Customer Reviews

The Devil's Brood

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

 

 

Jeff Rovin's RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN was unputdownable fun. Sadly this pulpy sequel from David Jacobs is not. First bad sign: I was unable to prevent myself from skimming over numbers of pages at no loss to the two storylines (barely connected, by the way, and unfinished in this volume to boot). The main test of this type of licensed fiction is whether you can believe the characters from the other medium are here, living this adventure. I could not see Bela Lugosi, John Carradine or even Lon Chaney Jr in the corny, supercharged, mass-murdering Dracula depicted here; and Mr Jacobs' method of reviving the Count reaches ludicrous new heights of incredibility even for this genre, temporarily turning the Count into a cross between Mothra and the Blob. To be fair, Universal itself had given up contriving methods of resurrection (original or otherwise) by the time it reached the last episodes in the film series, so marks to Mr Jacobs for the attempt. The human characters that dominate most of the book are an uninvolving bunch, while the Frankenstein monster is dead most of the time, but then that, too, is faithful to Universal's monster rallies. Problems also arise when the author apparently tries to emulate Rovin's in-jokes. A character played by actor Warner Oland in WEREWOLF OF LONDON is described from a photograph as looking "like a Swede masquerading as an Asian". Oland, a Charlie Chan of the movies, was exactly that, but in story context why would a portly, middle-aged man in a photograph particularly resemble a Swede? What exactly does a `Swede' look like? Oland was hardly a Nordic blonde. It's a minor gripe in itself, but as the book never endears itself, I had no inclination to overlook it; it was just annoying. The cover art is crude and stars what appears to be the Mummy. He's not here, and neither is the Gill-Man, just for the record.

I'll be honest, I only got 106 pages into this book before giving up on it. The previous work in the series, RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN by Jeff Rovin, was a delight from start to finish. But this book features paper-thin characters and an emphasis on gore that is untrue to the spirit of the original Universal Monsters series, and betrays a singular lack of taste on the part of the author. The author writes in short paragraphs, I guess in an effort to replicate the writing of the "shudder pulps" of the 1940s. But it all becomes an arbitrary exercise in stylistic excess, with zombies flopping about with severed spinal cords sticking out. There's a rule against spoilers, or I'd tell you the author's absurd transformation of Dracula into a--well, Steve McQueen would have used CO2 on it, I'll give you that much of a clue. I'm not the only guy who gave up on this book; two other Universal Horror movie buffs I know gave up in frustration and fury after a few chapters. Save your money.

To me, Jeff Rovin's RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN was akin to reading an actual movie script follow-up to ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN.. i could actally see Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, etc. brought back to life within the context of Rovin's writing... THE DEVIL'S BROOD on the other hand, falls completely flat. Dracula & Frankenstein spend over 80 % of the text either dormant or in another life form. The two seperate plots have no real connecting point, with the whole Bride of Frankenstein angle left totally unresolved. David Jacobs writing is just fine by "pulp" standards, but anyone reading this hoping for the same Universal Monsters classic "treatment" that RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN presented, is bound to be very disappointed.

I read the triogy (starting with Jeff Roven's The Return of the Wolfman) for my science fiction and horror book club and enjoyed it so much that I was compelled to write this review. Roven's approach to the first book was very traditional and great fun, while Jacobs following books takes the monsters into uncharted grounds. At first some of the changes to the "beloved" monsters seem to be somewhat exploitive, but without giving away any spoilers, lets just say the series ends nicely.

With this book and its counterpart the author turns the Universal Monsters world on its head and completely reinvents a new age of fear and terror. My favorite character from the novels is the werewolf of London and it was a fresh idea to have the werewolf curse pass from one generation to another.

This book and the previous instalment, Return of the Wolfman, is a worthwhile attempt to bring the classic B&W Universal monster into the present day. Perfect reading for a dark and stormy night.

The Devils Brood wasn't a bad book but nowhere near the caliber of The Return of the Wolfman. Unlike Rovin, the author seems unable to effectively deal with the amount of material he's chosen to cover; with all pun intended, he bites off more than he can chew. The book leaves us well set-up for the next installment, but leaves too many loose ends for what he's covered. My biggest complaint is the banter between characters who seem to lack importance to the story. Every remark has its retort and every retort has its follow-up remark, most of which are meaningless and add nothing but yawns to the story. It also lacks its predecessor's flair for capturing the monster's "old-fashion" essence. Dracula's dialogue seems trite and out of character. One of the central players is an American gangster who seems much more like a tourist and all-around nice guy rather than the wiseguy from the East coast like he's supposed to be. Besides the fact that he packed a gun, he and his henchmen come off as mealy-mouthed outsiders rather than hoods. The author also has to retrace his narrative several times to add important elements, as if to say, "I forgot to tell you, a few paragraph's back, so-and-so also did x while he was doing y." You get the idea. I did say it wasn't a bad book, and so in spite of all it's downfalls it does shine on some major points. The book is about the Universal Monsters, and in the chapters where they're actually center-stage the scenes are vivid and imaginative. He does a good job in his colorful and sometimes curdling descriptions. He successfully links important elements of plot together, where the monsters are concerned, without coming off as cheesy or far-fetched. So, as much as I wished Rovin had returned for The Devil's Brood, I did enjoy reading it and look forward to the next sequel.

This long-awaited sequel to RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN (1998) is a campy tour de force that harkens back to the days of the old serials and pulps, yet with a modern twist. Mad scientists, mad labs, Countess Marya (Drac's daughter) out to rule the world with a cartel of satanic-Scientists...PLUS the Bride of Frankenstein AND the grandson of the Werewolf of London...Holy Moley! Saturday afternoon creepies at their best! Enjoy! CAN'T WAIT FOR THE THIRD INSTALLEMENT(and hope I don't haveta wait 2 more years! ).

This book had its flaws no doubt about that. You had many monsters doing different things. Jacobs jumps all over the place from one scene to another, almost like a sick soap opera. It was like going to see a film with four academy award winners in it but they went in four different directions trying to be the main star. Jacobs trys in vain and hastily to tie this amalgam of a stew together, but it still leaves you feeling like the book was rushed to get each co starring monsters part in. As others have stated, Dracula's dialogs were utterly cheesy I never new the lord of vampires was so locoquacious. Okay, bashing over. I liked the book for the simple reason the action kept coming, never a dull moment. I am not impressed with 30 page chunks of description and background. There was much disconitutiy but I turned the pages for the next kill or discovery, entertaining at the least. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying, but all the reason for me to read the next book. While written somewhat like a comic book, it turned its share o pages for sheer action. (Excuse the lousy writing; I am in a terrible rush.

Yes, there are inconsistencies-as there were in the movies, and in "Return of the Wolfman"-but overall this is a decent book. Dracula's character is a little unbelievable, but I'm telling you, the scenes just before and during the ressurection of the Frankenstein Monster are fantastic, fairly original, and gruesome.Wow-very well done. I've never heard of Jacobs before, but based on this, he has an unusual style, sometimes making the story unique, at other times making it hard to tell which character spoke that last line. Definitely recommended, if you like the Universal monsters.