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Eville #1
Eville
First day on the job: The room is on fire, flooded with smoke. The boss is blowing holes in the wall with her elephant gun, miserably failing in an attempt to shoot down the tentacle-covered beast hungrily latched onto her new employee’s leg. Alex peers through the window, four stories above ground, contemplating if he could miraculously survive a jump down, seeing as how this demon is likely to devour him before his mad boss actually hits her mark. You know, this sort of crap never happened when he was working at the video store. Welcome to EVILLE, the first in a series of quirky, epic, sci-fi/fantasy adventures (think The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy crossed with The Addams Family). Serene Necrosia is a brilliant scientist, on the brink of creating something that will change the lives of every living thing on the planet. The only problem is that she has been vaporizing, incinerating, and generally decimating her staff at an alarming rate- all in the name of progress, naturally. But now the Hunchback Union has had enough, and is refusing to supply the woman additional labor. What’s a mad scientist to do? Search for a desperate, poor sap who doesn’t know any better to fill in the vacancy. Alex Hobbs is down on his luck. He’s lost his job, is dead broke, his girlfriend just dumped him, his car died, and the turkey baking in his neighbor’s oven detonated and burned down his apartment. It’s been one of those weeks. Desperate, he turns to the local employment agency for a job- any job to keep him from starving on the street. When a rather odd fellow working at the agency tells Alex about an exciting entry level position, vaguely described as being in the scientific/medical field, he jumps at the opportunity. Sure, it sounds too good to be true, but a guy’s luck has to turn around sometime, right? Alex now finds himself stuck in an insane mansion deep in the countryside, bordering the mysterious community of Eville, populated by a colorful cast of volatile inventors, the worlds’ surliest hunchback, stately werewolves, goblin barbers, and the lonely, disembodied brains of ex-husbands whose only form of communication is a worn out Etch-A-Sketch. With free room and board and an exceptionally generous salary, Alex figures he can stick through the madness long enough to get back on his feet. That is, of course, if Serene doesn’t inadvertently kill him off with one of her crackpot inventions before payday.
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2011
10 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Holand Peterson
5 books6 followersSo...who is this Holand Peterson fellow, anyway?
Word on the street is that this curious scamp makes his home in the wild, exotic realm commonly known as Boise, Idaho. He lives with his dear wife Cheri (Nefarious Queen of the Harpies!), along with an insidious menagerie of hell-beasts masquerading about as common household dogs and cats.
When Holand is not wholly engaged in pouring out the absurd and bizarre ramblings of his imagination onto the page, he makes time for the higher, dignified pursuits of watching movies/animation/TV shows, playing video games, reading comics/graphic novels/books, and many other similar mature, refined activities befitting a man of his breeding.
Holand's works include the sci-fi/fantasy/comedy/adventure novels Eville
and Eville's Most Wanted, along with the whimsical "Snaggle Stories" for
children.
Feel free to contact him at holand@holandpeterson.com
Word on the street is that this curious scamp makes his home in the wild, exotic realm commonly known as Boise, Idaho. He lives with his dear wife Cheri (Nefarious Queen of the Harpies!), along with an insidious menagerie of hell-beasts masquerading about as common household dogs and cats.
When Holand is not wholly engaged in pouring out the absurd and bizarre ramblings of his imagination onto the page, he makes time for the higher, dignified pursuits of watching movies/animation/TV shows, playing video games, reading comics/graphic novels/books, and many other similar mature, refined activities befitting a man of his breeding.
Holand's works include the sci-fi/fantasy/comedy/adventure novels Eville
and Eville's Most Wanted, along with the whimsical "Snaggle Stories" for
children.
