Like many of you, I came across author Hunter Shea
while surfing the many titles on Amazon. I had just gotten myself an e-reader
and I couldn’t wait to use it. One of Shea’s novels was a freebie, so I did
what any healthy horror geek would: I clicked on the Buy now with 1-Click button and took it from there. Suffice to say
that I had a ball reading this thing. It reminded me of Laymon and you know how
I feel about him: any friend of Laymon is a friend of mine.
When I realized that the latest Shea was available on
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, well, I just couldn’t pass it
up. So here I am about to discuss JUST ADD WATER and the only thing that comes
to mind is this: add more pages to it. Indeed, I would have preferred another
100 pages or so, just enough to make it all seem less rushed. Of course, this
reads like a vintage paperback horror novel from the ‘80s. You know the kind,
those that focus on action sequences and little else. Still, a tad more emphasis
on characterization would have been just great. Don’t get me wrong now, I did
enjoy this novelette (the fun starts pretty early and never lets up). No, the
problem I had is that, at times, I could barely decipher one character from the
next—especially when it involved the main ones whom I kept mixing up despite a
clear line in the narrative.
The plot involves two pre-teen boys and their
Frankenstein-made little sea monsters that keep growing and growing to the
point of scaring the bejesus out of an entire town. It’s up to their creators
to put a stop to them and their ravenous streak before it becomes too late—or is
it too late already?
JUST ADD WATER is fun, silly, gory, but most importantly a must if
you’re into B-grade-like efforts. It is the perfect antidote for all those
ambitious horror books considered mandatory by the well-read crowd. OPTICAL
DELUSION is the next installment and comes out in August. Can’t wait.
Until next post—Martin
