Creepers [Kindle Edition]

Bryan Dunn (Author)

Book Description

A group of locals struggle to save their home after a genetically altered creeper vine invades a small desert town.

Doc Fletcher, an eccentric biologist in the remote Mojave Desert, has finally created the ultimate drought-tolerant plant: a genetically engineered creeper vine. It's destined to change the world, but not according to Doc's plans. Instead, this vine has a mind of its own. Mayhem ensues as the residents of Furnace Valley (pop. 16), along with campers at the nearby hot springs, run for their lives - led by wannabe date rancher Sam Rainsford and the nerdy yet gorgeous botanist Laura Beecham, who has come to the desert for a reunion with the father she has never known...

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Bryan Dunn's horror/thriller THAW

"Thaw is an action-packed, heart-pumping thrill ride that keeps readers on the edge of their seats."
--Will Plyler, Mania.com

"Dunn delivers a brisk page-turner that thrills and chills." --Scott Nicholson, Liquid Fear

Product Details

• File Size: 343 KB
• Print Length: 205 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Bryan Dunn (October 16, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005WJQK8K
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,399 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars You'll never look at those vines on your house the same way again December 5, 2011

By Robert Steiner

Format:Kindle Edition

I have a confession to make. You know those cheesy monster movies on the SyFy channel, the ones on Saturday nights when only the geeky or married are home? The ones with eye-catching names like "Mega Python vs. Gateroid"?

I love them all. Some people like "Dancing With The Stars," I'll take "Man With The Screaming Brain" any day.

So when I saw "Creepers" by Bryan Dunn, I snatched it up. It promised a story about a "zany group of characters struggling to save their home after a genetically altered creeper vine invades their small desert town with an insatiable thirst...and a taste for human blood."

That alone should get you to download a sample, but here's a bit more.

An eccentric biologist living in the Mojave Desert creates the creeper vine as a way to "green up" the desolate landscape. But things go awry, as they always do in these stories. The vine escapes its confines and runs amok near the small desert town of Furnace Valley. It's up to Sam Rainsford, a local date rancher, and Laura Beecham, a beautiful botanist, to rally the town's sixteen residents - and a group of teenage campers - to escape the blood-thirsty vine and destroy it before it takes over the desert and the state.

"Creepers" follows the same pattern as my beloved SyFy movies - cut-out characters, dubious science, mortal peril for all involved.

But that's what I love about those movies and this book.

"Creepers" does not pretend to answer, or even ask, profound questions about the human existence. It's all about monstrous vines tearing apart buildings, animals, and people. It's a story you'd tell your friends around the campfire on a clear night in the desert. I can almost see the author winking at me as he relates one humorous/horrible scene after another. It's obvious he had fun writing this book, and the reader (at least the fans of B horror movies) will have fun reading it.

On the technical side, the book was well-edited without any grammar errors or typos that I could find. It's a fast-paced story (once things get going - see below) and a quick read at around 54,000 words.

There were a couple of spots where I thought the book could have been better.

One, in a few scenes Dunn revealed the horror behind the closet door, so to speak, in an omniscient view point before the characters saw it. That took away a lot of suspense that would've been there if the horror were experienced first through the characters' eyes.

Two, "Creepers" started a bit slow, with the main characters simply thinking about how they ended up where they were. The backstories would have been more dramatic if shown through character interaction and dialogue rather than naval gazing. However, the pace did pick up once the characters were fully introduced around 10% into the book.

All in all, "Creepers" is to books what "Flu Bird Horror" and "Mansquito" are to cinema - glorious fun.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A re-write of the classic "Tremors"? July 19, 2012

By montana

Format:Kindle Edition

This is an entertaining book- as it should be as it is an homage[fancy term for taking another writer's ideas] of the classic-"Tremors" series of movies. Let's see... there is a desert valley with 'geographic isolation' as it is surrounded by mountains on 3 sides so that when the monster appears and blocks the only road out, the whole town must make a run for the old jeep trail over the mountains to escape. There is an Asian who runs the general store/community hangout. There are 2 hardy ranchers that are the central characters with one getting the girl who is a scientist. There is a conviently present girl scientist to serve as expert and love interest. There is a goat herder who is killed with his head making an appearance as a focus of horror. Yes, all those are in "Tremors" which came out years ago, but they are also in "Creepers" whose title should be 'Creepers- Tremors with Plants" I gave the book 3 stars for being a pretty good re-telling and I leave it to the original Tremor author to explore the legal issues if they choose. So, first , watch "Tremors" . If you like it and want to read a re-imagined version, read "Creepers".

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read... June 1, 2012

By B. Carr TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I agree very much with many of the reviews that compared this book to a 50s or 60s B movie. Fun, Fun, Fun!

What does irk me are the reviews that complain about the writing style of Mr. Dunn. One of the reviewers is a writer himself. This reviewer was upset with the style of writing. He had many complaints, some of which are justified. However I think some of the issues he complains about are not the fault of the writer, but rather of the formatting when the book is put in the digital format. Other issues I would contribute to bad proofreaders (I think they rely upon the computer to proofread and that is wrong!).

Read this book for fun and enjoy it. I did. If you go into it like a chef eating at someone else's restaurant, if you do not like the food, just don't eat there. There are others that like this tasty style of food (if you get my drift!).

I liked the idea of the creeping vines and could visualize the almost Tremors style of setting. I will be reading Thaw next and am looking forward to it!

More About the Author

Bryan Dunn

Born: Santa Barbara, California

Work: At various times I have: bussed tables, delivered mattresses, painted houses, worked in a machine shop, worked for an ad agency, worked for Santa Barbara Magazine, Islands magazine and Serbin Communications.

Favorite sports: cycling, sailing

Favorite foods: tri-tip, cheeseburgers

Favorite hobby: cigar aficionado

Favorite movie: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Favorite quote: "The simplification of anything is always sensational."
-- G.K. Chesterton

My coffee: Black as the devil and hot as hell

Stranded on a desert island, my three favorite books would be: Moby Dick, The Count of Monte Cristo, Memoirs of an Invisible Man

www.BryanDunnBooks.com