Feel free to contact him at holand@holandpeterson.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 19, 2013
Alex Hobbs is a man down on his luck. Summarily kicked out of the house by unloving parents at an early age, things aren't getting any better for him now. He's just lost his job at the video store, his girlfriend has dumped him, and a thoughtless neighbor's cooking turkey exploded and burned down his apartment. To say he's had a bad stretch of luck is an understatement. He turns to an employment agency to find work...ANY work. The strange man at the agency gives what seems to Alex as the best opportunity he's heard in a long time; a research assistant for a brilliant scientist. Alex jumps at the chance, willing to do almost anything...
Enter Serene Necrosia, the brilliant if not completely eccentric scientist looking to fill the vacant research assistant's job. Thing is, she's kind of been killing off her staff in what has been an epic rate of attrition for quite some time...purely by accident of course. Alex Hobbs seems the perfect man to fit the bill. Necrosia, along with her Hunchback housekeeper, cook, and jack of all trades, the caustic female Quasimoody, will expose Alex to the crazy and magical town of Eville, where creatures of myth and legend walk around in broad daylight...and sometimes only at night. Adjusting to the strange, magical town won't be Alex's only problem. He'll have grow used to giant spiders, disembodied brains who speak through Etch-Ah-Sketches and something not of this earth. A guy's gotta eat, right?
Eville is one of the most imaginative and all around fun books I've read in a VERY long time. Peterson has created a pocket universe in which the very extraordinary goes hand in hand with the very ordinary. He brings to life hunchbacks, werewolves, Elder Lords, vampires, the full gamut of the strange and archetypal supernatural creatures and gives them a place to go about their business. But that's only part of it. The best parts, the parts of this book that shine the most happen right inside the Necrosia Mansion. Lab equipment out of a black and white horror movie, disembodied brains, strange noises, dark corridors...the brunt of the book takes place in the weird and wonderful setting of the generations' old house.
It's not the settings that make this book stand out though. It's the dialogue and the characters that make Eville such a fun ride. The interplay between Alex, `Moody', Serene, and the rest of the minor players is nothing short of fantastic and make the book what it is. Moody is constantly busting Alex's chops with witty and biting one liners. Serene's dialogue is so over the top campy and at times is flat out hysterical. In a word, the dialogue and character interactions in Eville are golden. So much fun it's not even, well, funny.
Peterson's style is overly flamboyant as well and tends to be wordy but it works for this book. When telling a story that involves such an odd and colorful cast of characters, I don't think a bare bones writing style would have worked nearly as well. The passages are descriptive, the action flows well, and the scenes are all described in vivid detail.
It's difficult to classify Eville. Is it a comedy? It IS laugh out funny, so I'd say yes. Is it an adventure of sorts? For Alex, the proverbial fish out of normal waters, I'd also say yes. It blends so many genres that I'd be hard pressed to stick a tag on it...except for this: it's fantastic and as fun as anything I've ever read. As it turns out there's a sequel and I immediately purchased it after turning the last page.
If you're looking for a wild, fun, well told ride, with great writing and some of the most interesting characters speaking some of the best dialogue you're likely to come across, you shouldn't overlook Eville. Non stop fun.
Enter Serene Necrosia, the brilliant if not completely eccentric scientist looking to fill the vacant research assistant's job. Thing is, she's kind of been killing off her staff in what has been an epic rate of attrition for quite some time...purely by accident of course. Alex Hobbs seems the perfect man to fit the bill. Necrosia, along with her Hunchback housekeeper, cook, and jack of all trades, the caustic female Quasimoody, will expose Alex to the crazy and magical town of Eville, where creatures of myth and legend walk around in broad daylight...and sometimes only at night. Adjusting to the strange, magical town won't be Alex's only problem. He'll have grow used to giant spiders, disembodied brains who speak through Etch-Ah-Sketches and something not of this earth. A guy's gotta eat, right?
Eville is one of the most imaginative and all around fun books I've read in a VERY long time. Peterson has created a pocket universe in which the very extraordinary goes hand in hand with the very ordinary. He brings to life hunchbacks, werewolves, Elder Lords, vampires, the full gamut of the strange and archetypal supernatural creatures and gives them a place to go about their business. But that's only part of it. The best parts, the parts of this book that shine the most happen right inside the Necrosia Mansion. Lab equipment out of a black and white horror movie, disembodied brains, strange noises, dark corridors...the brunt of the book takes place in the weird and wonderful setting of the generations' old house.
It's not the settings that make this book stand out though. It's the dialogue and the characters that make Eville such a fun ride. The interplay between Alex, `Moody', Serene, and the rest of the minor players is nothing short of fantastic and make the book what it is. Moody is constantly busting Alex's chops with witty and biting one liners. Serene's dialogue is so over the top campy and at times is flat out hysterical. In a word, the dialogue and character interactions in Eville are golden. So much fun it's not even, well, funny.
Peterson's style is overly flamboyant as well and tends to be wordy but it works for this book. When telling a story that involves such an odd and colorful cast of characters, I don't think a bare bones writing style would have worked nearly as well. The passages are descriptive, the action flows well, and the scenes are all described in vivid detail.
It's difficult to classify Eville. Is it a comedy? It IS laugh out funny, so I'd say yes. Is it an adventure of sorts? For Alex, the proverbial fish out of normal waters, I'd also say yes. It blends so many genres that I'd be hard pressed to stick a tag on it...except for this: it's fantastic and as fun as anything I've ever read. As it turns out there's a sequel and I immediately purchased it after turning the last page.
If you're looking for a wild, fun, well told ride, with great writing and some of the most interesting characters speaking some of the best dialogue you're likely to come across, you shouldn't overlook Eville. Non stop fun.
June 28, 2012
This book was too much fun. It's difficult to classify, which had me worried at first, as well as a few typos which put word nerds like me in danger of heart attack, but once I got past that, I fell in love with the characters and plot. A really fun read.
March 3, 2013
You just can't seem to get the staff these days…
Alex Hobbs is one of the most uncontested residents of Contented Hills. He's lost his job, an accident with his neighbour's oven burned down Alex's apartment; he's living in his car until that too catches fire and all he has left is a cardboard box of his meagre possessions. He needs a job but doesn't hold out much hope when he goes to the labour exchange but is surprised when he is offered a job as a laboratory assistant to the reclusive Serena Necrosia on the outskirts of Eville. Alex has never heard of Eville and soon wishes he hasn't set foot in the place.
This book was hilarious, peopled with quirky characters such as Quasimoody the hunchback, I nearly choked I was laughing so much when I read her name. There are lots of little in-jokes about other sci-fi and horror themes which I'm sure will amuse any fan of the genres. You have the spooky mansion, the mad scientist (do they always have to be mad though? I'm married to one and he's nothing like Serena, LOL!) and the poor innocent, Alex, dragged into something he doesn't understand but he soon gets the gist.
He has to contend with being vaccinated by panacea snakes, avoid the wrath of blood gophers and come to terms with the fact that vampires, werewolves, goblins and ghoul are real. The author has a vivid imagination and enjoys lots of wordplay with the naming of the characters, such as Serena's nemesis, Snotwaddle.
It was a fun book, if you like things like The Addams Family or the Rocky Horror Picture show, I'm sure you'd enjoy this.
My one peeve with the book, was that instead of the more normal italics for emphasis on some words, the author has bolded them. That may be a stylistic choice, but it doesn't seem quite right when I read it.
Review copy supplied by author.
Alex Hobbs is one of the most uncontested residents of Contented Hills. He's lost his job, an accident with his neighbour's oven burned down Alex's apartment; he's living in his car until that too catches fire and all he has left is a cardboard box of his meagre possessions. He needs a job but doesn't hold out much hope when he goes to the labour exchange but is surprised when he is offered a job as a laboratory assistant to the reclusive Serena Necrosia on the outskirts of Eville. Alex has never heard of Eville and soon wishes he hasn't set foot in the place.
This book was hilarious, peopled with quirky characters such as Quasimoody the hunchback, I nearly choked I was laughing so much when I read her name. There are lots of little in-jokes about other sci-fi and horror themes which I'm sure will amuse any fan of the genres. You have the spooky mansion, the mad scientist (do they always have to be mad though? I'm married to one and he's nothing like Serena, LOL!) and the poor innocent, Alex, dragged into something he doesn't understand but he soon gets the gist.
He has to contend with being vaccinated by panacea snakes, avoid the wrath of blood gophers and come to terms with the fact that vampires, werewolves, goblins and ghoul are real. The author has a vivid imagination and enjoys lots of wordplay with the naming of the characters, such as Serena's nemesis, Snotwaddle.
It was a fun book, if you like things like The Addams Family or the Rocky Horror Picture show, I'm sure you'd enjoy this.
My one peeve with the book, was that instead of the more normal italics for emphasis on some words, the author has bolded them. That may be a stylistic choice, but it doesn't seem quite right when I read it.
Review copy supplied by author.
January 6, 2013
I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! When I put it on my Kindle, I'd forgotten what it was and what it was about. I started reading and soon was scratching my head going what in the weird hell is going on here?! It was like a Time Burton animated movie (along the lines of Nightmare Before Christmas and Frankenweenie) in a book. I could not stop laughing at all the sly little jokes and nods to the scifi/Fantasy/adventure genres. I loved all of the characters, even Snotwaddle (how great a name is THAT?!) you love to hate. Eville is a charming little community that happily embraces the new 'outsider' in their midst because of his kind and humble nature. That being said, Alex is no push over. He gives as good as Selene does. I was sad when I got the then end of this fantastic book and immediately THRILLED when I learned of a sequel, which I IMMEDIATELY downloaded. If you want some fun 'scares', a hefty dose of scifi and old Hollywood horror (1930's era Universal monsters) this book is a MUST!!
I still get a giggle every time I think of dear little Moody. At first I read her name as it was written, Quasimoody, like the famous hunchback Quasimodo. Then, breaking down her name to Quasi (meaning sort of) Moody. What a perfect name for her!!
I REALLY hope there's going to be a third book in this charming series!
I still get a giggle every time I think of dear little Moody. At first I read her name as it was written, Quasimoody, like the famous hunchback Quasimodo. Then, breaking down her name to Quasi (meaning sort of) Moody. What a perfect name for her!!
I REALLY hope there's going to be a third book in this charming series!
August 4, 2013
Alex is just a regular guy, but things have been looking pretty down for him lately. Losing his job, apartment, and car all within a few weeks, he keeps a positive out look through it all. Heading to the unemployment office as a last resort to get his life in order he gets the job opportunity of a life time, or so he thinks. Dealing with giant spiders, vaccine giving snakes, etch a sketch talking brains, a crazy inventor, and a moody hunchback aptly named Moody wasn't in the job description.
This book was amazing. Everything about it was great. All the characters are fleshed out and lovable. I loved it so much that I'm having a hard time expressing just how much. I wouldn't change anything about it. Serene was by far my favorite out of all of them. The way she could go from depressed to bursting from excitement was just great. That and she just blew everything everyone said to her off and just did her own thing no matter what. The fencing part was my favorite, once you read it you will agree.
Everything flowed together, and hearing about all the crazy things that lived in Eville was entertaining. I found myself chuckling or straight out laughing at some of the things Alex had to deal with.
Would I recommend this book? Heck yeah, not only was it funny it was well written with some amazing imagination thrown in.
http://zephyrbookreviews.blogspot.com/
This book was amazing. Everything about it was great. All the characters are fleshed out and lovable. I loved it so much that I'm having a hard time expressing just how much. I wouldn't change anything about it. Serene was by far my favorite out of all of them. The way she could go from depressed to bursting from excitement was just great. That and she just blew everything everyone said to her off and just did her own thing no matter what. The fencing part was my favorite, once you read it you will agree.
Everything flowed together, and hearing about all the crazy things that lived in Eville was entertaining. I found myself chuckling or straight out laughing at some of the things Alex had to deal with.
Would I recommend this book? Heck yeah, not only was it funny it was well written with some amazing imagination thrown in.
http://zephyrbookreviews.blogspot.com/
April 6, 2012
Love. This. Book.
That's all I can say. If I tried to explain it to you, your head would explode.
That's all I can say. If I tried to explain it to you, your head would explode.
June 27, 2012
I'm obviously biased, but I'd still read it even if I hadn't written it. Really. Well, maybe if there were more pictures and stuff...
July 11, 2012
What a wonderful read!!!!
Couldn't put it down. The characters were great and the story was unlike anything I have ever read.
I will have Holand Peterson on my to read list from now on!
Couldn't put it down. The characters were great and the story was unlike anything I have ever read.
I will have Holand Peterson on my to read list from now on!
December 8, 2012
Really fun book, loved the characters and wondering what he would come up with next in the story.
August 27, 2014
Review 6******
I was given a copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review.
This has got to be the quirkiest sci-fi/fantasy adventure I have read in a long time, if ever! I absolutely LOVED it!
Alex Hobbs is a fantastic character! He is one of the good guys. I found him to be extremely levelheaded, even when the situations he faces would be enough to leave me in a mess! Although, I think he was only holding on to his sanity by a thread at one point! Unfortunately, he has found himself in a bit of a predicament. Everything that can go wrong, does so in spectacular style! When a job opportunity comes up, little does he know what he's letting himself in for!
Serene Necrosia is a wonderful character! To me, she is a cross between a mad scientist/inventor and Morticia from The Addams Family. She has a brilliant mind, but her experiments have a nasty habit of biting back!
There are some other very colourful characters in this book. Quasimoody (AKA Moody) is a hunchback and indentured to Serene. Then there is Josiah, the Werewolf and Marco, Serene's ex-husband, and not to forget Dante, Serene's pet tarantula. The list goes on! This book is full of wit and sarcasm, not to mention the gross bits that made me go "Eww!"! I absolutely loved the repartee between Moody and Alex. They have my utmost respect for putting up with Serene and her crackpot ideas!
When I first read the blurb, I burst out laughing! I decided there and then that I just HAD to read it! Holand Peterson has a vivid imagination, and it shows in his writing. This book captured me from the first page, and has left me wanting more! I'm not sure what age range this book is aimed at, but I would highly recommend it to the older YA reader (15+), as well as adults who have a twisted sense of humour. I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series. - Lynn Worton
I was given a copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review.
This has got to be the quirkiest sci-fi/fantasy adventure I have read in a long time, if ever! I absolutely LOVED it!
Alex Hobbs is a fantastic character! He is one of the good guys. I found him to be extremely levelheaded, even when the situations he faces would be enough to leave me in a mess! Although, I think he was only holding on to his sanity by a thread at one point! Unfortunately, he has found himself in a bit of a predicament. Everything that can go wrong, does so in spectacular style! When a job opportunity comes up, little does he know what he's letting himself in for!
Serene Necrosia is a wonderful character! To me, she is a cross between a mad scientist/inventor and Morticia from The Addams Family. She has a brilliant mind, but her experiments have a nasty habit of biting back!
There are some other very colourful characters in this book. Quasimoody (AKA Moody) is a hunchback and indentured to Serene. Then there is Josiah, the Werewolf and Marco, Serene's ex-husband, and not to forget Dante, Serene's pet tarantula. The list goes on! This book is full of wit and sarcasm, not to mention the gross bits that made me go "Eww!"! I absolutely loved the repartee between Moody and Alex. They have my utmost respect for putting up with Serene and her crackpot ideas!
When I first read the blurb, I burst out laughing! I decided there and then that I just HAD to read it! Holand Peterson has a vivid imagination, and it shows in his writing. This book captured me from the first page, and has left me wanting more! I'm not sure what age range this book is aimed at, but I would highly recommend it to the older YA reader (15+), as well as adults who have a twisted sense of humour. I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series. - Lynn Worton
November 28, 2016
Lovecraft Meets Mel Brooks
A lonely sad sack becomes the newest assistant to a mad woman scientist and learns to embrace life. Of course, he has to brave insane lab experiments, monster spiders, a psychotic hunchback, the appearance of transdimensional monsters from the Elder World, zombies, a quiet English village populated entirely by horrifying, (and yet elegantly civilized), creatures, and some threatening black goop with a bad attitude. In his first few days; then it gets weird.
The book starts nicely with our hero being recruited for the assistant's job. It then slows down when he shows up at the mad mansion and the story/action begins to play out as just a bunch of second-rate Addams Family jokes. But wait, that section is brief and it's just our author getting up to speed. Once he hits his stride, and once the characters begin to develop into fully realized players instead of cliches, this book develops some heart, takes on a lot of energy, and takes off toward a strong finish.
Along the way we get a number of very clever and amusing set pieces. The book isn't driven primarily by one-liners, although there are a few funny throwaways. It's more like a series of scenes and skits and cutaways, at least until we get to the big finish. That keeps everything fresh and moving forward.
So, this ended up being a better story than I expected, and developed into a much better buddy comedy than I expected, and ended up a satisfying, amusing and entertaining read. A nice find.
(Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
A lonely sad sack becomes the newest assistant to a mad woman scientist and learns to embrace life. Of course, he has to brave insane lab experiments, monster spiders, a psychotic hunchback, the appearance of transdimensional monsters from the Elder World, zombies, a quiet English village populated entirely by horrifying, (and yet elegantly civilized), creatures, and some threatening black goop with a bad attitude. In his first few days; then it gets weird.
The book starts nicely with our hero being recruited for the assistant's job. It then slows down when he shows up at the mad mansion and the story/action begins to play out as just a bunch of second-rate Addams Family jokes. But wait, that section is brief and it's just our author getting up to speed. Once he hits his stride, and once the characters begin to develop into fully realized players instead of cliches, this book develops some heart, takes on a lot of energy, and takes off toward a strong finish.
Along the way we get a number of very clever and amusing set pieces. The book isn't driven primarily by one-liners, although there are a few funny throwaways. It's more like a series of scenes and skits and cutaways, at least until we get to the big finish. That keeps everything fresh and moving forward.
So, this ended up being a better story than I expected, and developed into a much better buddy comedy than I expected, and ended up a satisfying, amusing and entertaining read. A nice find.
(Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
May 21, 2015
Amateurish writing, with many grammatical errors and the author annoyingly used bold font whenever he wanted to emphasize something, when a simple exclamation point would be more appropriate.
This fantasy story was cute enough to read through to the end, if you can get past the beginning, where the writing is particularly bad. The characters were OK. The best written part of the book is the author's bio. I'm certainly not going to look for the sequels.
This fantasy story was cute enough to read through to the end, if you can get past the beginning, where the writing is particularly bad. The characters were OK. The best written part of the book is the author's bio. I'm certainly not going to look for the sequels.
April 13, 2014
I was looking for something fun, and found it: a completely improbable plot in a fairly odd world, with quite an eclectic cast. The characters made me laugh, the oddball events taken for granted added smiles. A good first book.
July 28, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting and unlike any I've ever encountered before. The story pulls you in wanting to see what happens next.
February 2, 2015
This book was a hell of a lot of fun. It was silly and funny. I found myself grinning like a fool many times. I love finding new authors and Mr. Peterson is now on my watch list.
May 20, 2015
Charming little story. There's at least one more book, might be worth checking out.
July 13, 2013
A fun and entertaining read.
July 17, 2013
Fun book with lots of laughs. I'm reading the second book now.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews