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Brood X
With the Red Scare on the rise and a looming fear of nuclear war gripping the nation, seven laborers gather under the smoldering heat of an Indiana summer to begin a curious constructing a bomb shelter in the middle of nowhere. But when the emergence of a once-in-a-century cicada swarm ushers in a series of increasingly unlikely accidental deaths on the site, the survivors start eying each other with more than just suspicion. And with good reason. One of them has heard the cicadas' maddening song before.
From best-selling author Joshua Dysart (Goodnight Paradise), with illustrations by internationally-renowned artist M.K. Perker, comes a nail-biting murder mystery unlike any other that will leave you guessing until the very last page.
From best-selling author Joshua Dysart (Goodnight Paradise), with illustrations by internationally-renowned artist M.K. Perker, comes a nail-biting murder mystery unlike any other that will leave you guessing until the very last page.
Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2023
About the author
Joshua Dysart
387 books97 followersI write comic books, graphic novels and novels. I'm a three time Eisner nominee, two time Glyph award winner, New York Times bestseller, a recipient of The Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year award, and have been in competition twice at Angoulême.
I've worked on Hellboy, Swamp Thing, & Conan the Barbarian; I co-wrote a graphic novel with Neil Young; I helped restart Valiant Entertainment; and I've done on-the-ground research in Uganda (2007), Iraq (2014), & South Sudan (2016), writting graphic novels about war and famine in those regions.
Goodnight Paradise came out in 2018 with long time co-creator Alberto Ponticelli and is a murder mystery set in the houseless population of Venice Beach, Ca.
My first novel (novella - it's only 100 pages) has dropped. It combines my love of slasher horror, Agatha Christie fair-play mysteries, construction sites, and bugs. It's called BROOD X. Buy it wherever trash genre books are sold!
I've worked on Hellboy, Swamp Thing, & Conan the Barbarian; I co-wrote a graphic novel with Neil Young; I helped restart Valiant Entertainment; and I've done on-the-ground research in Uganda (2007), Iraq (2014), & South Sudan (2016), writting graphic novels about war and famine in those regions.
Goodnight Paradise came out in 2018 with long time co-creator Alberto Ponticelli and is a murder mystery set in the houseless population of Venice Beach, Ca.
My first novel (novella - it's only 100 pages) has dropped. It combines my love of slasher horror, Agatha Christie fair-play mysteries, construction sites, and bugs. It's called BROOD X. Buy it wherever trash genre books are sold!
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 14, 2022
This is a well-done novella full of suspense and intrigue. It's set in 1953 against a backdrop of McCarthyism and racism featuring a group of seven men hired to construct a bomb shelter in the wilderness among a swarm of emerging cyclic cicadas. The group experiences a series of increasingly unlikely fatal accidents and suspicions arise much like Christie's Ten Little Indians or Campbell's Who Goes There? There's a strong mystery vibe, though the reader is left wondering for much of the book whether or not there's a supernatural or horrific agency at work. The story is written sparsely and at a fast pace, though the characters are quite ably drawn. The only thing I didn't enjoy was a somewhat awkward present-tense narrative framing, which is abandoned a time or two. (And I didn't get where the title came from either, but maybe I just missed something.) There are a number of good illustrations from M.K. Perker, and I really liked the overall packaging which captures the look and feel of 1950s men's adventure books quite well. It's a fun, fast read, and I was pleased to win a copy in a Goodreads giveaway.
June 23, 2022
Not very "nail-biting" excitement for me on this story but a rather good plot. Wasn't over the moon for this but interested to read more from Joshua Dysart in the future
April 22, 2022
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Life has a way of challenging each and every one of us, pushing us to a breaking point and daring us to do the unimaginable. Countless individuals have gotten through such moments in their lives, some carrying with them a burden, regret born from things done or said, while others embrace it, sailing into a life without remorse or care. And that’s when you realize that the person sitting in front of you might have witnessed or done things in their lives that you could never imagine. But once their world collides with yours, there is an opportunity that arises, one that will either allow these people to live beyond their past or to destroy anyone who crosses their path. Written by Eisner-nominated writer Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier, Harbinger) with a couple of artistic vignettes by artist M.K. Perker, this murder mystery over at TKO Rogue offers an intriguing social critique amidst all the strange deaths and buzzing cicadas.
