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Leviathan
There’s something wrong on Seagull Island. When the atmospheric conditions are right, a doorway opens to a primeval world of monsters. The locals won’t talk about it. They live in denial. But that’s all about to change. Johnny Horowitz, a much despised member of the paparazzi, has gotten a glimpse of something from prehistory and he isn’t going to stop until he gets a photo of it. With Hurricane Amelia bearing down on the island, the doorway to the prehistoric sea is about to be thrown wide and Johnny plans on being there when it opens with camera in hand, regardless of the consequences.
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2013
35 people are currently reading
662 people want to read
About the author
Tim Curran
149 books596 followersTim Curran lives in Michigan and is the author of the novels Skin Medicine, Hive, Dead Sea, Resurrection, The Devil Next Door, and Biohazard, as well as the novella The Corpse King. His short stories have appeared in such magazines as City Slab, Flesh&Blood, Book of Dark Wisdom, and Inhuman, and anthologies such as Shivers IV, High Seas Cthulhu, and Vile Things.
For DarkFuse and its imprints, he has written the bestselling The Underdwelling, the Readers Choice-Nominated novella Fear Me, Puppet Graveyard as well as Long Black Coffin.
Find him on the web at: www.corpseking.com.
For DarkFuse and its imprints, he has written the bestselling The Underdwelling, the Readers Choice-Nominated novella Fear Me, Puppet Graveyard as well as Long Black Coffin.
Find him on the web at: www.corpseking.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
November 27, 2017
I really enjoyed this novella, but it would have been better as a novel. I was left wanting. As soon as you get to the meat of the story; it's over. Finished. The end. Finito.
Johnny Horowitz - a photographer - works freelance for three of the country's leading tabloids, whose job entails taking photos of celebrities at the most inopportune moment, getting that all important shot; when they least, expect it. If there's dirt to be found, Horowitz will find it. I guess getting kicked in the nuts by Jean Claude Van Damme had little effect.
He's supposed to be taking a vacation on Seagull Island; keeping a low profile, but he finds something dirty - on Seagull Island (North Beach) - which is fenced off, with a sign: KEEP OUT SEAGULL ISLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT. As the fence is down, he's able to gain access to the beach; where he finds human bones. After he retrieves his camera and takes a few shots of his find - he reports his discovery; and surprisingly, the Sergeant taking his statement (Costello), seems disinterested, causing Horowitz to believe - something isn't right, and that he's found something dirty. And he likes his dirt. He's been crawling through it, long enough.
North Beach has no swimmers. No bird life. No tourists. Nothing. Well, almost nothing. Because, when the atmospheric conditions are right - a gateway opens - to a time, that's long gone.
There's something about Seagull Island - that the locals know about, but don't discuss. They're in denial. But with Hurricane Amelia on its way, the gateway is truly going to open up, wide.
In summation: I didn't like the main character, but - his inner monologue was amusing. Matt Packard was my favourite character. He was funny. This would have been better if the page count was 400+ pages - I think.
Johnny Horowitz - a photographer - works freelance for three of the country's leading tabloids, whose job entails taking photos of celebrities at the most inopportune moment, getting that all important shot; when they least, expect it. If there's dirt to be found, Horowitz will find it. I guess getting kicked in the nuts by Jean Claude Van Damme had little effect.
He's supposed to be taking a vacation on Seagull Island; keeping a low profile, but he finds something dirty - on Seagull Island (North Beach) - which is fenced off, with a sign: KEEP OUT SEAGULL ISLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT. As the fence is down, he's able to gain access to the beach; where he finds human bones. After he retrieves his camera and takes a few shots of his find - he reports his discovery; and surprisingly, the Sergeant taking his statement (Costello), seems disinterested, causing Horowitz to believe - something isn't right, and that he's found something dirty. And he likes his dirt. He's been crawling through it, long enough.
North Beach has no swimmers. No bird life. No tourists. Nothing. Well, almost nothing. Because, when the atmospheric conditions are right - a gateway opens - to a time, that's long gone.
There's something about Seagull Island - that the locals know about, but don't discuss. They're in denial. But with Hurricane Amelia on its way, the gateway is truly going to open up, wide.
In summation: I didn't like the main character, but - his inner monologue was amusing. Matt Packard was my favourite character. He was funny. This would have been better if the page count was 400+ pages - I think.
July 21, 2014
When tabloid photograph Johnny Horowitz finds gnawed human bones on a remote stretch of beach, he uncovers a decades old secret, a gate to the Cretaceous period. What creatures will come through the gate and will they be Johnny's last chance at the big time?
This is the third book in my Kindle Unlimited Experiment. For the 30 day trial, I'm only reading books that are part of the program and keeping track what the total cost of the books would have been.
It's my opinion that novellas are a great format for ebooks and Tim Curran is the master of the horror novella. Leviathan is a novella about a small town with a tropical storm bearing down on it and a mysteryous beach that's fenced off and avoided. Turns out, a gate to the Cretaceous period opens there on nights before storms. After an accidental discovery and some tense moments, Johnny Horowitz seems to think photos of prehistoric sea reptiles are his ticket to fame and fortune.
Horowitz is a great character, a guy who knows he's not going to live forever and full of regrets, looking for his one last shot at glory. Since this is a horror novel, things don't quite go that way.
Tim Curran's descriptions of prehistoric megafauna are horrifying but still realistic. After all, the creatures he describes really existed. As the tropical storm draws near, the wheels quickly fall off Horowitz' plan and he draws the attention of something orders of magnitude bigger than he ever imagined.
Since this is a novella, that's about all I'm going to give away. Leviathan is a gripping tale best consumed in a sitting or two. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Current Kindle Unlimited Savings Total: $13.17.
This is the third book in my Kindle Unlimited Experiment. For the 30 day trial, I'm only reading books that are part of the program and keeping track what the total cost of the books would have been.
It's my opinion that novellas are a great format for ebooks and Tim Curran is the master of the horror novella. Leviathan is a novella about a small town with a tropical storm bearing down on it and a mysteryous beach that's fenced off and avoided. Turns out, a gate to the Cretaceous period opens there on nights before storms. After an accidental discovery and some tense moments, Johnny Horowitz seems to think photos of prehistoric sea reptiles are his ticket to fame and fortune.
Horowitz is a great character, a guy who knows he's not going to live forever and full of regrets, looking for his one last shot at glory. Since this is a horror novel, things don't quite go that way.
Tim Curran's descriptions of prehistoric megafauna are horrifying but still realistic. After all, the creatures he describes really existed. As the tropical storm draws near, the wheels quickly fall off Horowitz' plan and he draws the attention of something orders of magnitude bigger than he ever imagined.
Since this is a novella, that's about all I'm going to give away. Leviathan is a gripping tale best consumed in a sitting or two. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Current Kindle Unlimited Savings Total: $13.17.
November 18, 2013
This novella was a blast!
Johnny Horowitz needed to take a vacation. As a full fledged member of the paparazzi, (or as he likes to think of himself, a photo journalist), he was well known by the glitterati and hated by all of them. As such, he was advised by his boss that a forced vacation begins now. Johnny heads to a deserted beach with his camera and his beer and was relaxing quite nicely. Until he found something on the beach. Something that looked like bones. Human bones.
And so begins Johnny's fascination with this particular beach and its secrets. And boy...they are big secrets...straight from the Cretaceous period. This is where Mr. Curran's outstanding descriptive skills kick in. If you've ever read his work, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, this novella is a great place to start. Things come out of that sea that defy description, but Mr. Curran's skills kick in to help you picture the scene perfectly. And it's a scary scene.
Actually it's a long series of scary scenes and they rocked!
This novella took just an hour or two to read and what a fun time it was. If you like stories about the sea and/or creature features, this story is for you. Highly recommended!
Johnny Horowitz needed to take a vacation. As a full fledged member of the paparazzi, (or as he likes to think of himself, a photo journalist), he was well known by the glitterati and hated by all of them. As such, he was advised by his boss that a forced vacation begins now. Johnny heads to a deserted beach with his camera and his beer and was relaxing quite nicely. Until he found something on the beach. Something that looked like bones. Human bones.
And so begins Johnny's fascination with this particular beach and its secrets. And boy...they are big secrets...straight from the Cretaceous period. This is where Mr. Curran's outstanding descriptive skills kick in. If you've ever read his work, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, this novella is a great place to start. Things come out of that sea that defy description, but Mr. Curran's skills kick in to help you picture the scene perfectly. And it's a scary scene.
Actually it's a long series of scary scenes and they rocked!
This novella took just an hour or two to read and what a fun time it was. If you like stories about the sea and/or creature features, this story is for you. Highly recommended!
June 29, 2014
Fully entertaining fast-paced 127 pg novella perfect for a summery day or lonely night.
Could easily be read in one sitting, though it took me two.
Very Tim Curran in theme: a strange anomaly takes place in which monsters or people are transported to a different timezone/world/dimension, of mysterious circumstances, challenging the character(s) involved in one way or another, usually resulting in a transformation of their own selves, for better or for worse.
Will appeal to anyone who loves sea monsters as much as I do, as well as fans of the Primeval TV show(s), the Jurassic Park franchise, and to ALL hungry fans of cryptid horror!
Way to go, Tim!
And thnx to Kimberly for spotlighting it for my eyes to see! :D
October 24, 2013
4.5 stars.
I consider Tim Curran to be among the best at writing compelling, novella-length horror. He is able to give us the insight we need to get right into the midst of the action, without bombarding us with hundreds of extra pages of essentially trivial information.
In Leviathan, we have Johnny Horowitz, a much-detested member of the paparazzi known for his compromising photos of celebrities. The characterization here is completely believable. Johnny harbors no illusions about his status or self-worth. He does, however, have a sense of a story brewing as he passes by a deserted beach in a small tourist town, just before a hurricane is about to strike. Relying on his instinct, he uncovers MUCH more than he had ever expected. At one point, an inner dialog that he has within his own mind about settling down and making a "decent" living catering to tourists, wars with his visions of greed and controversy--that of being known for something truly remarkable. Curran sets this up so well, that you can actually FEEL the conversation coursing through his brain.
Enter the monsters--of course. And this is Curran at his finest. He is able to conjure up images of creatures that most of us would never think to envision. This story has everything I've come to expect in a well-written novella: characterization, atmosphere of dread that just keeps on building, and your vicious threat to humanity.
Recommended!
I consider Tim Curran to be among the best at writing compelling, novella-length horror. He is able to give us the insight we need to get right into the midst of the action, without bombarding us with hundreds of extra pages of essentially trivial information.
In Leviathan, we have Johnny Horowitz, a much-detested member of the paparazzi known for his compromising photos of celebrities. The characterization here is completely believable. Johnny harbors no illusions about his status or self-worth. He does, however, have a sense of a story brewing as he passes by a deserted beach in a small tourist town, just before a hurricane is about to strike. Relying on his instinct, he uncovers MUCH more than he had ever expected. At one point, an inner dialog that he has within his own mind about settling down and making a "decent" living catering to tourists, wars with his visions of greed and controversy--that of being known for something truly remarkable. Curran sets this up so well, that you can actually FEEL the conversation coursing through his brain.
Enter the monsters--of course. And this is Curran at his finest. He is able to conjure up images of creatures that most of us would never think to envision. This story has everything I've come to expect in a well-written novella: characterization, atmosphere of dread that just keeps on building, and your vicious threat to humanity.
Recommended!
October 18, 2013
Wow, this was fun. Technically this is a story about plenty of things, the way mankind needs to leave nature alone, the destructive power of greed, the narrowmindness of the press, etc. but really this was a story about sea monsters. Prehistoric SEA MONSTERS. How much fun is that? TONS. Curran does a terrific job here. His writing is excellent, very tight pacing and exceptionally vivid imagery, cinematic narration at its best. This is a B Movie extravaganza at its finest. This novella does for beaches what Curran's amazing Underdwelling did for caves. Many thanks to Charlene for hooking me up with this kickass read. Totally awesome. Highly recommended.
March 11, 2017
Leviathan is, unfortunately, pretty low rent as far as Tim Curran books go. Poorly paced with far too much of the page count dedicated to set up and very little to pay off, and featuring a main character who is difficult to relate to, there is little to recommend Leviathan over a bevy of Curran's other amazing works (such as Dead Sea or Blackout). Even his signature prosaic flare is muted here; and the gore factor is extremely limited for a Curran work.
2 Smelly Dinosaurs for Leviathan.
2 Smelly Dinosaurs for Leviathan.
October 18, 2013
Tim Curran is one of my favorite authors going. The dude cannot write a bad story. That being said this one was not my favorite of his to date. The story itself was entertaining and fast paced, but lacked the typical Curran descriptive prose that all at once could gross you out and make you laugh at the same time. Probably a 3.5 star, but I rounded down to 3 because it just missed something that I can't put my finger on. That may not be entirely fair, but when placed next to some of his other works, it looks about right.
P.S. A good Curran tale still blows away most authors by a fair margin.
P.S. A good Curran tale still blows away most authors by a fair margin.
February 14, 2017
3.5
With a title like Leviathan and a promising description, I expected more adventure and less thinking and talking.
I hated Johnny Horowitz, a despicable, selfish, greedy little man. Still, he is interesting too. He is one of the least likeable characters I've come across who still managed to hold my attention.
Johnny is on Seagull Island on vacation. At least, he is supposed to be. The island's past, legends and a fenced and forbidden beach won't let him rest. He finds gnawed bones on the beach and everyone he talks to is acting weird. Since the description of the book pretty much tells you everything, it's not a spoiler to say that he gets an opportunity to take a photo of a prehistoric creature. He is the kind of a man ready to step over dead bodies to get what he wants so not even a hurricane is going to stop him.
More than half of the book is Johnny trying to get people to talk to him about that beach and thinking about money.
I didn't care for name dropping (Jean-Claude van Damme and Alec Baldwin were mentioned two times too many) but considering his occupation I guess it was unavoidable.
The faster, action part of the story is somewhere in the last third and it is great.
While I despise the main character, I like this story.
With a title like Leviathan and a promising description, I expected more adventure and less thinking and talking.
I hated Johnny Horowitz, a despicable, selfish, greedy little man. Still, he is interesting too. He is one of the least likeable characters I've come across who still managed to hold my attention.
Johnny is on Seagull Island on vacation. At least, he is supposed to be. The island's past, legends and a fenced and forbidden beach won't let him rest. He finds gnawed bones on the beach and everyone he talks to is acting weird. Since the description of the book pretty much tells you everything, it's not a spoiler to say that he gets an opportunity to take a photo of a prehistoric creature. He is the kind of a man ready to step over dead bodies to get what he wants so not even a hurricane is going to stop him.
More than half of the book is Johnny trying to get people to talk to him about that beach and thinking about money.
I didn't care for name dropping (Jean-Claude van Damme and Alec Baldwin were mentioned two times too many) but considering his occupation I guess it was unavoidable.
The faster, action part of the story is somewhere in the last third and it is great.
'Deep in shit, I am.'Right where you belong, Mr Horowitz.
While I despise the main character, I like this story.
February 18, 2014
Cretaceously awesome. Maybe more of a 4.5 star read. If you still haven't checked out Tim Curran yet, shame on you.
December 14, 2014
This was a fun monster romp from Curran. Not my favorite from this author, but I still got a big kick out of it.
July 30, 2014
Johnny Horowitz is forced to take a vacation from his job as a paparazzi so he goes to Seagull Island to let the uproar from his job die down. Right off the bat, he finds human bones on a closed section of beach and the photojournalist in him can not resist digging deeper after the local police brush it aside and try to warn him away from the beach. While there photographing the bones, he notices his body feeling weird, the sky changing weird colors and a different hue of water. In that water, two sea monsters appear. Hungry, prehistoric sea monsters.
I love creature books and I was one of those kids that was fascinated with dinosaurs. This excellent novella brought back memories from when I was a kid reading and daydreaming about them. Curran is a master at creature features and does a fantastic job with the characters here, both human and prehistoric. There was never a dull moment in the plot and it kept me glued to the book as I couldn't wait to see what happens next. Highly recommended!
I love creature books and I was one of those kids that was fascinated with dinosaurs. This excellent novella brought back memories from when I was a kid reading and daydreaming about them. Curran is a master at creature features and does a fantastic job with the characters here, both human and prehistoric. There was never a dull moment in the plot and it kept me glued to the book as I couldn't wait to see what happens next. Highly recommended!
June 16, 2022
Catching their big break is something every journalist dreams of. Johnny Horowitz thinks he’s struck gold while vacationing in a small coastal town. He stumbles past a number of warnings and over a downed fence onto North Beach, a place not even locals venture to. Just so happens during storms and bad weather, something shifts in the atmosphere almost like walls to another dimension opening. While it’s only for a short time, in and around the water creatures from millennia past slip through and wreak havoc on anything in their way. Johnny gets some decent pictures but as a paparazzi he knows pictures can and are often not believed. No, Johnny needs a live specimen, something even scientists can’t deny if it’s staring them in the face. For far too long Johnny is solely focused on how wealthy this will make him without stopping to think about the can of worms he’s toying with. Things will & of course do inevitably go wrong. This was a really quick read and I thought it was fun while it lasted. The story was interesting and engaging, even if I was sitting back waiting for shit to hit the fan. The end worked incredibly well for me from the climax to the finale. Normally I’m not a big fan of secrets and mistruths but given this context, this could honestly just be one of those unexplainable things that happens and any and all answers weren’t necessary. Quick & fun prehistoric read.
February 25, 2014
RATING 3.5
This was a fun read and I “devoured” it in one night. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself!) I am giving this a solid 3.5 rating and would recommend it to horror fans. I feel like I don’t read as much current day horror so it was cool to see some modern day references in the book. I also liked the story because it seems to me as though there are not enough monster stories out there! My one problem with this tale is that Mr. Curran takes some liberties with fishing as a whole and specifically the amount of time it takes for one to become an accomplished fisherman. They call it fishing Mr. Curran, not catching.
This was a fun read and I “devoured” it in one night. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself!) I am giving this a solid 3.5 rating and would recommend it to horror fans. I feel like I don’t read as much current day horror so it was cool to see some modern day references in the book. I also liked the story because it seems to me as though there are not enough monster stories out there! My one problem with this tale is that Mr. Curran takes some liberties with fishing as a whole and specifically the amount of time it takes for one to become an accomplished fisherman. They call it fishing Mr. Curran, not catching.
April 29, 2014
Pulp sci-fi/horror tale that reminded me of the monster movies that I watched when I was a kid. Imagine Godzilla but much nastier with full on horror elements. Very traditional story, but I found the dimension crossing elements to be very original and more than a little creepy.
Great fun.
Great fun.
October 11, 2014
"Leviathan" was a fairly run-of-the-mill monster horror book. As a story it was fine. But, it lacked some of the creativity that I have come to expect from Curran.
3 STARS
3 STARS
September 3, 2015
In some (can’t remember which) earlier review, I did wax eloquent about my love for all things Jurassic Park and dinosaurs. So while randomly browsing Amazon, I came upon this little story that featured dinosaurs and thought of checking it out. It proved to be an exhilarating read.
A photojournalist for a group of tabloids, Johnny Horowitz arrives at Seagull Island on a sort of self-imposed exile. Johnny is an unbearable narcissist with a mouth to match. His attention is caught by a part of the beach that is entirely closed off to the populace and he cannot resist the urge to dig out the dirt about the beach. After politely being dissuaded by the local populace and the cops, he witnesses something astounding on the beach that simply makes his eyeballs pop out in surprise. The beach is a gateway to the Cretaceous period and with his mouth hanging open he watches sea dwelling dinosaurs in all their primal glory. Now a paparazzi could never let such an opportunity slip him by could he ? Neither can Johnny and that is when the trouble begins. And by trouble, it is BIG trouble that comes his way. Johnny is a character who grows and develops over the course of the 100 pages of the story. He slowly gets to open his eyes and think about a world where he is not the focal point. But by the time he does, things are steadily going downhill in the dinosaur department. Numerous stories have still not dampened our enthusiasm in screwing up with nature and getting royally screwed in return. But if weren’t for such enthusiasts, we would never have our thrillers !
The beauty of the prehistoric landscape with a strong undercurrent of danger and violence is conveyed in functional and readable prose by Tim Curran. The monsters in the book are also pretty much closer to reality than being doctored to appear like something that steps out of a movie set. My only gripe was with the backstory of Johnny where there was far too much name dropping of celebrities to my liking. But these are few and far between instances and does not dampen the flow of the story.
Recommended.
A photojournalist for a group of tabloids, Johnny Horowitz arrives at Seagull Island on a sort of self-imposed exile. Johnny is an unbearable narcissist with a mouth to match. His attention is caught by a part of the beach that is entirely closed off to the populace and he cannot resist the urge to dig out the dirt about the beach. After politely being dissuaded by the local populace and the cops, he witnesses something astounding on the beach that simply makes his eyeballs pop out in surprise. The beach is a gateway to the Cretaceous period and with his mouth hanging open he watches sea dwelling dinosaurs in all their primal glory. Now a paparazzi could never let such an opportunity slip him by could he ? Neither can Johnny and that is when the trouble begins. And by trouble, it is BIG trouble that comes his way. Johnny is a character who grows and develops over the course of the 100 pages of the story. He slowly gets to open his eyes and think about a world where he is not the focal point. But by the time he does, things are steadily going downhill in the dinosaur department. Numerous stories have still not dampened our enthusiasm in screwing up with nature and getting royally screwed in return. But if weren’t for such enthusiasts, we would never have our thrillers !
The beauty of the prehistoric landscape with a strong undercurrent of danger and violence is conveyed in functional and readable prose by Tim Curran. The monsters in the book are also pretty much closer to reality than being doctored to appear like something that steps out of a movie set. My only gripe was with the backstory of Johnny where there was far too much name dropping of celebrities to my liking. But these are few and far between instances and does not dampen the flow of the story.
Recommended.
May 20, 2021
2.5
Overall interesting but way too short and rushed with a questionable ending.
Overall interesting but way too short and rushed with a questionable ending.
May 22, 2022
So far everything I’ve read by Tim Curran has been a blast and hooks me from beginning to end. This novella is no exception. He has a way of making the characters feel so real in such a short amount of time. I love creature books as well as time warp stories so this one was right up my alley.
April 7, 2015
While an entertaining read, LEVIATHAN could have been better. The idea for a story was there but it didn't strike me that enough effort was put into developing the idea. The result ends up being, as another reviewer pointed out, a book that compares to a Syfy original movie.
Johnny Horowitz has overextended himself. As a member of the paparazzi, he is currently on the bad side of enough celebrities that he needs to take a break to let things cool down. That's how he finds himself on vacation on Seagull Island. It is there that he finds an abandoned beach where, when the conditions are right, a gateway to another world or time is opened. A world where monsters and dinosaurs still live. With a hurricane on its way and causing the gateway to open more frequently, Johnny is determined to get irrefutable proof.
There are lots of holes in the story that detract from the book. Why has no one really discovered this occurrence in the last eighty years that the beach has been closed? Why do people get trapped or disappear into the other world but no creatures end up on Johnny's world? What happened to the sheriff who appeared at the beginning of the book but was never seen again? Unfortunately I think poor or lazy writing is the answer to that last question. Realistically I think a lot of my issues with the book could have been addressed relatively easily. Expand the book to novel length instead of a novella by inserting a conspiracy on the part of the islanders. The occurrence could have been well-known by the locals but purposefully hidden. Then the book could have had a dual focus of the island's secret and the creatures. This could have led to some character development which would have helped to make me care whether they lived or died. Overall, the book wasn't bad; it just should have been better.
Johnny Horowitz has overextended himself. As a member of the paparazzi, he is currently on the bad side of enough celebrities that he needs to take a break to let things cool down. That's how he finds himself on vacation on Seagull Island. It is there that he finds an abandoned beach where, when the conditions are right, a gateway to another world or time is opened. A world where monsters and dinosaurs still live. With a hurricane on its way and causing the gateway to open more frequently, Johnny is determined to get irrefutable proof.
There are lots of holes in the story that detract from the book. Why has no one really discovered this occurrence in the last eighty years that the beach has been closed? Why do people get trapped or disappear into the other world but no creatures end up on Johnny's world? What happened to the sheriff who appeared at the beginning of the book but was never seen again? Unfortunately I think poor or lazy writing is the answer to that last question. Realistically I think a lot of my issues with the book could have been addressed relatively easily. Expand the book to novel length instead of a novella by inserting a conspiracy on the part of the islanders. The occurrence could have been well-known by the locals but purposefully hidden. Then the book could have had a dual focus of the island's secret and the creatures. This could have led to some character development which would have helped to make me care whether they lived or died. Overall, the book wasn't bad; it just should have been better.
February 23, 2014
LEVIATHAN by TIM CURRAN
If there is one thing that Tim Curran is good at in his writing it is creating sea-monsters. His novel Dead Sea was packed with enough monsters and creepy-crawlies to populate a whole series of fun nightmares and still remains in my top ten horror novels of all time list. Leviathan is much different in reguards to the content but the feel is very similar and anything that reminds me enough of Dead Sea for me to compare the two is doing something right. This novella deals with a determined paparazzi's atempts to film prehistoric creatures glimpsed at certain moments when the fabric of time grows thin on Seagull Island. Sound strange? Don't let that turn you away from this tale. The pacing is amazing as it should be in a novella-length story, the writing is a lesson in prose as always, and Curran's unflinching descriptions of violence make this a very engaging read. It is a story for fans of stories told in the firelight by a cold, unforgiving ocean with the smell of seasalt and rotting fish in the damp air. It is a tale for those who love legends, myths, tall tales, and so on. It is a story for those who read horror to be scared and not for the same old crap about zombies, vampires, and werewolves. I read this story in one sitting and, unlike 99% of what I read, I may revisit this story in the future when I need a little refreshing glimpse into what horror fiction is suppose to be.
If there is one thing that Tim Curran is good at in his writing it is creating sea-monsters. His novel Dead Sea was packed with enough monsters and creepy-crawlies to populate a whole series of fun nightmares and still remains in my top ten horror novels of all time list. Leviathan is much different in reguards to the content but the feel is very similar and anything that reminds me enough of Dead Sea for me to compare the two is doing something right. This novella deals with a determined paparazzi's atempts to film prehistoric creatures glimpsed at certain moments when the fabric of time grows thin on Seagull Island. Sound strange? Don't let that turn you away from this tale. The pacing is amazing as it should be in a novella-length story, the writing is a lesson in prose as always, and Curran's unflinching descriptions of violence make this a very engaging read. It is a story for fans of stories told in the firelight by a cold, unforgiving ocean with the smell of seasalt and rotting fish in the damp air. It is a tale for those who love legends, myths, tall tales, and so on. It is a story for those who read horror to be scared and not for the same old crap about zombies, vampires, and werewolves. I read this story in one sitting and, unlike 99% of what I read, I may revisit this story in the future when I need a little refreshing glimpse into what horror fiction is suppose to be.
August 3, 2017
This short book was extremely entertaining and a nice change of pace from my usual ghostly horrors. Mr. Curran was very descriptive in his telling of the monster and how he demolished and destroyed his surroundings and victims. I will read this one again and again.
November 18, 2015
Deep sea fishing in a Jurassic time warp. That's all you need to know, I love Tim Curran and this was an instant favorite!
May 6, 2019
I've been hearing Tim Curran is good for some time and have had this one and Dead Sea on my Kindle for a while, so I finally decided it's about time I read one of his books! This one called me first.
I could see right away that the writing was good. The cover was enough to tell me to expect a good monster story and that's what I got. The beginning set up a situation that might be called predictable, but the execution is what carries it. A deserted beach with police warnings on a coast that is otherwise full of tourists and a monster on the cover... let's see... what might happen? As the protagonist is a photographer, it's guaranteed to happen up close.
Though I felt the character development could have been sustained longer, the story moved fast and was full of imagery and excitement. I read most of the last three quarters in one sitting which is a sign of a gripping story! I did feel that a few loose ends weren't adequately followed up at the end, but by then I was too out of breath to worry about it. I'll definitely be reading my other book by this author soon and probably more besides.
I could see right away that the writing was good. The cover was enough to tell me to expect a good monster story and that's what I got. The beginning set up a situation that might be called predictable, but the execution is what carries it. A deserted beach with police warnings on a coast that is otherwise full of tourists and a monster on the cover... let's see... what might happen? As the protagonist is a photographer, it's guaranteed to happen up close.
Though I felt the character development could have been sustained longer, the story moved fast and was full of imagery and excitement. I read most of the last three quarters in one sitting which is a sign of a gripping story! I did feel that a few loose ends weren't adequately followed up at the end, but by then I was too out of breath to worry about it. I'll definitely be reading my other book by this author soon and probably more besides.
June 15, 2024
Johnny, paparazzo in disgrazia, si prende una pausa dal mondo a Seagull Island, una (quasi sempre) amena località di villeggiatura vicina alla costa atlantica degli States. Ma Johnny, oltre ad avere problemi per conto proprio, ha anche un buon intuito: quando arriva a una spiaggia dichiarata off-limits dalle autorità, sente che da quelle parti c'è qualcosa di più, qualcosa che viene tenuto gelosamente nascosto, qualcosa che può avere a che fare con l'incombente uragano Amelia.
Nel momento in cui la proibita spiaggia di North Beach diventa, sotto i suoi occhi, un'improbabile finestra sul Cretaceo, il nostro Johnny capisce che c'è la possibilità di monetizzare e risolvere tutti i suoi problemi. Però sono i locali a non vederla esattamente nello stesso modo e Johnny dovrà indagare a fondo per ricostruire quali orrori stiano dietro al non detto.
E, quando Amelia investirà l'isola, Johnny sarà pronto per cogliere l'occasione della vita. Sempre che questa occasione abbia intenzione di farsi cogliere.
Attenzione: "Leviathan" di Tim Curran, come da titolo (ovviamente), contiene mostri. Grossi mostri. E, per questo, a noi piace tanto.
Nel momento in cui la proibita spiaggia di North Beach diventa, sotto i suoi occhi, un'improbabile finestra sul Cretaceo, il nostro Johnny capisce che c'è la possibilità di monetizzare e risolvere tutti i suoi problemi. Però sono i locali a non vederla esattamente nello stesso modo e Johnny dovrà indagare a fondo per ricostruire quali orrori stiano dietro al non detto.
E, quando Amelia investirà l'isola, Johnny sarà pronto per cogliere l'occasione della vita. Sempre che questa occasione abbia intenzione di farsi cogliere.
Attenzione: "Leviathan" di Tim Curran, come da titolo (ovviamente), contiene mostri. Grossi mostri. E, per questo, a noi piace tanto.
June 21, 2017
Post-reading:
This novella did not redeem itself for me. Curran has a great idea here with his time gateway, which is the only reason I am giving this 2 stars instead of 1. My copy is marked up with spelling, punctuation, grammatical, and consistency errors. I would love for the author to see all of the ridiculous, simple mistakes that he allowed his book to be published with! I stated in my previous review (below) that I was hoping his monster would make the story great for me. But it didn't. Godzilla destroyed Tokyo, this guy destroyed a small fishing village. It left me craving originality. I would love to see the time gateway premise utilized in a longer work by a writer with more talent and vision.
Pre-reading:
The very first thing that bothered me about this book was obvious before I even cracked the cover. I purchased it online and didn't realize the spacing/formatting error on the back cover until I physically had the book. I am usually put off by books that are just thrown together without consideration for obvious errors. Like the skipped line in the middle of the sentence on the back cover. It seems that was just the beginning of my disappointment with Leviathan. By page 8, I had already found several very blatant errors in tense and hyphen usage, as well as 'your' instead of 'you're'. As a copyeditor, it's very clear there was no professional editing of any sort done on this. The language is much rougher and more vulgar than necessary. (Vulgarity is not an issue for me in itself, however it is excessive and detracts from the story.) And finally, I found the ridiculous amount of name and brand drops in the first couple chapters very annoying. Despite the language, grammar, and syntax wearing on the English nerd in me, I still plan to finish this little book with the hope that the story itself can distract me from everything else. I LOVE leviathans, denizens of the deep, all the giant prehistoric monsters. Hopefully Curran's monster can redeem this novella for me!
This novella did not redeem itself for me. Curran has a great idea here with his time gateway, which is the only reason I am giving this 2 stars instead of 1. My copy is marked up with spelling, punctuation, grammatical, and consistency errors. I would love for the author to see all of the ridiculous, simple mistakes that he allowed his book to be published with! I stated in my previous review (below) that I was hoping his monster would make the story great for me. But it didn't. Godzilla destroyed Tokyo, this guy destroyed a small fishing village. It left me craving originality. I would love to see the time gateway premise utilized in a longer work by a writer with more talent and vision.
Pre-reading:
The very first thing that bothered me about this book was obvious before I even cracked the cover. I purchased it online and didn't realize the spacing/formatting error on the back cover until I physically had the book. I am usually put off by books that are just thrown together without consideration for obvious errors. Like the skipped line in the middle of the sentence on the back cover. It seems that was just the beginning of my disappointment with Leviathan. By page 8, I had already found several very blatant errors in tense and hyphen usage, as well as 'your' instead of 'you're'. As a copyeditor, it's very clear there was no professional editing of any sort done on this. The language is much rougher and more vulgar than necessary. (Vulgarity is not an issue for me in itself, however it is excessive and detracts from the story.) And finally, I found the ridiculous amount of name and brand drops in the first couple chapters very annoying. Despite the language, grammar, and syntax wearing on the English nerd in me, I still plan to finish this little book with the hope that the story itself can distract me from everything else. I LOVE leviathans, denizens of the deep, all the giant prehistoric monsters. Hopefully Curran's monster can redeem this novella for me!
September 18, 2022
Short, fast paced and pure B-movie styled goodness.
A fast-paced novel with a simple but effective story that opens the eyes of creative children, or adults with big fantasies. A good narrative that moves along smoothly and flows satisfyingly. Easy to read in one day not only because of its short length, but also because of its simplicity.
The characters are few, but memorable and entertaining. The cynicism as well as crude dialect and small-town mannerisms remind me of novels written by Stephen King, and it manages to give a good kick.
An entertaining read. Could've been a little more spookier and less comedic, but I still found myself quite entertained.
A fast-paced novel with a simple but effective story that opens the eyes of creative children, or adults with big fantasies. A good narrative that moves along smoothly and flows satisfyingly. Easy to read in one day not only because of its short length, but also because of its simplicity.
The characters are few, but memorable and entertaining. The cynicism as well as crude dialect and small-town mannerisms remind me of novels written by Stephen King, and it manages to give a good kick.
An entertaining read. Could've been a little more spookier and less comedic, but I still found myself quite entertained.
April 3, 2022
Leviathan was, above all else, a very entertaining read. The main character, Johnny, was not likable but an interesting protagonist nonetheless due to his shady, greedy, and almost unscrupulous demeanor. He wasn't without his good qualities, too. I was never bored and while the finale was relatively quick, I thought it was a cool, if not straightforward, way to end the story. This is the second Tim Curran book I've read, the other being Dead Sea, and I'll definitely be reading more of his work. He is a master of monster horror stories.
March 29, 2018
A fair little giant monster story. I feel like with a likable character and a bit more exposition this could have been fleshed out into a real novel and not just a novella.
As it was, the story was just interesting enough to keep me reading to the end, but the main character was unlikable, even if his motivation was understandable.
I've liked Curran's work before, but this just feels like it might have been slapped together to fill out a contract or something.
As it was, the story was just interesting enough to keep me reading to the end, but the main character was unlikable, even if his motivation was understandable.
I've liked Curran's work before, but this just feels like it might have been slapped together to fill out a contract or something.
June 18, 2024
Ok, non sarà un capolavoro di alta letteratura e l'idea di base del varco che porta "altrove" lo stesso Curran l'ha usata in Dead Sea. Però... però si merita le 5 stelle. È il classico libro anti blocco del lettore: leggero, rapido, appassionante. Il fatto che sia una novella e non si dilunghi come in Dead Sea l'ho apprezzato tantissimo, è come bere un bicchiere di acqua fresca in una giornata torrida.
E poi ci sono i dinosauri.
E poi ci sono i dinosauri.
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