Customer Reviews

Bad Moon Rising

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Multiple Stoker Award winner Jonathan Maberry pulls off the near impossible in his latest novel, Bad Moon Rising (Pinnacle, 6 May 2008), the last in the Pine Deep trilogy - a truly satisfying ending to a horror epic. Far too often readers of multiple book series are left feeling just a little dissatisfied with the ending. That is not the case with Bad Moon Rising. Maberry, a highly talented new voice in storytelling, continues the breakneck pace of the first two novels, as the town of Pine Deep, Pennsylvania unknowingly awaits the Red Wave - an attack by a range of monsters as convincing as any in horror fiction. All on Halloween, in the town known as 'America's Haunted Holidayland'.

The cast of characters - good, evil, some possibly both - developed in the first two novels, Ghost Road Blues (Horror Writers Association's Stoker winner for Superior Achievement in a First Novel for 2006) and Dead Man's Song is fully utilised as the tension mounts to the point where the reader may find it necessary to place the book aside for some hours (a problem I had last encountered decades ago with Stephen King's Salem's Lot). There is incredible mayhem and death in this book - agonisingly described at times - but all in context and all to a level of realism often missed in the genre. Maberry's diverse background in the martial arts and other areas on the edges of our culture has been given full rein, proving the maxim a writer should write what they know.

Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the trilogy is the way Maberry has worked in his deep knowledge of vampire and werewolf folkore to provide original takes on each of these monsters, which have been so abused and overused in recent fiction and film. As he points out in his Author's Note it is not often we read of a ghost who just doesn't know how to be a ghost. Enjoyably, here is a writer who convincingly tips his hat to some of horror's icons - both fictional and real.

One of the most evil villians recently created - Ubel Griswold - shares top billing with the brutal killer Karl Ruger, the cruelly violent Vic Wingate. Iron Mike Sweeney, a 14 year old who is not at all what he seems, the ghostly Bone Man, Malcom Crow, Val Guthrie, Saul Weinstock and the other heroes all appear fully formed and true to their destiny. Maberry plays no tricks - even the appropriately named Mayor, Terry Wolfe, acts out his role with not a hint of being out of character, or destiny.

But in the end, it's the story that counts - and this is a whopper. A mini-series would not do it justice. Over three books readers slowly learn to love and loathe many of the characters, to mourn their loss, to fear the villains and to imagine themselves in some of the situations. This empathy is a gift of the writer to the reader and is part of the spell that weaves it way from page one of Ghost Road Blues through the Epilogue of Bad Moon Rising.

Maberry is undoubtedly one of horror's rising new voices. He's prolific - one top of these novels he's producing four non-fiction volumes in as many years - and will publish a new series of bio-terrorism novels starting in 2009. Now's the time to get in on the ground floor - start this trilogy with Ghost Road Blues and you'll most likely be hooked.

I just finished reading the third installation in Jonathan Maberry's Pine Deep trilogy and all I have to say is -damn! The level of violence and gore was off the charts in this book, it is probably the bloodiest, most cringe inducing story I have ever read.

Getting past the unsettling gore-fest, however, Bad Moon Rising was a wonderful and engaging novel which had me turning pages long into the night. The continuing story of Malcolm Crow, Val Guthrie, Mike Sweeny and company picks up on the same thread where Dead Man's Song left off. After Val's near death encounter with Boyd and Crow's flight from Dark Hollow the group finally begins to realize the extent of the evil brewing in their small Pennsylvania town. Things come to a head as Halloween and the "Red Wave" approach with the heroes casting around for some desperate foothold against the looming chasm of darkness.

Though I found the violence a bit over the top I did truly enjoy this book, it was a great closing to a thrill ride trilogy of blood, guts, and terrifying monsters. As always Jonathan Maberry's prose is a treat; he writes with a lurid and lyrical voice that is all his own. If you've read the first two novels, Ghost Road Blues and Dead Man's Song, then this is a MUST! If you haven't read any of the Pine Deep trilogy, then I highly recommend you add them to your reading list!

I've recently gotten into Maberry and am gobbling up all his stuff now. I did the same thing when I discovered Cormac McCarthy and Gary Braver. Maberry definitely hasn't disappointed and his Pine Deep trilogy is just flat out awesome. The cons: Wordy, sometimes overwrought. Not much else I can say. This is good stuff. Pros: Characters and arcs that you grow to care about. Gore galore, but fairly unique and potent. This one is the most suspenseful of the trilogy and several chapters leaving you hanging on a thread while Maberry veers off to update another plotline. The "heroes" are likeable and, with some rare exception, act like everyday Joes thrown into extraordinary circumstances. The villains are extra dirty with a side of nasty and a cup of soul-deep evil thrown in, but they are fun to read about and most get their comeuppance. For those of you that want a freeway to get to your destination quickly, try McCarthy's later works or Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series (both excellent in their own right). If you want a scenic route with a very enjoyable ride and lots to see and do, Maberry is your guy.

This is the last book to the pine deep trilogy. I highly recommend reading the two previous books before reading this one because you will understand the whole picture. As for this book, I enjoyed it very much, from beginning to end. This book came together and provided me with all I wanted in the end, it brought all books together and gave me everything I wanted out of a trilogy. Bad Moon Rising was closer to a horror book than the other two hands down. There were many brutal scenes and the book provided emotional moments at the same time. Jonathan Maberrys writing was at his best here, this book was very well written and I really do recommend it to horror fan hands down. But just make sure to start from the first book, which is Ghost Road Blues.

I totally fell in love with the series, devouring books 1 through 3. I love authors who write well, craft characters, bring you in to a visceral state of anxiety and scare the crap out of you all at once. Well worth the awards it has earned, and I was left HOPING for a book 4 to follow up on the promise of the hints of more at the end. I recommend the books to many, but won't part with my own copies - I know I will want to read this one again.

A skilled effort by a hard-working writing with a gift for characterization and pacing. I've enjoyed following Maberry's rise and always look forward to his work.

Love all that Halloween creep & gore. I would recommend you start with the first book though or you will miss out on the big picture.
Definately not for the squimish!

But I loved this series. A friend talked me into reading Ghost Road Blues. I could not put the book down. Still dont' like horror,but I am waiting on the next story from Pine Deep.

This series is an excellent series. There is never that drag that you experience with some authors. I didnt realize it was a series when a friend gave me the second book. I was hooked! I got on line and ordered books 1 and 3. Enjoy!!

3 AND 1/2 STARS

This is one of the more ambitious horror trilogies in recent memory, along with James Moore's Serenity Falls trilogy, Richard Laymon's Beast House books and Edward Lee's Infernal series. Maberry is a solid writer, no doubt, but I felt here, in the final book, the revelations regarding the mythology and folklore were a bit hard to swallow, even in the fictional world of Pine Deep.

This third book, Bad Moon Rising, was my least favorite of the trilogy, but was still an enjoyable read. The buildup was so great that it seemed an almost impossible mountain for Maberry to scale, but even reaching halfway is still an impressive feat. Besides the numerous typos and repetitive scenes with characters trying to figure out what was happening to their town, everyone was too secretive about keeping important information to themselves. Authorities were not even shown evidence of the supernatural until halfway through this book, which makes it a grand total of 1,303 pages before the police are told and shown what exactly is happening (adding the page count of the first two books into the mix).

But I understand this is fiction and you might not have a trilogy if the police discover what is happening too early on. But 1,303 pages? The ending, also, was pretty much what I expected and would have preferred it coming together in more unpredictable ways. Still, I have to give props to Maberry for keeping such an epic tale so condensed and focused on this small town. I enjoyed the characters and scattered moments of danger, along with his deliciously atmospheric descriptions. I do believe this trilogy would have been more effective with another pass of editing to trim some of the fat, but overall, I was satisfied by my experience and recommend the first book, Ghost Road Blues, to any horror fan who prefers atmosphere and substance over mindless gore.