It Came From the Loch

by Matthew Mercer

Her family died on the loch, now it's her job to study it. Decades after a tragic accident left Elizabeth an orphan, she is making her return with her friends and daughter. Will she find the answers she has been looking for her whole life, or will history repeat itself?

Genres: Horror

179 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2023

About the author

Follow me on Instagram @matthewmercerauthor

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid outing with Matthew Mercer. It jumped right in (Pun intended!) and kept the pace. What I really enjoyed here was how he kept the big reveal until the very end, and didn't rely on faceless victims throughout to hold to story together. And the ending did not disappoint, even taking some interesting, unexpected turns. And there was some really good character depth, especially with Hailey and Elizabeth. I wanted some more from the dynamics between Monica and Bradley, but what we got sufficed. I feel like there was just a whole other level of both of them that went unexplored. The female characters were a little too oversexualized for my taste, but the mystery creature may disagree. Maybe it likes the flavor of bisexual women more than heterosexual? Is there a difference? Can anyone weigh in on this?! Either way, it could have been toned down a bit, but, again, it wasn't too crazy, just a tad overdone. All in all, it was a simple, enjoyable, creature feature. This was my first read from the author and I look forward to seeing more of his works.

[Brendon Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It Came From the Loch is a fun story surrounding a family tragedy involving the Lochness Monster. It's written quite well for an indie author however my major issue with the book is that it just didn't bring any tension and was predictable. I'm happy I read it but might not be the target audience for it.

I just got off a 40 hour door to door flight across the world and in no position to write a decent review. I will update this tomorrow with proper thoughts on this after I sleep. Fun but forgettable is my initial thoughts.

[Danielle Yeager · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third of three in the "It Came From ..." series, all with awesome vintage covers, and I dug all three! Fellow creature feature, B-movie fans should definitely check out this series.

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded to 4. Matthew Mercer's 'It Came From the Loch' is the third standalone entry in the trilogy of the "It Came From ..." series. All books are short and easy to read, with great dialogue and good pacing. The previous entries, however, were also a bit campy and darkly humorous. This time, things are quite different: the humor is gone, the B-movie vibes are left behind, and, although the book reads nominally as a creature feature, the creature makes very few appearances (strictly speaking, just one), the emphasis being on struggling grown-ups, childhood trauma, and life choices. Figuring centrally is a single mom, a marine biologist, who travels from the US to Scotland with her friends, to study sea turtles in Loch Ness. The beginning of the book has a great sequence, which portrays the catastrophic encounter of the mom (as a child) with the legendary monster of the loch; she's a survivor, and develops into an interesting, strong female character. She's apparently the one who'll solve the mystery of Loch Ness; Mercer chooses a surprise ending, however, going for a rather savage and gory resolution of his story. This makes the book a very satisfying summer read, and I'd recommend it as such. With impeccable editing and an eye-catching cover, 'It Came From the Loch' is a nice finish to the "It Came From ..." series. Thank you to the author for the ARC!

[Racheal · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute gem of a creature feature.
Matthew Mercer did so much in this little novella!
The characters were real. They had substance, and they had personality.
The creature was believable and scary af.
The gore wasn't gore for gore's sake. It made me go "eew", it made me cringe, but it wasn't overdone.
The pace was perfect! Enough time to get to know the characters, but the action came quick and stayed put until the end.
A fun, quick read that had me on the edge of my seat!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fresh take on Nessie. I enjoyed it.

[Lowspeedreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, campy, and at only 179 pages, a breezy read.

[Chris St.Pierre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read. Matthew built up good characters and a good storyline. If this were a movie, it would be like Piranha, in my opinion and that wouldn't be a bad thing.

[Tina Kroh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cool take on a very well known legend. I really enjoyed the story, although I wasn’t a a fan of some of the characters. Especially the main one, Elizabeth, who I was definitely judging for some of her poor parenting choices. The story was pretty fast paced and entertaining. Definitely will be checking out more from this author.

[Judy Raber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of us know the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. Is it an unknown animal? Is it an ancient dinosaur? Or is it all just a hoax? In It Came From the Loch by author Matthew Mercer, we meet Elizabeth — a marine biologist and single mother of a sweet 7-year-old daughter — who convinces her friends and colleagues to take a trip to Scotland to determine why sea turtles have been spotted in Loch Ness. Unbeknownst to the group, Elizabeth is trying to answer the questions that have been haunting her for years since her entire family was killed during a yachting accident when she was a child. Will she find the answers she has been searching for all her life? Or will she lose much more? Mercer kicks off the suspense from page one with a writing style that truly sets the mood with descriptive scenes, developed characters, and a gory surprise ending. I may have developed thalassophobia while reading this one, but it was worth every minute. I also truly enjoyed the way the characters develop and the countless issues the characters must work through, many of which are incredibly relatable. Thank you again, Matthew Mercer, for the advanced copy opportunity to read this great story before release!

[Horror Haus Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrifying story about one of my favorite cryptids (right up there with Mothman). I’ve always been intrigued by the Loch Ness Monster, especially because Plesiosaurs are my favorite dinosaur. And let’s be real, that’s probably what Nessie is.

This was fast paced and filled with gore. An amazing creature feature, perfect if you’re into aquatic horror. It offers a fresh spin on Nessie that I’m sure cryptid lovers will enjoy.

If you’re looking for a quick read, perfect for summer, I definitely recommend checking this one out!

[Luc Dantes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on the Loch Ness monster. I personally did not enjoy it as much as I have Matthew Mercer's other work. However, it does tie into his others books and makes for an interesting origin story for one of the characters in one of his other books.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun retelling of a well known legend.

More character driven than you would normally expect from a novella, so the plot line felt somewhat secondary. But, it’s well written; engaging and reminiscent of tales of things that come from the deep.

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely the best of the three in the “It Came” series as far as character development and an actual plot. However it wasn’t as scary. It was a fun read though and I’m looking forward to reading more of his work!

[Leonie Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really torn by this one. I loved It Came From Above and It Came From the Woods. Really great short reads.

It has some really great points, the opening action is great, where the boat is sinking, I really got hooked by that! But the writing just felt different in this one. Some of the prose just didn't hit me right.

I couldn't fully get into the story, it felt very much like a story written by someone who has never been to Scotland. (which is confirmed at the end in the afterword), skinny dipping in Loch Ness and falling asleep wet on the beach during the night, even in summer, would likely lead to hypothermia. And the reoccurring knocking of the accents was a weird one for me.

Lastly Brooke's reaction to Alexa exploring her sexuality was just a weird thing for me.

Other than that I still enjoyed it. Liked how it set up Hailey's character for the new series of books, which I am definitely going to read.

I've genuinely really enjoyed this authors work and love seeing his progression in writing, he's written about how he never thought he would be able to write a book and I really hope he keeps going! I'm excited to read the next one!

[Shasta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve gotta say, I think I’ve been a fan of Matthew Mercer since before his first book came out, if that’s possible. I freekin love that he writes fun campy cryptid horror. This is the third installment of the “It Came From” series, each being a stand alone, and each being very different from each other.

It Came from the Loch is a little less campy, but equally as fun. It is very character driven, and fast paced.
I hesitate saying too much more because I’m terrible about spoilers, but if you’re looking for a fun summer read look no further. Ol’ Nessie doesn’t seem quite as gentle and sweet after reading this one.

Thanks so much Matthew Mercer for this arc. I seriously can’t wait to see what you have in store for the future. 

Also, 10 ⭐️ to the artist that does his cover art 😍

[Courtney Schafer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh boy were the characters in this book just awful. Not a single likable one. Even Hailey was annoying.

What was the point of showing Elizabeth’s hatred for drinking in the prologue just to have her needing to party and drink as an adult? And how she hated her daughter seeing her hungover, yet she still carried on?

I did like finding out the origin of Hailey’s trauma. Never would have guessed it.

[Daytona Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

obsessed with this series. The first one wasn’t as well written as these two but still love the series as a whole! netflix needs to make these into movies STAT

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!

Very quick read! I enjoyed the characters immensely in this. The reveal was done perfectly for the monster! Can’t wait to read more from this author!

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Elizabeth was a child, she watched her entire family die while on a yacht on Loch Ness. Only she and one other family member survived, but not before she saw the creature tearing her family apart. Two decades later, now a marine biologist and mother, she heads back to Scotland, determined to find out what really is hiding in the loch.

This one jumps straight in, starting with the night Elizabeth lost her family. Once she's back in Scotland, things once again take a turn for the worse very quickly. It was a fun, cheesy monster story that brings the Loch ness monster to life in a pretty gruesome way. I enjoyed seeing the "origin" story for one of the main characters from Summer Camp For Slasher Victims.
If you decide to read any of these books, I would suggest reading the three It Came From books before Summer Camp, as I had to go back and skim it again just to remind myself what happens to Hailey and Mitch.
If you're a fan of campy 80/90s style slashers/monster movies, I'd highly recommend this authors work.