Customer Reviews

Stinger

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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."

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".

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!!

Let me start by saying that R. C. McCammon is easily my favorte author. That said, this book is a small step down from several others, notably "Swan Song" (which makes King's post-armegeddon novel "The Talisman" look like it was written by a junior high student), the creepy "Ushers Passing" and the entertaining "Wolfs Hour". "Stinger" was my first McCammon novel (borrowed from mom), and unfortunately it was not a great indication of the amazing character McCammon can bring to a character. Therefore, why a four star rating??? Even a below average McCammon is better than the vast majority of the rest of the books on the market.

First and foremost, Robert McCammon is a terrific horror writer who has yet to write a weak book in this reviewer's humble opinion. The only problem with McCammon is that he doesn't write enough books. With that being said, let me cover a little about this gem of a horror ride.

"Stinger" hits the ground running with a story that starts out about rival gangs pitted against each other in the tiny Texas town of Inferno. The town soon comes under siege by an alien bounty hunter dubbed "Stinger" who's in search for a freedom-loving alien known as "Daufin". Stinger starts to tighten the net (literally as the town is completely shut off from the rest of the world) and as humans get in the way they are systematically picked off one by one.

McCammon does a GREAT job of character development (as he does in all of in books) which really draws the reader into the plot during the last 2/3rds of the book. My only criticism of the book is the slow pace of the first 125 pages. If the reader can stay with the novel beyond that point, he or she will be rewarded with a great story!

I have nothing but admiration for Robert R. McCammon's works and this book is no exception. Something is very amiss in the small dying desert town of Inferno in Arizona. A spaceship has crash landded and we are introduced to a friendly alien , Daufin and a not very friendly Intergalactic Bounty Hunter, Stinger. This book is not your usual Science Fiction/ Horror fare. The author explores such Themes as Racial Tension and Redemption. The characters are very believable and real . I only wish that Hollywood would hurry up and discover this great book and turn it into a movie!!! One of Mc Cammon's best!!!

Robert R. McCammon (retired so I've heard) falls somewhere between Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Too often his books are overlooked, but McCammon has a powerful story-telling style and can produce and action scene like nobody's business.

STINGER is one of McCammon's finer works. It tells the story of a small desert town where two aliens have landed. One a peaceful energy being...the other a deadly bounty-hunter. The town characters are introduced...the town is sealed off from the world by an energy field...AND THE STINGER IS TURNED LOOSE!

Where it might not keep you shaking in fear, this book will deliver so much action that the last 200 pages fly by with kinetic force that few authors can achieve.

So where do we stand? McCammon is not as frightening as King. He's more logical and fast-paced than Koontz. And he should not be overlooked for the fine novels he's turned out.

I also recommend Robert R. McCammon's - BLUE WORLD, THEY THIRST, SWAN SONG, and BOY'S LIFE!

I remember being in high school and having a subscription to Twilight Zone magazine. The issue came with the excerpt from Stinger and I decided to read it. I really liked it and decided that I MUST have the book. Well, when I found the book I looked through it and saw that it was over 500 pages! I had never tried anything that big before, but I bought it anyway. Overall, it is an excellent book, but I will admit that it lags a slight bit in the middle, but I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the science fiction of horror genres. Great book, great read.

STINGER is just a flat out fun book to read. To sum up the plot by calling it a good alien vs bad alien story doesn't begin to cover it. Sure it's been done before but never better. Thrilling chases and escapes make this "un-put-downable" as so many other books claim to be and so seldom are.

... I wish someone will buy the rights to this book and turn it into the thrilling blockbuster movie that it calls out to be. On second thought, after reading this book for the third time, I now find myself hoping that no one tries to bring this story to the screen. I just don't think any film maker would be able to do visual justice to RRM's thrilling sci-fi masterpiece.

The book starts out a little confusing. McCammon uses part of the actual story for the prologue; this is nothing new to me, Mary Higgins Clark does it all the time but it did catch me off-guard.

The first actual chapter is beautiful, describing the wonders and dangers of the dusty Texas landscape, from the point of view of Cody Lockett, one of the main characters. Inferno is a small Texan burg that's population is dwindling. Add to that two rival gangs, the Renegades, led by Cody, and the Rattlesnakes, led by his nemesis, Rick Jurado, a corrupted town sheriff, and a miniscule police force, and you there you have it.

The events of the book only span a little under 24 hours but that time is enough for horror master Robert McCammon to take the reader on a wild ride through the cosmos of terror. What astounded me most perhaps, was the author's ability to combine horror with science fiction. The scene where Daufin explained to Jessie and Tom Hammond about the hostile takeover of her planet was mind-blowing. That chapter left an indelible mark of alien imagery in my mind.

The actual story is very well paced and never seems long or drawn out, which helps because this tale of an alien bounty hunter come to exact revenge on another civilian alien who escaped the prison world and crashed on Earth is over 500 pages.
I don't think I've ever read about any villian(s) as evil and cunning as STINGER!

Read this story if you like science fiction; read this story if you like nail-biting horror and suspense; read this book if you like reading at all.