Customer Reviews

Evilution

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Our heroine, Chase Black, receives a letter out of the blue telling her that she has won a house in a quaint village called Paradise. But as things start to unravel, Chase realizes she did not win the cottage at all. From this point on, things get stranger and more eerie. In some ways, the story reminded me of John Wyndham's science fiction novel, The Midwich Cuckoos, but it was a lot stranger. Evilution is a classic horror novel that expands the envelope of the genre. Government coverups and paranoia all feature in a story that grips to the last page, and then doesn't let go. Read it if you dare.

From the very first chapter, this book draws you in with its dark, gothic atmosphere and the foreshadowing of terrible things to come. Shaun's writing captures the you right away, and places you in the front seat of a roller coaster ride.
Only this ride takes place in the dark.

Chase Black's life sucks. Her boyfriend has been missing for four months, she's unemployed, the pile of bills grow larger and larger, and she lives in a dangerous part of town. Nothing seems to go her way. The only good thing in her life is her lesbian friend Jane, with whom Black has a tendency to drink more than wine than she perhaps should.

But then one day something strange happens. A letter arrives, telling her that she's won her own house in a cosy little village in the countryside. Great news! However, the crux of the matter is that she cannot remember entering any contest in the first place. Then one early morning - when Chase and Jane have both set a new personal best in being hungover - a chauffeur arrives with a limousine to take them to Paradise, the name of the village. Chase agrees to come along, but only on the condition that Jane can come, too.

Upon arriving things appear nice and dandy, except for a bizarre fog that surrounds the entire village. But Evilution is a horror story, and thus both Chase and Jane soon realize that things are not the way they ought to be. Chase, however, tries to keep her spirit high since she has no intentions of going back to her old life, but the strangeness factor keeps getting higher, and when Jane suddenly disappears without a trace things start to really fall apart. People begin to die all around her, and Chase starts having serious doubts about her own sanity. What has happened to Jane? Why isn't she allowed to leave the village? What's the story about the weird fog that never goes away? And why are the inhabitants acting so irrationally?

Evilution is Shaun Jeffrey's first novel (even if he's had some shorter stories published before), and this is definitely not a bad debut. Jeffrey has learned the art of creating a creepy feeling without using unnecessary long paragraphs or stereotyped tools of horror writing. Chase's attempts to understand what's happening to her make a great read, and the other main character - a teenager called Ratty who becomes lost in the fog and end up facing a seemingly invincible foe - is also interesting and adds additional flavor to the story.

No, it's not the best work of horror I've ever read, but I still found myself appreciating it in many different ways, and especially Jeffrey's ability to let the reader know that something's about to happen, but what? And when?

And oh, I must also add that Evilution has one of the best endings I've ever seen in a novel.

Entertaining. Imaginative. And creepy! What a great read.

This was a truly suspenseful novel. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect when I first started reading it, but it quickly pulled me in and had me for the entire ride. I really want to gush about it's plot, but don't want to give away too many details. I will never look at the fog the same again.

I believe this is one of Shaun Jeffrey's earlier works and, since I read the three of them (chronologically anyway) out of order (as I understand it, from newest to oldest), the beginning did SEEM to reflect that fact. But, I could be wrong. The novel, overall, after the first chapter for sure, was very satisfying and, in my humble opinion, begging for a sequel. I can happily say it was well worth the purchase!!

Sincerely,
J.G. Franklin

Review by R. Douglas Weber author of Protocol-17: A Conspiracy Thriller
Shrouded by fog for nearly two years, the picturesque village of Paradise harbors more than its share of secrets. Having won a cottage in a competition she can't remember entering, Chase Black moves to Paradise, only to discover that its beauty is skin deep - murder and madness fester in its shadows. She comes across an old diary in the cottage. Opening the book, the words glare back at her. A tremulous hand has scribbled a warning:

I killed her. We killed her. They killed her. It killed her.

She dismisses it as the ramblings of a demented mind, nothing more.
But when her traveling companion Jane mysteriously disappears, she starts asking questions. Why are the villagers behaving so oddly? Who are the strange figures she sees lurking in the fog? As Chase becomes afraid that something terrible has happened, events escalate dangerously out of control. Now a virtual prisoner; too late she discovers the real reason she's there ...

Mr. Jeffrey seduces and terrifies, laying the groundwork with subtle hints and ever heightening tension. While his style and the "Village of the Damned" plot structure are reminiscent of John Wyndham's Midwich Cuckoos, the pacing is rabid and the small-town characters breathe with the vitality of Stephen King. Jeffrey's sharp characterization, engaging dialogue, tangy local color, and galloping impetus, make this a must read for all fans of the genre.
He strikes harder and with more finesse than most of his cotemporaries in the horror/thriller genre.

This is a commendable first novel. If you want to try a new author who can only get better, then I urge you to read this book. I imagine when he wrote this, he was having fun. There are several horror cliches, but I don't think they are meant to be taken seriously. The style of writing is crisp and fast, and the story keeps you guessing. I look forward to seeing more by Shaun Jeffrey.

Chase Black is jobless, and her boyfriend has left her, and when a letter arrives telling her she has won a house in the country by entering a competition she doesn't even remember entering, Chase is understandably sceptical. The house is situated in the village of Paradise, the inhabitants of which are far from friendly: in fact they are downright scary. The reason for the villagers behaviour is eventually revealed, and it's a terrifying revelation.
I was drawn in to the story right from the start. It was easy to read, and consisted of some imaginative situations with likeable characters. It would be unfair to give away the solution to the mystery, but it's well worth reading this book for. There are some faults with the book, but the author shows great potential, and an undeniable energy and enthusiasm. Add Shaun Jeffrey to my list of authors to watch.

Out of work with no prospects and a lack of cash to tide her over, twenty-five years old Chase Block feels already depressed when her boyfriend Mat vanishes from her life. Despondent, she receives a letter from Storm Enterprises signed by a Nigel Moon informing her that she has won High Top Cottage in Paradise, Staffordshire. As she informs her friend gay amazon Jane, a disbelieving Chase does not remember entering in any contest nor can she find any information on the town.

Still when Storm Enterprises' Drake arrives to "collect" Chase, she and Jane go to the village to see her new home. However, seeing is a bit difficult as a thick fog engulfs the town as it has for a couple of years. As Chase finds a book warning of killings, Jane vanishes. Now Chase wonders if she should flee that is if she can escape the fog, but also worries about her friend and two teens who have wandered inside the hazy belt.

EVILUTION is classic horror that will frighten readers from the moment the two Londoners arrive at Paradise. The terse story line never eases up as the tension mounts and the audience wonders whether the heroine will survive especially since she obviously was selected and may not be able to leave (the Eagles' Hotel California inside John Carpenter's Fog). This is a terrific tale that genre fans will want to read.

Harriet Klausner

On a simple level the story is about a woman, Chase Black who wins a house in a competition she doesn't remember entering, who then finds herself in a strange village, populated by an eerie and quirky group of residents. The village is surrounded by impenetrable fog, and when she discovers the secret horror that is being perpetrated, she tries to escape.

Meanwhile, two teenage friends, Ratty and Izzy find themselves lost in the fog, and they soon discover that all is not what it seems. Who are the strange, ghostlike characters lurking within the mist? And what has happened to the residents of Paradise, a village that has been cut off from the rest of civilisation for almost two years? Motivated by the need to find his granddad, a resident of Paradise, Ratty treks through the fog, but what he discovers is more horrifying than anything he could ever imagine.

In a lot of ways, the story reminded me of the popular, quirky television series, The Prisoner. With an underlying metaphor on today's society, Evilution ponders some profound questions. Truly thought provoking, I found it a suspenseful story with countless eerie, terrifying moments. I recommend you read it with the lights on and the doors locked