What is Brood X about? Set during the Red Scare in the United States of America, as fear of nuclear war suffocates the reality of countless citizens of the nation, the story follows a group of seven laborers gathered together in an isolated region during the insane heat of an Indiana summer to build a bomb shelter. Carrying upon their shoulders the burden of their past sins, these curious figures are witnesses to a series of increasingly unlikely accidental deaths on-site that raises questions regarding the circumstances leading to these fatalities and the possibilities of a mastermind behind it all. Meanwhile, an infamous cicada swarm increases the tension and oddity of these incidents, sending everyone on the edge of insanity.
It’s hard not to notice the similar narrative structure as the iconic masterpiece And Then There Were None utilized this time around in a not-so-secluded location with the addition of a gruesome swarm of cicadas to get on everyone’s nerves. While Agatha Christie’s classic is difficult to top or reinvent, writer Joshua Dysart does achieve a somewhat entertaining take on the novel by inviting readers to discover this peculiar group of laborers who all have something to hide. While most of these characters are forgettable, their limited banter does quickly establish the numerous stereotypes and prejudices that they hold close to their hearts, their motives, and their reason for taking on such an odd job in the middle of nowhere. As the story progresses and they advance in their construction, it becomes much more clear that everyone and anyone could snap and do something senseless.
While you’d expect cicadas to be a major horror component of the story, their presence was mostly atmospheric in nature with superficial metaphoric ties to the story. There are some disgusting scenes including them but they never really seemed like a quintessential element to the narrative. The pacing of the story is also constant but the shortness of the novella played to the author’s favour, in the end, making it inconsequential to the reading experience as you move forward in the story and discover each weird death happening until the grand finale. It’s difficult to imagine a proper ending to this story that could allow it to break free from clichés but writer Joshua Dysart does a decent job in giving us an ending with a bit of social commentary to ponder upon. The couple of illustrations by M.K. Perker are fine, effortlessly portraying scenes for the reader to easily imagine them but were far too few to truly affect the story.
Brood X is a captivating novella following a group of individuals with sketchy pasts that expose their alienated selves within a world on the verge of self-destruction.
June 22, 2022
Thank you #NetGalley and #TKOPresents for sending me Brood X by #Joshua Dysart to read and review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced story.
There are seven men hired to complete an underground bunker for an anonymous person. While working on the site, a swarm of cicadas are released into the area. One by one, all the men work against the mental strain of having thousands of cicadas flying, singing, and landing on them.
Each chapter has some exceptional artwork that portrays the event. This was a nice touch to the story.
I hope to read more by Joshua Dysart. He is a talented writer who weaves a fantastic story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced story.
There are seven men hired to complete an underground bunker for an anonymous person. While working on the site, a swarm of cicadas are released into the area. One by one, all the men work against the mental strain of having thousands of cicadas flying, singing, and landing on them.
Each chapter has some exceptional artwork that portrays the event. This was a nice touch to the story.
I hope to read more by Joshua Dysart. He is a talented writer who weaves a fantastic story.
May 11, 2022
In ‘50s America, seven desperate men are tasked to build a bomb shelter in a remote forest clearing amidst a vast swarming of cicadas. As accidents and deaths occur, they start to suspect each other whilst nature itself becomes an increasing threat to them…
Wow! What an original and visceral thrill this book is! Set in the McCarthy era so communism is a shadowy presence, and so is the racism and anti-semitism endemic of that age; an allegory for the suspicion that brews in the construction site. There is a vivid passage that describes the cicadas emerging from the earth in a seething mass, a metaphor for the American fear of “Reds under the beds”. Soon the bugs are flying everywhere and singing in a deafening cacophony, their mating ritual driving the men mad in different, destructive ways.
Author Joshua Dysart doesn’t have many pages in which to flesh out the characters, and he doesn’t need them either. Each character, their background, appearance and temperament, is vividly drawn. The pacing is spot on as the men go from nervous mutual tolerance to full-blown suspicion of each other - this is a headlong ride to oblivion, as profound as it is horrific.
In many ways, “Brood X” is a “locked room mystery”, albeit a rather twisted one that Poirot couldn’t imagine in his worst nightmares. This is a short book, more of a novella than a full novel, and is better for it. Told in the present tense, it has a concise, direct power and I was sucked into the story very quickly thanks to Joshua Dysart’s exceptional writing. Gory in parts, Dysart’s descriptive skills are often too much to handle. Atmospheric b&w line drawings by M. K. Perker pepper the text, adding a haunting visual dimension to the story. The ending, just like everything that has happened in the story up to that point, is a tragic gutter-punch.
“Brood X” is an unforgettable masterpiece; read it in one sitting, then read it again. Just read it.
Wow! What an original and visceral thrill this book is! Set in the McCarthy era so communism is a shadowy presence, and so is the racism and anti-semitism endemic of that age; an allegory for the suspicion that brews in the construction site. There is a vivid passage that describes the cicadas emerging from the earth in a seething mass, a metaphor for the American fear of “Reds under the beds”. Soon the bugs are flying everywhere and singing in a deafening cacophony, their mating ritual driving the men mad in different, destructive ways.
Author Joshua Dysart doesn’t have many pages in which to flesh out the characters, and he doesn’t need them either. Each character, their background, appearance and temperament, is vividly drawn. The pacing is spot on as the men go from nervous mutual tolerance to full-blown suspicion of each other - this is a headlong ride to oblivion, as profound as it is horrific.
In many ways, “Brood X” is a “locked room mystery”, albeit a rather twisted one that Poirot couldn’t imagine in his worst nightmares. This is a short book, more of a novella than a full novel, and is better for it. Told in the present tense, it has a concise, direct power and I was sucked into the story very quickly thanks to Joshua Dysart’s exceptional writing. Gory in parts, Dysart’s descriptive skills are often too much to handle. Atmospheric b&w line drawings by M. K. Perker pepper the text, adding a haunting visual dimension to the story. The ending, just like everything that has happened in the story up to that point, is a tragic gutter-punch.
“Brood X” is an unforgettable masterpiece; read it in one sitting, then read it again. Just read it.
October 21, 2021
I’m the first to rate and review this book. It stands to mention I mainly got it because I just recently read another book by this imprint and really enjoyed it. Gotta love a novella done right, the succinctness alone…
I’m not familiar with Dysart. And I really should be given how busy he’s been in the world of comic books and how many of those I read. This is his venture into the picture-free (well, almost since this edition does provide some nice art vignettes) storytelling and it’s quite decent.
This is a slice of life sort of thing, if life is a brutally murderous proposition. Which it is for the book’s characters, a bunch of desperate down and out men who come together one brutal Indiana summer to build a bomb shelter. The story is set during the Red Scare McCarthyism era, so the bomb shelter is a reasonable proposition. The rest of the things that occur are very far from reasonable and the brood X suddenly released from its long sleep and determined to reign destruction upon all is not even the worst of it.
It may sound horrific, but it is in fact a mystery, a murder (or murders to be exact) mystery which features classic locked space scenario, in this case a locked construction site. It isn’t technically locked, but there’s nowhere to go and no way to get there. And the body count continues to rise.
And then there’s a nice reveal twist in the end. But the thing is…the killer, it might have been any one of these men. They are all sinners, so much so that at some juncture they seriously consider the place they find themselves in to be some sort of purgatory or a destination further south. It isn’t just that they bring all their prejudices with them, it’s their pasts…they’ve done things. Which is to say this is essentially one of those stories where terrible people do terrible things to each other for terrible reasons. As such, maybe not the most engaging or easily likable thing by nature, but interesting enough, well written and such a quick read. Maybe 60/65 minutes and worth the time. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
I’m not familiar with Dysart. And I really should be given how busy he’s been in the world of comic books and how many of those I read. This is his venture into the picture-free (well, almost since this edition does provide some nice art vignettes) storytelling and it’s quite decent.
This is a slice of life sort of thing, if life is a brutally murderous proposition. Which it is for the book’s characters, a bunch of desperate down and out men who come together one brutal Indiana summer to build a bomb shelter. The story is set during the Red Scare McCarthyism era, so the bomb shelter is a reasonable proposition. The rest of the things that occur are very far from reasonable and the brood X suddenly released from its long sleep and determined to reign destruction upon all is not even the worst of it.
It may sound horrific, but it is in fact a mystery, a murder (or murders to be exact) mystery which features classic locked space scenario, in this case a locked construction site. It isn’t technically locked, but there’s nowhere to go and no way to get there. And the body count continues to rise.
And then there’s a nice reveal twist in the end. But the thing is…the killer, it might have been any one of these men. They are all sinners, so much so that at some juncture they seriously consider the place they find themselves in to be some sort of purgatory or a destination further south. It isn’t just that they bring all their prejudices with them, it’s their pasts…they’ve done things. Which is to say this is essentially one of those stories where terrible people do terrible things to each other for terrible reasons. As such, maybe not the most engaging or easily likable thing by nature, but interesting enough, well written and such a quick read. Maybe 60/65 minutes and worth the time. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
June 28, 2022
BROOD X is a horror novella. Set in the 1930s
More information to come soon.
More information to come soon.
January 12, 2022
Brood x by Joshua Dysart.
With the Red Scare on the rise and a looming fear of nuclear war gripping the nation, seven laborers gather under the smoldering heat of an Indiana summer to begin a curious project: constructing a bomb shelter in the middle of nowhere.
But when the emergence of a once-in-a-century cicada swarm ushers in a series of increasingly unlikely accidental deaths on the site, the survivors start eying each other with more than just suspicion. And with good reason. One of them has heard the cicadas' maddening song before.
A very good read with good characters. Great story. First book by this author for me. 4*.
With the Red Scare on the rise and a looming fear of nuclear war gripping the nation, seven laborers gather under the smoldering heat of an Indiana summer to begin a curious project: constructing a bomb shelter in the middle of nowhere.
But when the emergence of a once-in-a-century cicada swarm ushers in a series of increasingly unlikely accidental deaths on the site, the survivors start eying each other with more than just suspicion. And with good reason. One of them has heard the cicadas' maddening song before.
A very good read with good characters. Great story. First book by this author for me. 4*.
June 8, 2022
It is the summer of 1953 when people were afraid due to the Red Scare. There is fear that a nuclear war will happen. Seven men are hired to build a bomb shelter in the woods far from everyone. At fast the building progresses until the cicadas wake up by the disturbance of their home the cicadas cover the whole camp. They are hungry and looking for mates. The camp dog is eaten by them. When the men wake up the next day, they discover a man is dead. How did that happen? Did one of the men do it? The manager of the men decides o go and get help in his pickup. Sadly he manager and one of the men go with him. The pickup smashes into a tree and the driver dies. The other man okay and walks back to camp. He tells them about the accident and the manager’s wife screams. She can’t believe it. What will happen to her and the rest of the men?
The author has written a novel that moves quickly. He tells us about each character’s personality and what work their speciality is in building a place. I couldn’t figure out who and why someone was killing them. I liked the challenge of trying to figure it out. It is a great horror mystery. I would not had guessed who was responsible and much less the reason.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
The author has written a novel that moves quickly. He tells us about each character’s personality and what work their speciality is in building a place. I couldn’t figure out who and why someone was killing them. I liked the challenge of trying to figure it out. It is a great horror mystery. I would not had guessed who was responsible and much less the reason.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
October 31, 2022
Seven casual workers brought together. Seven strangers brought to a place that is 65 miles from the nearest town. Men brought together to build a bomb shelter in the middle of nowhere. It’s 1953.
It’s the summer of the fear of atomic bombs but there is a much closer enemy at hand. It is the summer of the cicada swarm which is both natural and unnatural at the same time. Cicadas everywhere and in everything while these men try to do the job they were hired to do which is the reason they are there isn’t it?
Such a combination of horror and murder mystery, wow. Lots of suspense as to who the killer is and why. The killings are frightful but above all the horror of the background of the cicada swarm and the deafening noise they make is fully a part of the oppressive feeling of hopelessly being in the middle of nowhere with no way out.
Terrific story with equally good illustrations and yes, it has a comic/graphic novel feel about it. Oh, yes and it’s dark, very dark but you won’t want to put it down until you find out what is going on.
I won this novella in a First Reads giveaway. Thank you to TKO Studios, the author, Joshua Dysart and the illustrator, M.K. Perker.
It’s the summer of the fear of atomic bombs but there is a much closer enemy at hand. It is the summer of the cicada swarm which is both natural and unnatural at the same time. Cicadas everywhere and in everything while these men try to do the job they were hired to do which is the reason they are there isn’t it?
Such a combination of horror and murder mystery, wow. Lots of suspense as to who the killer is and why. The killings are frightful but above all the horror of the background of the cicada swarm and the deafening noise they make is fully a part of the oppressive feeling of hopelessly being in the middle of nowhere with no way out.
Terrific story with equally good illustrations and yes, it has a comic/graphic novel feel about it. Oh, yes and it’s dark, very dark but you won’t want to put it down until you find out what is going on.
I won this novella in a First Reads giveaway. Thank you to TKO Studios, the author, Joshua Dysart and the illustrator, M.K. Perker.
October 23, 2024
This didn't really do it for me. It has an excellent premise: a group of nomadic laborers are hired by an anonymous client to build a bomb shelter in a remote area, but the land is swarmed by a locust super brood. The bugs interrupt the work, the noise interrupts rational thought, and people start dying. There were some effective moments, but I would have liked another page or two exploring the killer's intention. While it is discussed in vague ideas, there could have been a more tangible explanation that would have been more satisfying without really affecting the story. I think this is really close to being a excellent horror novella, but it just falls short for me.
May 6, 2022
Seven drifters, some with checkered pasts, are recruited to work on constructing a mammoth bomb shelter in rural Indiana at the height of the red scare. All is going well, but it’s 1953, a year where the cicadas come out, and boy do they ever. One of the largest cicada infestations in recorded history occurred that year. There are so many that the loud drone makes the workers crazy, the bugs get in their food and machinery, and interfere with their work. And then the killings start, and the story becomes an intriguing twist on the locked room scenario. The resolution is quite the surprise and I didn’t see it coming.
Overall, a quick read and an interesting one.
My thanks to TKO Presents and to Netgalley for a complimentary copy of the book.
Overall, a quick read and an interesting one.
My thanks to TKO Presents and to Netgalley for a complimentary copy of the book.
June 2, 2022
Review ranges from a 3.7-4/5! So, this isn't usually my style of horror that I read, but I'm really glad that I did. The characters were certainly interesting and I loved trying to figure out what was happening - was it a supernatural force of fate bringing people who've sinned together, was there a murderer, was this all just an unfortunate coincidence? Obviously not going to spoil the ending, but I was surprised but satisfied with it. I saw other reviews mentioning that this book feels a bit like a locked room mystery, and I definitely agree that it felt like that, and it was super interesting (and very fast) to read.
Thanks to Netgalley and TKO for providing me with this book!
Thanks to Netgalley and TKO for providing me with this book!
October 29, 2022
I picked this up because it was short and I wanted to fit in one more creepy book before the end of October. It is a very creepy book. Dysart really sets an atmosphere, but with great economy of prose.
There are a lot of sentences constructed in really delightful ways, the kinds of delights that I want to read aloud to my long-suffering husband. And I really did not guess what was going on until the book told me. I figured everyone seemed suspicious enough.
There are a lot of sentences constructed in really delightful ways, the kinds of delights that I want to read aloud to my long-suffering husband. And I really did not guess what was going on until the book told me. I figured everyone seemed suspicious enough.
August 11, 2022
This book was fine, I guess, based on the first 25 pages of so before I DNF'd it. I know it's super short, but I'm not going to finish a book I don't feel super compelled to get back to. The plot was only starting to get kind of interesting, but not enough that I would want to finish the book. There's nothing wrong with it. I just wasn't super into it.
November 24, 2022
Awesome story great page turner
September 2, 2022
Brood X
[Blurb goes here]
I enjoyed the writing style, it's graphic and to the point. No fillers here. Also is fully poised in the year 1953, concepts, dialogues, phrases...I have no complains about the few derogatory terms used through out the story. It's 1953, after all, something readers should understand and keep an open mind about.
The ambiance of the tale starts getting creepy as soon as the cicadas arrive. Their constant singing growing in intensity each passing day. The way it is described is fantastic, it's not only there as ambiance. It's one more character, one that numbs the minds of the crew, one that gets in the machinery, one that affects them deeply while working on a bomb shelter, from an unknown client.
Accidents start to happen. Each stranger than the last. It's up to the workers to discover if these accidents are just that, or something more sinister.
Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
[Blurb goes here]
I enjoyed the writing style, it's graphic and to the point. No fillers here. Also is fully poised in the year 1953, concepts, dialogues, phrases...I have no complains about the few derogatory terms used through out the story. It's 1953, after all, something readers should understand and keep an open mind about.
The ambiance of the tale starts getting creepy as soon as the cicadas arrive. Their constant singing growing in intensity each passing day. The way it is described is fantastic, it's not only there as ambiance. It's one more character, one that numbs the minds of the crew, one that gets in the machinery, one that affects them deeply while working on a bomb shelter, from an unknown client.
Accidents start to happen. Each stranger than the last. It's up to the workers to discover if these accidents are just that, or something more sinister.
Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
October 26, 2021
Kind of a wild ride. The cicadas were a relatively minor part of the story, except when they weren't. And when they weren't they came into play in the most gruesome ways.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews