Shock Waves by Matt Kurtz is the 28th book I’ve finished reading in 2023 so far.
I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review and while I only expected a copy of the book, I got an AUTOGRAPHED copy of the book, along with some extra goodies. My inner goblin squeeed at the trinkets. Not pictured is the small spider, which has scared my youngest son several times, and is almost as much fun as the novel itself.
I love a good creature feature, and this one certainly fit the bill. There was no lacking of creatures in fact.
We start off at the Lone Star Amusement Park. Our boy Danny, who works at the amusement park as the foreman of the Shock Wave coaster, recently found out he’s going to be a father. He’s still pondering what this means for his future when an explosion at a nearby construction site rips open a hell-mouth….or something. Because lots of…things…come pouring out of the new fissure in the earth and are headed right for the park!
Now poor Danny is torn between keeping his riders safe, and going into the park to find his girlfriend, Stacy, who works on another ride.
The park is dark and full of monsters. Some can fly, some are reptilian, some are unseen aside from monstrous tentacles (which brings to mind The Mist which is one of my favorite novella’s).
However, a large number of the creatures seem to be arachnid in nature. Through much of the book whenever a creature was encountered I couldn’t help but play the sound effects of the movie Eight Legged Freaks in my head. It added a little lightheartedness to the massive amount of entrails this book contained.
The only downside to this read was that I didn’t feel any real attachment to the characters. There were a few flashbacks to make us feel more for Danny and Stacy and for us to hope for a safe reunification of the couple, but they fell flat for me. While I absolutely loved every abomination filled minute, I could have cared less if Danny found Stacy in on piece or not. I didn’t mourn any of the fallen comrades either.
If I were someone who gave deeper meaning and underlying themes to what I read then I’d say the monsters poor Danny faces on his way to find Stacy was a metaphor for the terror of upcoming fatherhood. But I’m not one of those people. I take my cave mutants and human evisceration at face value.
If you are also a fan of creepy crawly (and sometimes flappy) creatures from the depth of the earth, and bountiful intestine filled mutilations, or if you just want to know if Danny an Stacy are safely reunited or if “Big Mamma” manages to eviscerate the whole lot of them, then this book is for you!
