was five years old. My idea of a strong horror thread is to take normal people, have them be confronted with an abnormal situation, and see how well they fight to survive. My favorite part of my beloved horror movies and novels are when these typical people do not just panic and die, but instead find their inner greatness, step up to think outside their once mundane existence, and invent new ways to hold on to that which is most precious, their lives. Not only does this novel pull off this horror ideal, but it also takes it to a new level where they think of things that even Max brooks did not cover in his zombie survival guide

Unless you do not enjoy horror novels, you will lose your mind over this book. It is just what all writers should seek to be. I have nothing bad to say about this. If you like horror, even a little, this one should already be on your bookshelves.

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