Customer Reviews

Riverwatch

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4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I am often disappointed by first novels; usually they promise us steak but serve up hamburger. This time though, Joseph Nassise has not only served up the steak he's given us filet mignon! Riverwatch is story of the culmination of a terrible war begun in a time before mankind was preeminent and brought to its climax in smalltown USA. Nassise has plenty of talent for plot, pacing and dialog. This novel is a grabber and should keep you turning pages long after your spouse tells you "enough already go to bed!!" If his next book (Heretic) is as good look for Mr. Nassise to take his place among the likes of Clark, Laymon, Clegg, Little, et al. Buy this book, stay out of dark places and enjoy a thoroughly good horror novel.

As a good story, 'Riverwatch' delivers. The plot is not wholly original, but is intelligent enough to surpass any thoughts of having been there before. There are, though, three (small) problems... First off, there are some clumsy grammatical errors, which are particular noticeable in the early chapters of the book. This is a shame, since a little elementary editing would have removed most of these. Secondly, Nassise seeks to 'tell' his reader too much, instead of using his descriptions and dialogue to 'show'. Again this is a shame since his ability to coin a keen phrase is evident when, as a page one 'prologue', he describes something as simple as silence and succeeds in immediately drawing his reader into his imaginary world. And thirdly, he has fallen into the first-time author's trap of overusing adjectives and adverbs. He would do well to listen to Stephen King's advice on seeking these out and destroying them (On Writing : A Memoir of the Craft). Any single one of these problems would have passed unnoticed. Any two would have been a slight irritation. But all three caused a series of reoccurring distractions that took the edge off my enjoyment of Riverwatch.

And yet the novel is still well-balanced, and has all the ingredients of a darn good read. Riverwatch is fast paced and, despite the story's Gothic feel, Nassise's protagonists are generally likeable characters with whom one can easily identify and empathize. Like most great horror writers, Jospeh Nassie draws the evil in his book from the dark regions of the human mind, though he fully hones the tangible reality of the evil in the nightmare shape of Moloch - The Beast. Nassie's descriptions of this, the last of the 'Nightshades' are superb, and genuinely scary. He taps into our darkest fears and conjures up enough bloodcurdling horror to unsettle us and have us peering nervously round dark corners. The deaths (of which there are several) are bloodthirsty but not excessively so... enough to put you off your bedtime cocoa, but not enough to make you want to close the book. As I say, Riverwatch is well-balanced and should be praised for achieving this difficult feat.

Take note... despite my criticisms, if Joseph M. Nassie can curb his predilection to adjectives and adverbs, allow his story to do the talking, and have his manuscript proof-read, his next book will be a true masterpiece. This is a young author on the way up and, in Riverwatch, should be congratulated for having laid the most solid foundation stones.

Riverwatch, a first novel by Joe Nassise, accomplishes what it sets out to do, but does so in a familiar and mostly uninventive fashion. It falls into the category of 'Boogieman' books, along the lines of It, by Stephen King, or Stinger, by Robert McCammon, or a whole host of Dean Koontz novels: Boogieman threatens small town (always a small town) and a group of overmatched characters with a limited chance of success must stop him. There's a certain comfort in familiarity. You understand the situation, circumstances, and goal - the story slips on like a comfortable, well-worn, shoe (albeit in this case one with a few pebbles in it).

It seems that thousands of years ago, three intelligent races occupied the Earth. There were the Elders, human in appearance and benevolent in intent, possessed of strange powers: The Good Guys. Opposite the Elders where the Nightshades; carnivorous flying humanoids who loved nothing better than the cause pain and death: the Bad Guys. Lastly were the Humans, the race that the Nightshades inflicted the pain and death on: the Food. Humans wheren't yet civilized and were hunted as cattle by the Nightshades while the Elders saw potential in humanity and began to teach them. Ultimately this resulted in a war between the Nightshades and the Elders that wiped both races out, leaving only one of each. With the Elders and Nightshades gone, humanity continued on the path of advancement they were shown by the Elders, multiplied, and created their own civilization culminating in where we are today.

Gabriel (obviously a deliberate choice of name) is the last remaining Angel... err, Elder. Age has finally caught up with him however, and he is dying in an assisted care facility. Some of his powers remain, enough so that he senses Moloch, the last remaining Demon... err, Nightshade, is about to bust free from his imprisonment. Gabriel drops a few hints and clues along with a weird necklace to some humans to help give them some semblance of a chance against Moloch.

An aside: in the Bible, Gabriel is an Archangel and the messenger of God who "... went to carry the Word to the heathen", an obvious reference to the teaching role the Elders played to humans. Moloch, on the other hand, was a false deity associated with Ammon in 1 Kings 11:7, "Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech (Moloch) the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon." These theological references add to the story, as it was kind of interesting to see what other things Nassise was going to try to attribute to Elders and Nightshades in his version of human history.

Back to the book. There's Sam, who works at the care facility part time and designs role playing modules. Jake is a contractor and Sam's friend. It's his workmen who uncover the passage to Moloch's prison. Last is Kate, ostensibly Jake's girlfriend (though they never really acted as such). She's the recipient of said weird necklace, which enables her to establish a mental bond with Moloch, a bond that works both ways. After Moloch escapes, gruesome murders start taking place and the three of them must find a way to defeat the Boogeyman with no help from the authorities since their fantastic story would never be believed.

Sound familiar? To anyone who's been reading horror longer than a week it should. I bet you can guess the ultimate ending as well, though Nassise throws in a few curves that help distinguish it from other stories cut from the same cloth. He certainly isn't shy about hurting his main characters, which helps create tension, as the reader is left to wonder just who will be standing at the end (although we know as soon as the story starts who <i>won't</i>).

The level of craft here is adequate, though unpolished when compared to more experienced authors. Nassise is fond of a particular device, a three sentence construction, with each sentence being its own paragraph, that he overuses. As an example, this is from the first chapter:

He realized what it was that had upset his foreman.
Stone stairs lay just beneath the stone.
Leading down.

He's trying for drama, and, if used sparingly, this would work. But he uses it too much. He's also apparently likes the words 'crimson' and 'flesh'; you'll see both words numerous times here, as well as some odd metaphors that don't do much more then interrupt the narrative flow by breaking POV. He hits you with one right up front: '... the sickly gray of anchovies'. An apt enough metaphor, but one only a writer would employ, not one a character would use. Nassise does this quite a few times in an effort to be more descriptive than necessary. If you're writing from a character's point of view, you ought to stay in character.

Speaking of characters, I didn't feel as attached to them as I should have or wanted to; they were all fairly similar and fairly bland, with Jake being the most well-done. I could see the puppet strings on occasion as Nassise developed situations that seemed more contrived than organic, the result being that the story felt a bit 'forced' at times. The most obvious case of this is at the very beginning (probably the worst place to have it), when Jake's construction foreman get all nervous and scared and gray (as an anchovy) when he discovers (gasp!) a covered staircase that (shudder!) probably leads to (ohmygod) a HIDDEN STOREROOM! I'm trying to be funny, but the emotions and reactions of the characters should feel authentic and be convincing. Sometimes, in Riverwatch they didn't.

Despite my quibbles, I found this to be an admirable first effort and a commendable addition to the Boogeyman subgenre. If Nassise's skills continue to develope, he will no doubt become a popular author. If you're on the lookout for new talent, give this one a try, and keep an eye out for his next.

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Nassise has captured the most gruesome character from our nightmares and has transformed it into a subhuman character that will raise the hair on the back of your neck, and have you picturing it for months to come.

Joseph Nasisse is an author whose future works are NOT to be missed. As his style matures, he could very well be the next King or Koontz.

Before history was recorded there were two main species that ruled the Earth. One were called The Elders and looked identical to humans today. The other were called The Nightshades and were evil winged creatures. The Elders thought the humans had the potential to become intelligent and began teaching them. The Nightshades considered humans to be nothing more than cattle. A war broke out resulting in the extinction of both races. However, one Nightshade had been sealed off from the world. It was buried in an underground tomb and topped with a flowing river. The world was safe. Until...

In the present date, while renovating the Blake estate, a river was drained and a cement sealed passage was found. An ancient evil was released, Moloch. Moloch was hungry and had a thirst from revenge!

***** This book caught me from the first sentence and held on until the end! Be warned of graphic death scenes! I highly recommend this one for Stephen King and Dean Koontz fans! Awesome and chilling! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch

Long before man was a sentient species, two intelligent races walked the Earth. The Elders, looking much like present day Homo sapiens, were a wise and benevolent group who saw the potential in man's ancestors and taught them what they knew. The Nightshades, a reptilian race that could fly, thought of the humans as cattle that made for a tasty meal. They ignored their kind rivals and the time came when the Elders and the Nightshades went to war.

They fought each other to the point of extinction until the last Elder defeated Moloch, the last Nightshade. Moloch was in a state of suspended animation until a construction worker in a small Vermont town inadvertently awakened him. He managed to free himself and go on a killing spree in Harrington Falls. To stop this dark and evil creature will take all the courage and the strength of the three people in the town who knows what they are really dealing with.

Horror fans have a special treat in store for themselves if they choose to read RIVERWATCH, a genuinely frightening novel that features a creature out of our darkest nightmares. Joseph M. Nassise is a gifted storyteller who knows how to capture and keep his audience's attention. Readers should put Mr. Nassise on their must read list.

Harriet Klausner

Modern horror writers are under continuous pressure to innovate. Vampires run nightclubs, ghouls haunt the Internet and serial killers are masters of culinary science. It is very unusual for an author to tackle a traditional plot and bring it to successful fruition. So I was much surprised to discover that Joseph Nassise had produced a fine, spirited tale of horror and suspense that could have taken place almost any time in the past 200 years and been just as readable as it is in it's modern setting.

In classic form, this story starts out with the discovery of a hidden passageway beneath a river that ran through the cellar of an old New England mansion. Jake Caruso, who restores historic homes discovers the passageway when he drains the river, and follows it to an ancient Blake family crypt. What Jake and Sheriff Damon Wilson find in the crypt is a frightening statue of a weird half-snake half-bat creature and the bloodless body of a would be thief. Unbeknownst to Jake and Damon the corpse's blood has awakened a nightmare creature from humanity's prehistory past.

Moloch is the last of one a race that predated humanity; he is a Nightshade, a highly intelligent creature that feeds on blood and terror. To Moloch, we are herd animals, meat to be used and destroyed. Opposing him is Gabriel, once a member of the Elders who battled the Nightshades and sought to help mankind advance. Now he is a dying old man in a nursing home, desperately trying to pass his knowledge on to Jake's friend, Sam Travers. When Jake gives his girlfriend Katelynn Riley a strange necklace he found at the crypt she finds herself able to ride Moloch's mind.

As Moloch carves a bloody path through Harrington Falls these three young people, with the help of the sheriff, must find the strength to defeat an almost indestructible horror. Nassise paints his characters with all their humanity, rather than creating two dimensional heroes. As such, their mistakes and fears make an otherwise fantastic tale easily believable. From start to spectacular finish the plot never flags. Moloch's nonchalant and consuming violence steadily builds suspense and momentum. For a first novel, "Riverwatch" is very well crafted with good balance between plot, atmospheric narrative, and characterization. My only gripes are that there a several editing errors, and that a subplot involving the Blake family (owners of the mansion) seems to have been cut down to the bone at some point. Still, I give Nassise's tale a full recommendation, and hope he goes on to write more.

RIVERWATCH is a horror-fan's delight! I couldn't put this one down until I was finished. Nassise breathes life into his characters--and into the genre itself. Nassise's voice is a mixture of Douglas Clegg and Frank Perretti, but uniquely his own. Don't miss it!

"Riverwatch" is an excellent debut. The author knows his horror well, and is well versed on how to tell a tale. He has the kind of style that comes across like a natural story teller. And it is obvious that he has done his research--at least as far as the genre is concerned. There may be a lot of archetypes within this novel, but they are presented in a way that celebrates the field, rather than copies from it. There may be elements that we have seen before, but that doesn't matter, because we want to see them. And it is the characters that carry the story. They are so believable that I would swear that he took them from people I know. For a first novel, "Riverwatch" accomplishes what it set out to do. It has introduced us to a new talent. So there may be nothing ultimately new here, at least it is not the job of a hack. Joseph Nassise has established himself as an author to look for.

I won't go into too much depth here, as I'm sure it would only lead to spoilers. Not that it would matter much. You already know everything there is to know about this book as you've read it before. You know what the characters are going to do and what they'll say. You'll know who will die within the first 50 pages.

Expect to groan a great deal. Expect to groan more often than you flip pages as the story goes on. Expect to know the outcome of the action very quickly. Expect to know the full backstory before you read it. Don't expect outstanding writing skills, as writing takes an absolute backseat to simple action narrative.

Least of all, don't expect any maturity over time in the characters, don't expect any intelligence in them, and don't expect to relate to more than their hobbies. As a matter of fact, you might not even be able to tell one from another based on personality, as they say the same things. The only real difference is the backstory.

Do yourself a favor, track down a copy of Michael Talbot's The Bog, from the 80s. The story is almost exactly the same, only the care given to the changes in the characters sets it far above this novel.