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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Waiting for the Worms: Stranded, Helpless, and Oversexed,
By Ravenova (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Slither (Mass Market Paperback)
People, the other white meat! When a routine zoological excursion turns deadly, a small team of researchers are stranded on a lethal island chocked full of dead bodies and giant trichinosis worms with attitude. But, wait, the mystery deepens! These oversized parasites are not nature's intended denizens and as time is running short, the research team begins to discover a horrific undercurrent with worldwide implications. Horror, death, betrayal, sex, and lots of worm data coalesce to create a grisly little tale of worms, their unwitting hosts, and one experiment with cataclysmic effects. Welcome to this island paradise, enjoy the worms!
Okay, this story does reek of the typical "monster that stepped on Cincinnati" atmosphere, however horror master Edward Lee pulls the tale off with a aplomb proving that common parasites (and other ordinary animals of our world) when amped up in size can be the most dreadful of monsters, filling the reader with revulsion and a unique sense of foreboding that compels him or her to read onward until the very end. The villainous super worms prove themselves to be worthy enemies with their unique system of infecting a live host. Of course, the grisly nature of a parasite's life is vividly evoked, producing some rather large, agile, and discomfortingly realistic villains who have no qualms with supping off the island's reluctant research crew. Remember, watch where you step . . . something might be waiting for you just around that bend! The creation of an interesting, and suitably disgusting villain is then expertly complemented with an atmosphere rich in tropical intrigue and growing paranoia. Who is to say what is hiding in that dense green foliage? What are these strange ova that have started to wander into camp, scaling trees and pulsing their way relentlessly toward the heat given off by the living? What was that flash of pink beneath the tent, that barely discernable slither, that eternal silence filled with a throbbing otherworldly terror? As the situation worsens, and "things" start to appear, our characters describe the lush, and not so welcoming surroundings, intermingling description with a feeling of desperation and mounting terror in the face of the unknown. Indeed, the atmosphere is what truly makes the tale, capturing the reader in a finely drawn web, immersing them in a strange little story made all the more enjoyable by its telling. And what of our witless characters who, wondering around on a routine mission, suddenly discover themselves in a situation far from the bounds of protocol and routine? What of their emotions, their desperations, their endless romantic flings? Yes, in the face of death they remain resilient and strangely amorous. Hmm, interesting . . . The cast of characters is sparse, but well developed, albeit mostly unsympathetic. We have the brothers grim --- Slydes and Jonas as well as their bit of fluff Ruth on one side of the island surreptitiously searching out pot plants and then on the other side we have our ill fated researchers. There is Trent, army officer and official guide for the group. Then there is Annabelle, the voluptuous and two timing photographer. And, not to be forgotten, my two personal favorites, Nora and Loren, the scientists/nerds who despite Annabelle's condescending remarks are truly the stars of the show. Each character is allowed to tell a portion of the tale through their perspectives, allowing the reader to gain an insight into the inner workings of their minds and their tumultuous relationships with other characters. While few of the characters are truly likable (with the acceptation of the scientists) they all prove rather interesting and suitably backstabbing. Never fear the giant worms, your two-timing comrades are here! Complimented by a writhing blood-sucking, parasitical beast of formidable proportions (with a penchant for human flesh), a dreary atmosphere of gore soaked paranoia, and characters to die for, the book has much to live up to in its conclusion and it does succeed. The author decides to throw a ringer in the end, making for a totally unpredictable and suitably dire finale fraught with much worm carnage. Who will live, who will die, who will become part in another romantic interlude? Only the ending will reveal all!!! But, alas, dear reader, the novel did fall prey to some serious flaws, even in the midst of all its gory glory. Firstly there was TMWD, as I call it, or Too Much Worm Data. I realize that this scientific penchant lends the tale an aura of realism and seriousness but, quite frankly, if I was forced to hear one more detail concerning a worm's life, its scientific names, the scientific names of its brethren, and its momma's social security number, I intended to launch the book at whoever was nearest me. Yes, worms are fascinating, but enough already, I just want to see them eat somebody (preferably a character that I don't like . . .) Also, the writing style, while descriptive and atmospheric could veer into the colloquial at times especially with Syldes and Jonas. The author, in an attempt to convey their evil, redneck ways complete with foul language in every conceivable sentence and two timing drug deals combined with illegal poaching and murder, went a little over the top, annoying the reader at times with the very baseness of the characters themselves. This writing error, if it can be labeled as such, was only present in the Syldes and Jonas chapters and did not greatly mar the novel's overall worth. These two flaws were minor, however, there was one cavernous flaw that did infest the entire tale, bringing down the reader's enjoyment: the excessive grossness of the subject matter coupled with the unnecessarily detailed accounts of the worm's carnage ranging from the attacks all the way to the host period where the worm's larva grew and multiplied inside a living body, spilling forth from them when the worms were ready to hatch. Likewise, the numerous methods of one human infecting another were stomach churning. Of course, the novel did start as it meant to go on, launching into the grisly details from page one and persisting all the way to the conclusion by which time the reader will have assuredly turned a lovely shade of green. Be warned, no detail is spared, no painstaking moment left to the imagination. Anything gruesome you can imagine will be amplified ten-fold so get ready to get immersed in the sickness. Conclusion: Even still, with the flaws added into the general framework of the tale, Edward Lee proves to be a masterful storyteller, relaying his bizarre sojourn through the land of horror with enough skill to infiltrate the readers' imaginations and have them tossing and turning with dreams of giant worms and isolated islands. Not for the faint of heart, but overall Slither proves to be a winner. An interesting offering from an author that is new to me, I will be sure and visit Edward Lee's works again in the not so distant future. Recommended. 3.5 stars. - Ravenova
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well Paced and Enthralling,
By
This review is from: Slither (Mass Market Paperback)
I've actually read this book twice. This is a pure creature feature with sex monsters and creepy crawlys. This is one of my favorite Lee books. If you like monster flicks you'll love this.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's g-r-r-r-r-OSS!,
By
This review is from: Slither (Mass Market Paperback)
Edward Lee, Slither (Leisure, 2006)
Every once in a while, when you're crushed by multiple heavy tomes where every page takes five minutes to digest, you need something light, easy, and quick. There may not be a better, more satisfying press for that sort of thing these days than Leisure Books. I've read a whole lot of Leisure novels, from the very early days of the press right up to the present, and I've found very few to be less than I expect: good, solid, quick, escapist reads. And that's about as good a definition of Slither as I can find. Premise: various groups of folks converge on a supposedly deserted island in the Gulf of Mexico, a couple of miles from St. Petersburg, that used to be an old army base. Problem is, some other paramilitary types have turned it into an experimental breeding ground for really, really nasty things. I wouldn't tell you what, but the big spoiler is in the first three words of the back matter, so I won't beat around the bush: worms. Big, ugly worms. Worms that like to infect things like sea life. And possums. And partying college students. Needless to say, if nematodes squick you out, stay far, far away form this book; I'm still poking and scratching and obsessively checking myself for parasites. In any case, I finished the novel last night, and I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about the OMG BIG PLOT TWIST. It's generic and silly (and the kind of thing that, when sprung on a reader, usually destroys a book for me), but Lee integrates it so well into the story that I have to admit I'm grudgingly impressed; this is the most fun I've had reading Ed Lee's stuff since "Doing Colfax" back in the mid-eighties. Decent characters, tight plot, some great descriptive writing (even if it does go over the top now and again). It's not deathless literature, but you don't go to Leisure for deathless literature. You turn to Leisure for books that will gross you out. And Slither delivers mightily. ***
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