23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ya'll Best Watch Out For Stinger!, July 22, 2002
I have been reading an awful lot of these types of books lately. I've taken a couple of trips to the underworld, witnessed time travel, seen vampires chew up their victims, read about diseases that threaten the entire world, and visited the twisted worlds of serial killers. Ah, the life of the mass-market paperback reader! Usually, that life leaves a lot to be desired. Oftentimes, character development is minimal, the prose is turgid, or the plot is left loose ends flapping in the breeze. Not so with Robert McCammon. McCammon knows how to write a story with fascinating and well-developed characters, with an atmosphere that is both chilling and spooky. He also knows how to deliver a plot that is tied up in a neat little ball, to be neatly placed on your lap at the end of the book.
"Stinger" is just such a novel. It is the story of a little Texas town named Inferno. Inferno is dying, slowly and painfully. Since the mine closed down, there is little work and a lot of rusting dreams. The people that are left behind to witness Inferno's gasping death are a hardy lot. They need to be tough, because something terrible is about to happen that will change the people of Inferno forever. Early one morning, a spacecraft of unknown origin crashes outside town, quickly followed by another spaceship that lands outside Bordertown, where Inferno's Mexican citizens live. What follows is a roller coaster ride of sheer terror, as the occupants of the two spaceships aren't exactly friendly with one another. By the end of the book, dozens of people have died in extremely unpleasant ways.
At the center of the story is Daufin, a friendly alien running from an intergalactic bounty hunter called Stinger. Stinger has a lot of unusual tricks up his sleeve, leaving Daufin no choice but to drag the local inhabitants into the fray. There is the Hammond family, Colonel Rhodes, an air force investigator, Sheriff Ed Vance, Cody and Curt Lockett, Sarge Dennison, Rick Jurado, and other characters. The Hammond's are important due to their direct contact with Daufin. Lockett and Jurado are the leaders of two warring street gangs, the Renegades and Rattlers. These characters are astonishingly well developed for a horror novel. I was about half way through the book before I realized that McCammon loves his characters, and treats them accordingly. Some of the subplot stories are extremely heart wrenching. I know it is a cliché, but these really are characters that you come to care about.
What became most apparent to me as I read this book is McCammon's emphasis on redemption. Several of the characters are what society would deem "unlikable" people, but prove themselves when the going gets tough. An alcoholic abuser can change his ways, as can kids in a gang or a mentally unbalanced individual. McCammon has an unfailingly optimistic outlook towards humanity, something sorely lacking in most of today's fiction works. He believes that all types of people can put aside their differences in order to join together to fight a common enemy.
This is one of the better mass-market paperbacks I've read this summer. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I think it speaks volumes about McCammon's abilities as an author that this book, written in 1988, is still in print today. That's something most authors cannot brag about. Soon, I'll tackle "Swan Song."
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a GREAT Summer Read!!, May 28, 2004
This review is from: Stinger (Paperback)
I have read everything put out by Robert McCammon, and have enjoyed most of his novels and short stories. Stinger was the first book I read of McCammon's and it was so much fun I just re-read it this week. I see other reveiwer saying Stinger is like a B-Movie in paperback form like it's a bad thing? Sure it unfolds just like one of those cheezy 1950's sci-fi movies, and that is why it sparkles. This is not a heavy handed, fantasy driven sci-fi novel. I was not looking for something deep, or soul searching, I mean for God's sake there is a reptilian claw emerging from the desert on the books cover, why would someone be shocked, and or disappointed that Stinger is about a nasty alien monster? If you are looking for something that will make you do some soul searching look elsewhere, if you want a cool story about a rag-tag group of people uniting against a nasty foe then pick up "Stinger". Some of the references are dated, like the references to Day-Glo clothes and Billy Idol, but so what it's a neat little glimpse of the 80's. If you have read any of McCammon's other books and enjoyed them then pick up "Stinger".
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
STINGER READS LIKE QUALITY B-MONSTER MOVIE!!, November 16, 2000
This is my 7th novel that I have read by this author and I am never dissappointed. Every book that I read by this very diversified author is never the same as the last one. From horror to sci-fi and beyond, this author delivers! STINGER reads like a fast-paced horror/sci-fi that would make an awesome movie. The small town of Inferno,Texas is the crash sight of a most unusual alien life-form that takes over a little girl. This good alien is soon followed by the bad alien bounty hunter that is so colorful and scary that I dont want to ruin the surprise. As usual, the author introduces many interesting characters that band together to fight the bad alien and its collective minions. Two rival gangs of teenagers were my favorite characters because the author shows the reader that the prejudice's between mexicans,Indians, and whites are all a waste of ill-feelings, that in the end, we must all band together and endure. A must read!!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
