Customer Reviews

Giant Monster

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Here's a relatively quick review without any spoilers. Got this in the mail yesterday and read it on the train into work today. The first half is great, but the second half really should have been two separate parts.

I really like Nat Jones' character design, the coarse line-work compliments the nature of the story. The setup is great. The story begins with an interesting Vemon-esc creation story. The monster is a zombie kaiju that grows as it eats, which is a nice development on Steve Niles' part. The story is pretty gory, but the cover makes that pretty clear - so if that makes you squeamish, this probably isn't the book for you. The story has a really nice development. I was really into it by the mid point, but they keep introducing new elements almost to the very end. My other complaint is that there are lots of characters for such a short story and most of them don't have proper time to develop. There's lots of potential and a few interesting character moments for the monster - but it's squelched by pushing much too quickly for a conclusion. The "final conflict" seems sudden. It is very brief and somewhat dissatisfying accordingly - it seems too easy and there is next-to-no wrap-up.

Overall it's worth checking out if you're really into kaiju or you're looking for a new spin on a zombie story, but it could have been better.

Steve Niles is at it again and doing what he fancies best, horror. This time around he takes a brief page from his former 30 Days of Night partner Ben Templesmith and dispenses generous touches of humor to the proceedings ala Gentleman Corpse. This melding of distinct styles isn't necessarily new to Niles, his Dead She Said successfully incorporated horror with noir. The story starts out on a more serious note involving a space pilot and the tragic consequences that befall him before transitioning predominately into a more light hearted mode, aided and abetted by a couple of wise cracking kids. This shift in tone was probably inevitable and part of the original plan due to the borderline silly premise to begin with, how ironic however that it would come in a book featuring some of Niles' best writing. It's a decidedly slippery slope when you combine gravity with levity, as the humor will overtake all other features of the story, therefore diminishing whatever substantial aspirations it once embraced. Of course many may feel that the glibness is the more appealing aspect anyways and should take prominence, but then the wit must be crisp or the entire project can collapse outright. The plot itself does have some intriguing deeper elements, although there are way too many lengthy and redundant action scenes centering on the marquee monster attacking everything and anything in sight. It is certainly debatable whether or not Niles should have played it straight in this instance; the absurd premise may have forced his hand in the manner of satire. There are always risks involved when simultaneously going in two divergent directions. The schizophrenic results may ultimately not satisfy anyone entirely, but for people who prefer some chuckles with their chills, this is right up your alley.

Not being a big fan of Steve Nile's "30 Days of Night" or his zombie comic "Remains," I must say "Big Monster" was pretty entertaining. That means with "Simon Dark" and "City of Others" this is the third title I have read from the author that I really enjoyed.

Okay, it's not the most original story in the world, but what it lacks in originality it makes up for with great execution and story telling. The dialogue itself is fantastic and meshes well with the artist's style.

Not the best book ever, but without a doubt it's worth a go.

Giant Monster is a very simple story. It's a fast read and you'll manage to finish it in one sitting. That's not a bad thing. With a title like "GIANT MONSTER" you've pretty much got to know where you're heading.

Steve Niles does a decent job of setting the story in place quickly and artist Nat Jones handles the visuals gruesomely at times (another good thing). With a read this simple the fun comes in the discovery so I won't spoil it with too much detail but suffice to say: there's a giant monster, the military, and loads of death, destruction, and action. It's all delivered with a fun smirk and wink to the audience and I found myself entertained.