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Terror Lake
The Inuit people call it Akhlut, and legends tell of a horrific monster, a freak of nature from the depths that appears every six years in search of flesh and blood.
Mount Aire is a secluded enclave on the Kenai Peninsula where folks do their best to live quiet lives away from the chaos of civilization. The town’s peace is shattered when a musher is killed during the annual Terimore 200 sled dog race, and signs of a strange creature are found at the murder scene. Murmurs recalling the year of the beast percolate through town. Six years ago, three died, five the cycle before that.
Wildlife Trooper Terry Wyatt had seen and heard it all before. His father and uncle were lost on the lake when he was a boy, and it had been a year of the beast.
And it was all happening again.
From the author of Crimson Falls, Wolves of the Sea, and The Breach comes a new sea monster thriller filled with murderous creatures lurking in a harsh environment so real you'll come away frostbitten.
Mount Aire is a secluded enclave on the Kenai Peninsula where folks do their best to live quiet lives away from the chaos of civilization. The town’s peace is shattered when a musher is killed during the annual Terimore 200 sled dog race, and signs of a strange creature are found at the murder scene. Murmurs recalling the year of the beast percolate through town. Six years ago, three died, five the cycle before that.
Wildlife Trooper Terry Wyatt had seen and heard it all before. His father and uncle were lost on the lake when he was a boy, and it had been a year of the beast.
And it was all happening again.
From the author of Crimson Falls, Wolves of the Sea, and The Breach comes a new sea monster thriller filled with murderous creatures lurking in a harsh environment so real you'll come away frostbitten.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 29, 2024
132 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Edward J. McFadden III
67 books63 followersEd cut his teeth reading John Christopher, Tolkien, Poe, Brooks and Zelazny, and graduated to Joe Haldeman, Allen Steele, Arthur C. Clark and Jack Vance. For the last twenty years he’s done a deep dive on apocalyptic fiction, and he really enjoyed learning at the feet of Elmore Leonard, Philip K. Dick, Lawrence Block, Ray Bradbury, Carl Hiaasen, Stephen King, Joe Lansdale, and F. Paul Wilson. His recent publications include Hell Creek, Too Much Grit, The Cryptid Club, Keepers of the Flame, Quick Sands, Sandbagged, Dogs Get Ten Lives, Barracuda Swarm, Dinosaur Red, Drop Off, and Jurassic Ark. His sea thrillers, The Breach and Shadow of the Abyss were Amazon #1 Best Sellers and the audio version of The Breach was a #1 Hot New Release. His other novels include Throwback, Sea Tremors, Primeval Valley, AWAKE, The Black Death of Babylon, and HOAXERS. He lives on Long Island with his wife Dawn, and their daughter Samantha.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 10, 2024
Needed a palate cleanser after all the fantasy/romance I've been reading lately.
And, well, uh. It's a lot of blood and guts and viscera scattered around in the snow in the Alaskan wilderness. Human, animals. Whatever.
This is your pretty standard monster-in-the-woods sort of story. But there's no tension. No build up. No mystery. It's pretty straightforward--there's a creature out in the woods, it interacts frequently with Wyatt, Wyatt tries to shoot it and misses, it disappears only to eat somebody or something else in the next chapter. Rinse, repeat.
There wasn't a ton of lore around the beast like I sort of expected there to be. We get very brief tales about where the thing could have come from, but it's a blip on the radar in between the main character finding parts of dead bodies in the woods. So you're not really drawn into the creepy-crawly, woo-woo what could it be.
The fact that it's a mythical beast and not, say, a polar bear, doesn't really matter at the end of the day. The descriptions of the whale-fish-wolf-bull thing is weird, but I wasn't ever scared by it. Because it sort of just acts like any other animal would.
Because there's no mystery, this isn't really a horror story in my opinion. Action, sure. Gory, absolutely. But I wasn't horrified.
Which is sad, because I wanted to be.
That's not to say this wasn't interesting. I was interested the whole way through. It just didn't grip me. It didn't terrify me or give me the creeps.
If you enjoy movies like Jaws or Lake Placid, this will probably be up your alley.
And, well, uh. It's a lot of blood and guts and viscera scattered around in the snow in the Alaskan wilderness. Human, animals. Whatever.
This is your pretty standard monster-in-the-woods sort of story. But there's no tension. No build up. No mystery. It's pretty straightforward--there's a creature out in the woods, it interacts frequently with Wyatt, Wyatt tries to shoot it and misses, it disappears only to eat somebody or something else in the next chapter. Rinse, repeat.
There wasn't a ton of lore around the beast like I sort of expected there to be. We get very brief tales about where the thing could have come from, but it's a blip on the radar in between the main character finding parts of dead bodies in the woods. So you're not really drawn into the creepy-crawly, woo-woo what could it be.
The fact that it's a mythical beast and not, say, a polar bear, doesn't really matter at the end of the day. The descriptions of the whale-fish-wolf-bull thing is weird, but I wasn't ever scared by it. Because it sort of just acts like any other animal would.
Because there's no mystery, this isn't really a horror story in my opinion. Action, sure. Gory, absolutely. But I wasn't horrified.
Which is sad, because I wanted to be.
That's not to say this wasn't interesting. I was interested the whole way through. It just didn't grip me. It didn't terrify me or give me the creeps.
If you enjoy movies like Jaws or Lake Placid, this will probably be up your alley.
June 16, 2025
My flabbers are ghasted that this book has a 4.18 rating. I'm leaning into the idea that the ratings are from family, friends or people who have been blackmailed or tricked by sorcery. I want to be articulate in telling you why the story is so poor and the writing so abysmal but there aren't enough synonyms in the thesaurus. Do you know who could have used a thesaurus? Yup, the author. Unimaginative as grape nuts with no milk is a generous description. The word "beast" is used 245 times. *Spoiler alert*? Can you spoil something that is already rotten? Oh well, if after this review you still go read the book you deserve your fate. The Akhlut is part of Inuit folklore, and I am not making fun of those mythological beliefs; I am making fun of how this dingle-hoot of a writer describes it. It is part wolf, part orca and depending on which way the wind blows it either has a wolf face, or slits for a nose OR gills for a nose. It also has "pectoral fin-like arms" that end in claws or hooves; again, a dice roll of what's going on here. At one point it lets out "a bear-like snicker" - are bears snickering? Someone get me David Attenborough on the line! I gave it a Goog and was autocorrected to "do bears like snickers?" which was a resounding yes just FYI. As always there are more than one of these creatures tooling around snacking on people, so they were thoughtfully nicknamed "Thing One" and "Thing Two" by the authorities. (FFS I can't believe I had to type that.) There is so much more, but for my own sanity I can't go on. I will end with the fact that a LASER CANON is used to dispatch the poor critters who were probably just in search of a grizzly with a candy bar. This might come as a shock, but this gets a zero-star rating from me.
August 18, 2024
Great creature book! Sometimes you lose the characters or the writing when you read this kind of book, but this author pulled it off wonderfully. My only nit-pick is at the end there was a lot of confusion as to who was driving which vessel and which "agent" was where which made it confusing to read. But other than that, a great fun read with some Alaskan lore to boot.
February 6, 2025
******* Spoilers *****
I love a good creature feature, but this one fell a bit flat for me. It was tense in parts, but ultimately it was hard to connect to the characters too much to be invested in their fate.
The main character was a bit one-dimensional and didn’t seem to have much growth. He kind of had a love interest? But by the end he still wasn’t sure what they were and she was kind of non-existent for most of the book. The random attraction to his partner was mentioned only a few times and didn’t really go anywhere to have any real payoff.
I was also a bit disappointed there wasn’t more mystery in what the creature was. By about a quarter of the way through it was confirmed what was killing people and left little room for mystery after that point. I think a better build up to the reveal could have laid off better.
The writing was also maybe just not for me. There were too many poop and fart similes and references for me to take it all that seriously. Also, the excessive use of the term “beast” for all animals in the book, not just the actual beast/monster, seemed an odd and confusing choice. Also, the use of the word “Glock” was quite frequent when there are many synonyms in the English language for a handgun.
While I struggled to connect with the writing and characters, there were some tense moments and the story did keep me engaged. I liked the opening and wish the rest of the book could have captured the same energy as the intro. It was an enjoyable read that reminded me of the Syfy original movies I used to watch growing up, complete with the reveal of extra creatures and an offspring to set up a potential sequel.
I love a good creature feature, but this one fell a bit flat for me. It was tense in parts, but ultimately it was hard to connect to the characters too much to be invested in their fate.
The main character was a bit one-dimensional and didn’t seem to have much growth. He kind of had a love interest? But by the end he still wasn’t sure what they were and she was kind of non-existent for most of the book. The random attraction to his partner was mentioned only a few times and didn’t really go anywhere to have any real payoff.
I was also a bit disappointed there wasn’t more mystery in what the creature was. By about a quarter of the way through it was confirmed what was killing people and left little room for mystery after that point. I think a better build up to the reveal could have laid off better.
The writing was also maybe just not for me. There were too many poop and fart similes and references for me to take it all that seriously. Also, the excessive use of the term “beast” for all animals in the book, not just the actual beast/monster, seemed an odd and confusing choice. Also, the use of the word “Glock” was quite frequent when there are many synonyms in the English language for a handgun.
While I struggled to connect with the writing and characters, there were some tense moments and the story did keep me engaged. I liked the opening and wish the rest of the book could have captured the same energy as the intro. It was an enjoyable read that reminded me of the Syfy original movies I used to watch growing up, complete with the reveal of extra creatures and an offspring to set up a potential sequel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 2, 2024This is a tough one. In the beginning, I loved it. Well written, great start! And then? Too looooooooooong. Add characters, add more characters, add even more characters and go on - and on - and on. While Mr. McFadden, III, definitely has talent he needs to cut it down. And then cut it some more. This could easily been two books. It got tedious after a while.
June 22, 2024
Review of this book.
Definitely a different story. Very well written. The ending begs for a sequel. I will wait and hope for it to be written. I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and full of drama, and action. The author came up with a creature so bizarre that it was totally believable. I won't be swimming in any lakes any time soon. My dog loves water. Too bad!!
Definitely a different story. Very well written. The ending begs for a sequel. I will wait and hope for it to be written. I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and full of drama, and action. The author came up with a creature so bizarre that it was totally believable. I won't be swimming in any lakes any time soon. My dog loves water. Too bad!!
November 13, 2024
A hoot, a giggle and great fun. Feel the snow, the cold and the lurking fear that eyes are on you. Meet undiscovered apex predators who have fed on humankind for millennia. An Inuit myth has finally come out of the shadows. It is worse than expected .This story has laid the groundwork for a series and I am really looking forward to seeing what comes out of it. Great Stuff!
November 23, 2024
Terrific book
You have no idea about what is going to happen next. The monster shows up every 6 years you do not want to be here it's lake or surrounding areas. For it eats till it is full of anything it can catch till it is full and sleeps another 6 years. Quite a story.
You have no idea about what is going to happen next. The monster shows up every 6 years you do not want to be here it's lake or surrounding areas. For it eats till it is full of anything it can catch till it is full and sleeps another 6 years. Quite a story.
November 29, 2024
Good read
Hamburger is usually made into “patties not paddies”. Aside from some proofreading misses this is an engaging tale and has kept me up long past bedtime. Good character development and a very nasty villain, makes for a good read.
Hamburger is usually made into “patties not paddies”. Aside from some proofreading misses this is an engaging tale and has kept me up long past bedtime. Good character development and a very nasty villain, makes for a good read.
May 20, 2025
Enjoyed the story but the writing / editing was poor at times. Several typos left in and in one instance a minor character is introduced and in the next sentence is referred to by a completely different name. Again, good story but reads like a first draft in places.
June 3, 2024
Excellent!
This was an excellent story. I was hooked from the very first page. Great tale of perseverance and bravery facing the unknown. Will definitely read more by this author!
This was an excellent story. I was hooked from the very first page. Great tale of perseverance and bravery facing the unknown. Will definitely read more by this author!
June 19, 2024
Excellent story!!
This was a delight to read, excellent story telling and writing. I felt and 'saw' the story, which is the best way to enjoy a good,book. I hope there's a sequel!
This was a delight to read, excellent story telling and writing. I felt and 'saw' the story, which is the best way to enjoy a good,book. I hope there's a sequel!
August 23, 2024
fast moving critter tale, strange monster predictable ending
October 9, 2024
2.5 rounded up.
read like a really bad straight to video creature feature, where you are yelling at the screen- but not out of fear.
read like a really bad straight to video creature feature, where you are yelling at the screen- but not out of fear.
January 23, 2025
Overall, It was a very good read, and the character had a realistic view on the situation.
July 9, 2025
The beast in this one is really a beast. So very beastly!
But, then came the dreaded "underwear drones"! *
*(Yeah, this one is badly in need of editing.)
But, then came the dreaded "underwear drones"! *
*(Yeah, this one is badly in need of editing.)
July 9, 2024
The book was decent - was a bit long in the tooth, but still a good read if you like lake monsters. I liked the characters and their struggles with the creatures as well as their fear of it.
March 26, 2024
McFadden does it again with a creature stripped from your nightmares. Following the heroes he does battle with this nightmare I was left breathless several times as I read rapidly to see what happened.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews