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The Griefing
A careful study of the beginning of the end of humanity. This fictional world will be familiar to most readers, and the dirty little city may be their own. Tommy is moved by a dead man’s words, searching for a radical, biological protocol that shapes all life. Stayshia’s hard-won objectivity is fractured by a machine that defies logic and threatens the foundations of her psyche. Mark doesn’t know which of them will give him what he wants, but he will keep them close until the time is right and he can ride the wave of their discovery. Graham is just looking for a new house mate and the next big party. An amazing medical breakthrough promises fame and fortune but also hides the key to damnation. Accident gives way to injury and a bitter hand exacts a terrible revenge. The stakes are raised as humanity is dragged to a point of no return. From blood and fire to ashes and dust, this is the beginning of the end. Humans will die how they lived; with gnashing of teeth. This novel is not for the faint of heart.
780 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 2013
35 people want to read
About the author
Huck Walker
2 books5 followersBorn as David J Walker November, 1974, Huck lived his first 18 years in the western suburbs of Sydney (Australia) with his parents and five brothers. After completing high school, Huck moved to Newcastle to study a BA in Visual Arts and wash dishes like a pro.
It was when he turned 20 that he failed Visual Arts, discovered Newcastle Hardcore Techno scene via Bloody Fist Records and changed his name to Huckleberry DJRTD Walker and started making music with computers.
1996 saw the birth of his first child, Irma Walker. Huck returned to complete his Vis Arts Degree, culminating in the first “Spidergrind” exhibition in November of 1997;
[The first Spidergrind was partially funded by Huck submitting himself for invasive medical experiments. Seven more Spidergrinds were held, one each year for the next seven years. In total, four grinds were private and four were public exhibitions. The spider currently resides in Huck’s backyard where it is rusting up nicely.]
In 1998 Huck ran a small art business that has small successes. He kept himself afloat with part-time work telemarketing under the nom-de-plume ‘John Woodhead’. During the next two years Huck spent his time killing plants as a bush regenerator while studying Horticulture and Bush Regeneration. (So many ticks, so many ticks…)
In 2001 the school where Huck was studying Horticulture closes, leaving him stranded. He spent the year doing bush regeneration and telemarketing while wondering what the heck he should be doing. He gets married in a swamp to a human female; Birgit.
Huck Completes a Diploma of Education and transforms into a teacher of Visual Arts in 2002. While teaching in 2003 child number two is born; another awesome female by the name of Beatrix. That same year, the Walkers become the demonstration family at The EcoHome; an environmentally retrofitted home that is open to the public for tours. The next few years are a harrowing experience where Huck and Birgit try to resurrect a project that has been run into the ground by hippies. Around this time Huck starts writing notes for an apocalyptic tale.
Huck re-trains as a Mathematics teacher in 2006 and is posted to country NSW (Australia). To his great relief his family accompany him.
A promotional transfer to the position of Head Teacher of Mathematics, occurred in 2010, then Huck’s 1st novel, “The Griefing” was completed and published in January 2013.
Huck is currently continuing with the Head Teacher position while writing the second book of the Holocene Extinction trilogy (and the ‘Grey Guide’). He lives in Yass (NSW, Australia) with his family. He makes time to kill zombies online, regularly creates artworks and uploads various comments and crappolla to his blog.
It was when he turned 20 that he failed Visual Arts, discovered Newcastle Hardcore Techno scene via Bloody Fist Records and changed his name to Huckleberry DJRTD Walker and started making music with computers.
1996 saw the birth of his first child, Irma Walker. Huck returned to complete his Vis Arts Degree, culminating in the first “Spidergrind” exhibition in November of 1997;
[The first Spidergrind was partially funded by Huck submitting himself for invasive medical experiments. Seven more Spidergrinds were held, one each year for the next seven years. In total, four grinds were private and four were public exhibitions. The spider currently resides in Huck’s backyard where it is rusting up nicely.]
In 1998 Huck ran a small art business that has small successes. He kept himself afloat with part-time work telemarketing under the nom-de-plume ‘John Woodhead’. During the next two years Huck spent his time killing plants as a bush regenerator while studying Horticulture and Bush Regeneration. (So many ticks, so many ticks…)
In 2001 the school where Huck was studying Horticulture closes, leaving him stranded. He spent the year doing bush regeneration and telemarketing while wondering what the heck he should be doing. He gets married in a swamp to a human female; Birgit.
Huck Completes a Diploma of Education and transforms into a teacher of Visual Arts in 2002. While teaching in 2003 child number two is born; another awesome female by the name of Beatrix. That same year, the Walkers become the demonstration family at The EcoHome; an environmentally retrofitted home that is open to the public for tours. The next few years are a harrowing experience where Huck and Birgit try to resurrect a project that has been run into the ground by hippies. Around this time Huck starts writing notes for an apocalyptic tale.
Huck re-trains as a Mathematics teacher in 2006 and is posted to country NSW (Australia). To his great relief his family accompany him.
A promotional transfer to the position of Head Teacher of Mathematics, occurred in 2010, then Huck’s 1st novel, “The Griefing” was completed and published in January 2013.
Huck is currently continuing with the Head Teacher position while writing the second book of the Holocene Extinction trilogy (and the ‘Grey Guide’). He lives in Yass (NSW, Australia) with his family. He makes time to kill zombies online, regularly creates artworks and uploads various comments and crappolla to his blog.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 26, 2020
I really appreciated the scope of this book. It definitely takes you to some interesting places, and provides some useful ruminations on ethics and life itself. It definitely kept me reading, and I would love to see more books in this series.
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October 1, 2021great concept. excellent author. the character and background build up is long in preparation for book 2, however it has been a long time since the release of this book and i think that perhaps there wont be a followup.
definitely worth a read.
definitely worth a read.
February 5, 2016
I was totally unprepared when I began reading this novel. From the title I could guess that it involved some kind of mass destruction but that was about it. It was great to be propelled into such a wildly original book. So if you like being surprised and unprepared then please ignore the rest of this review and get into The Griefing without finding out too much about it. However if you like reviews, read on. (There's some serious spoilers that follow).
The first thing to say is that this is a very hefty tome (696 pages according to amazon). It's long enough to cover some pretty diverse territory. The novel focusses on four characters. The first is Tommy - a young molecular biologist who is a genius in his field. His quest is to unlock the relationship between the human cell and the organelles inside it. At least that seems to be his main objective. There's also a lot of other stuff he gets up to. The effort to explain the science is commendable and it all feels a lot more plausible than the typical horror fantasy. There's mention of reprogrammed retroviruses for example.
Stayshia is the next character we get close to - she's a hardcore science nerd who accidentally discovers something supernatural. She has a very human reaction to something which she considers impossible, but then goes on to become possessed by her discovery. Including a character like Stayshia who has extrasensory powers reminded me vaguely of Stephen King (he often throws a telepathic character or something into the mix to spice things up).
Mark is a spectacularly rich young man with some dubious morals. He's looking for something dodgy to fund and comes across both Tommy and Stayshia. The fourth character is Graham. He's a likeable fellow who chops down feral trees for a living, but later on mutates into a big red killing machine.
There's a long section near the beginning of the book which obviously pays homage to the Newcastle underground scene of the late 1990s. Combining the "Bloody Fists" with all the weird science going on was seriously fresh and probably my favourite part of the book. The other section that deserves a special mention is the last twenty percent or so of the book. There is a real pay off for horror fans here. Yes there is a plague of zombies but this is about as original as a zombie plague can be. It reminded me vaguely of "the Thing", "Akira" and maybe "the Fly". There's a lot of gore and a couple of scenes especially are about as scary as horror novels get.
I feel reluctant to criticize this book at all since I don't read a lot of genre fiction - what I liked least here is quite typical of genre fiction - and quite probably the very elements that other readers will particularly appreciate. The Griefing is very long for example, and there are some very lavish descriptive passages. There's also a total lack of comedy which I guess is something you don't expect in a horror novel anyway but I felt it might have helped smooth the ride a little. Also sometimes the characters are remarkably deadpan about the sheer impossibility of things happening around them. For example, Julie doesn't show a lot of concern when her patient slowly mutates into a three metre monster. Then again, stuff like this happens in horror all the time.
All up an amazing novel and good head-trashing material. It's great to find Australian fiction with imagination for a change. Highly recommended.
review first appeared at: http://bench-press.blogspot.com.au/
The first thing to say is that this is a very hefty tome (696 pages according to amazon). It's long enough to cover some pretty diverse territory. The novel focusses on four characters. The first is Tommy - a young molecular biologist who is a genius in his field. His quest is to unlock the relationship between the human cell and the organelles inside it. At least that seems to be his main objective. There's also a lot of other stuff he gets up to. The effort to explain the science is commendable and it all feels a lot more plausible than the typical horror fantasy. There's mention of reprogrammed retroviruses for example.
Stayshia is the next character we get close to - she's a hardcore science nerd who accidentally discovers something supernatural. She has a very human reaction to something which she considers impossible, but then goes on to become possessed by her discovery. Including a character like Stayshia who has extrasensory powers reminded me vaguely of Stephen King (he often throws a telepathic character or something into the mix to spice things up).
Mark is a spectacularly rich young man with some dubious morals. He's looking for something dodgy to fund and comes across both Tommy and Stayshia. The fourth character is Graham. He's a likeable fellow who chops down feral trees for a living, but later on mutates into a big red killing machine.
There's a long section near the beginning of the book which obviously pays homage to the Newcastle underground scene of the late 1990s. Combining the "Bloody Fists" with all the weird science going on was seriously fresh and probably my favourite part of the book. The other section that deserves a special mention is the last twenty percent or so of the book. There is a real pay off for horror fans here. Yes there is a plague of zombies but this is about as original as a zombie plague can be. It reminded me vaguely of "the Thing", "Akira" and maybe "the Fly". There's a lot of gore and a couple of scenes especially are about as scary as horror novels get.
I feel reluctant to criticize this book at all since I don't read a lot of genre fiction - what I liked least here is quite typical of genre fiction - and quite probably the very elements that other readers will particularly appreciate. The Griefing is very long for example, and there are some very lavish descriptive passages. There's also a total lack of comedy which I guess is something you don't expect in a horror novel anyway but I felt it might have helped smooth the ride a little. Also sometimes the characters are remarkably deadpan about the sheer impossibility of things happening around them. For example, Julie doesn't show a lot of concern when her patient slowly mutates into a three metre monster. Then again, stuff like this happens in horror all the time.
All up an amazing novel and good head-trashing material. It's great to find Australian fiction with imagination for a change. Highly recommended.
review first appeared at: http://bench-press.blogspot.com.au/
August 28, 2014
I had many reasons for taking my sweet time to read this brick, none of which have anything to do with the quality of the writing or the narrative presented. I would read this in segments, either being snippets before bed or long drawls on the couch. The story would travel with me and simmer in my mind. I found myself reflecting on it throughout my day to day existence, imagining possibilities for the genuine and familiar characters within this encompassing world.
That’s the thing about Huckleberry’s writing. His pages are well drawn-out thoughts, illustrating in meticulous detail a lovingly crafted universe. He has presented more than just a novel: it’s an encounter that lingers on the edge of your mind, maturing and giving impetus long after the pages end.
The Griefing is of a genre which rarely scratches the metaphorical itch for detail, accuracy and plausibility. Fortunately, this novel manages to be a piece of satisfying storytelling that scratches that genre itch with exhaustive vigour. The Griefing has set the standard high for future instalments of the series, of which I now eagerly await.
That’s the thing about Huckleberry’s writing. His pages are well drawn-out thoughts, illustrating in meticulous detail a lovingly crafted universe. He has presented more than just a novel: it’s an encounter that lingers on the edge of your mind, maturing and giving impetus long after the pages end.
The Griefing is of a genre which rarely scratches the metaphorical itch for detail, accuracy and plausibility. Fortunately, this novel manages to be a piece of satisfying storytelling that scratches that genre itch with exhaustive vigour. The Griefing has set the standard high for future instalments of the series, of which I now eagerly await.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews