The Sand Dragon by Michael F. StewartPosted by Tina at Tinasbookreviews
Review Copy (Pdf)
Read Book Synopsis Here!!
Memorable Quote:
"Faith must be earned, I always respect an atheist who prefers proof over blind faith. A scientist’s role is to question.” Pg. 12
Review
Ohhhh- nothing says horror like a little mass hysteria, men laying eggs and a town full of crazies.
Starting The Sand Dragon was a bit rough for me, I thought the prologue was a bit choppy and immersing myself into the novel didn’t quit happen until around chapter eight. At that point, digging deeper with a messed up Patrick I became completely sucked in and thought Mr. Stewart found his rhythm with articulating the story. I found myself shaking in my socks…due to the fact I wasn’t wearing boots...
After the discovery of an old dinosaur skeleton, bizarre events begin taking place within the small gloomy town. Murder, sickness and hysteria soon collide in a town full of secrets and strange rituals. At the start of the weird happenings, the reader is left guessing is this a freaky reaction to the exposed skeleton perhaps giving off some weird toxin, is this really the work of some dark evil or is this just a town full of people who need a good 72 hour lock down with a Thorazine drip?
Out of the well thought cast of characters I wound up connecting to Kim’s story the most. Even though she was facing some of the same circumstances the rest of the characters go through, her inner struggle’s and strength for me as a reader helped me connect to the book emotionally and begin to care about the outcome and survival of the remaining characters.
My favorite aspect of Stewart’s novel was the “mass-hysteria” or just the whole townsfolk’s creepiness. When you can’t figure out if its hysteria or seriously freaky ritual stuff it makes for a crazy read, you never know which way the story will go. Surprisingly Stewart’s creatures (including vampires) were positively evil, none of this creature of the night I wanna be your boyfriend garbage going on… basically it was just plain ol’ good guys faces the bad guys. The mysterious plot had me guessing till the end, which was shiver-worthy awesome!
The Sand Dragon defiantly delivers a scary, weird, action packed story to make your hair stand up and second guess meaty burgers…….
Rating
The Sand Dragon is laced with violence, blood, gore, language, freighting elements, religious themes, sexuality and creatures of the night. Adult recommended.
BWB Score- 3/4- Horror
A Big thanks to Mr. Stewart for review copy!
1 comments:
Thanks Tina! Great review, and I appreciate the time invested in reading it.
Interestingly, this place, although fictional, is real enough. The people who mine the Alberta Tar Sands are sometimes called the Shadow population and live in trailer parks as well as work camps.
The lands are predominantly aboriginal and the history of the Residential schools and the abuse is accurate. All makes for a great setting to place a horror!
Thanks again.
MFS
Post a Comment