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Changing of Faces
Jack and his father have been through a lot, and when they reach the coast they think they have found safety. There's a beached ferry there, and a community of survivors from the living-dead plague that has swept the land...--from publisher's website.
- GenresHorror
98 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
52 people want to read
About the author
Tim Lebbon
296 books1,540 followersI love writing, reading, triathlon, real ale, chocolate, good movies, occasional bad movies, and cake.
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 14, 2019
it's the full moon... shape-shifting were-things attack!
this novella is the sequel to the pretty good Naming Of Parts... and yet it is so completely different. Alien vs. Aliens kind of different. different goals, different style, different tone, different set-up entirely.
a few weeks after the events in Naming of Parts, the zombies have apparently died off. survivors are holed up in an abandoned ferry that has washed up on shore - and now there are horrifyingly gigantor-sized animal-people on the prowl, waiting to eat people up. so what does this mean? has the scifi horror rationale been replaced by some kind of dark fantasy horror rationale? are both novels a kind of extended metaphor? Lebbon doesn't really explain things, so be prepared to just let certain key questions go. overall, Changing of Faces is pretty good - Lebbon's command of language and ambiguity and his ability to create an atmosphere of constant dread remain at a high level. the opening attack sequence, as survivors react to the bizarre, horrendous, totally surprising onslaught... top-notch. genuinely unnerving.
it does lose its way after that. not so much that it becomes a bad read - it is enjoyably tense and exciting from beginning to end. it just seems to lose focus. an extended riff on a kind of Gingerbread House (complete with cannibalistic old lady) is eye-opening but also rather annoying, somewhat overly-familiar. and the novella ends on the worst kind of cliffhanger climax. ugh.
but still, i would say that this is a good one. it is certainly an original.
this novella is the sequel to the pretty good Naming Of Parts... and yet it is so completely different. Alien vs. Aliens kind of different. different goals, different style, different tone, different set-up entirely.
a few weeks after the events in Naming of Parts, the zombies have apparently died off. survivors are holed up in an abandoned ferry that has washed up on shore - and now there are horrifyingly gigantor-sized animal-people on the prowl, waiting to eat people up. so what does this mean? has the scifi horror rationale been replaced by some kind of dark fantasy horror rationale? are both novels a kind of extended metaphor? Lebbon doesn't really explain things, so be prepared to just let certain key questions go. overall, Changing of Faces is pretty good - Lebbon's command of language and ambiguity and his ability to create an atmosphere of constant dread remain at a high level. the opening attack sequence, as survivors react to the bizarre, horrendous, totally surprising onslaught... top-notch. genuinely unnerving.
it does lose its way after that. not so much that it becomes a bad read - it is enjoyably tense and exciting from beginning to end. it just seems to lose focus. an extended riff on a kind of Gingerbread House (complete with cannibalistic old lady) is eye-opening but also rather annoying, somewhat overly-familiar. and the novella ends on the worst kind of cliffhanger climax. ugh.
but still, i would say that this is a good one. it is certainly an original.
July 30, 2018
At only 98 pages, this book qualifies more as a novella than a full length novel. While the book is light in pages, it is not light in story.
Jack is a 12-year-old who is trying to survive with his father and a small group of others. While the group has survived the weeks of being attacked by the living dead, they are now facing a new fear of giant, hungry animals. While it sounds a little weird (and it is a bit), it flows with the story. No real explanation is provided as to why it happens; we just get to read about the effects.
While it was enjoyable, the story itself was a tad predictable. Not everything but when an action would occur, I was able to guess the next big step that would follow. And then due to its short length, we don't get to spend enough time with the characters to become that much vested in their lives. The book was an enjoyable read but it left me wanting more. Fortunately I have other full length novels by Lebbon that I can turn to and read.
Jack is a 12-year-old who is trying to survive with his father and a small group of others. While the group has survived the weeks of being attacked by the living dead, they are now facing a new fear of giant, hungry animals. While it sounds a little weird (and it is a bit), it flows with the story. No real explanation is provided as to why it happens; we just get to read about the effects.
While it was enjoyable, the story itself was a tad predictable. Not everything but when an action would occur, I was able to guess the next big step that would follow. And then due to its short length, we don't get to spend enough time with the characters to become that much vested in their lives. The book was an enjoyable read but it left me wanting more. Fortunately I have other full length novels by Lebbon that I can turn to and read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews