Constrictor

by John Lee Schneider

The reticulated python is the largest and most dangerous of the giant constrictors – documented to swallow humans whole.

But people still keep them as exotic pets.

Frank has raised Buffy from a hatchling. She measures over twenty-four-feet and more than three-hundred pounds. She is Frank's pride-and-joy.

She is also his secret – a black-market purchase, kept illegally – unbeknownst to his neighbors, who might fear for their pets... or their kids.

Especially, if they knew Buffy sometimes escapes her cage.

A python wraps in less than a second – its coils kill in seven minutes.

Then it swallows you whole.

And you never see it coming until it's too late.

Genres: Horror

148 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2024

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a ton of killer snake books but came across a few recently. With all the past hype on the Anaconda movies and such, it just seemed like a fizzled-out sort of horror concept. However, I really enjoyed this from John Lee Schneider. He didn't embellish much here and kept a lot of it very sound and reasonable. And that's what made this all the more terrifying. I recently watched Chimp Crazy on Max and it was possibly one of the most disturbing things that I've ever seen. And we all know that there are people like that out there, harboring dangerous animals for their own pleasure. Snakes, spiders, monkeys, etc, are all kept in captivity inappropriately throughout the world. It's cruel to the animals and puts everyone in danger. And, again, this followed that same sort of path, which was a really great creative decision. Our initial lead, Frank, was a hard to like person, but was interesting enough to follow. The story pivoted quite a bit around the halfway point as we followed several other characters instead of Frank, but nothing lost a step or felt disjointed. It was a very well-done book and everything from the pacing to the quality of the writing and the content were all on point. My only critique was the ending. It just felt very short and abbreviated, which took away from the great momentum everything had leading to the finale. I don't think that anything needed to be changed, but just romanced a bit and lengthened slightly to make it feel more at home. Beyond that, this won me over big and is another example of Schneider's mad writing skills.

[Malvika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely well written and the only reason I'm giving it 3 instead of 5 stars is because the author has successfully curdled my 3 decade old fascination with constrictors.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is everything I could have hoped for from a creature horror about a snake. If you like the movie anaconda, you’ll love this. Schneider has a compelling narrative that effortlessly pulls you in. It’s so easy to get invested in the story no matter whose point of view he’s telling it from.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where is part 2?

I love your books Mr. Schneider, but this one was good, gorey, and very emotional. I started off feeling sorry for the snake, and by the middle of the book, I was looking for its death. After reading it to the end, I felt like I was hanging with a loose ending. What happened to Betty after she gets to the gator place. You left me seeing her once again in a cage, and ogling little kids for dinner. If there is a part 2 please let Larry the snake catcher be the main appetizer. All in all it was a good read.

[Amy Whitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I was hoping it would be...

This book showed up on my recommended for you at the bottom of my Kindle app. I was instantly interested based on the cover. What a fabulous cover! And the book took right off. I was interested from the very first page. I finished the book within a very short time and was sad that it was over. Will definitely be checking out this author and the rest of his books.

[Michael Baccellieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished "Constrictor", and couldn't put it down! Like I've said many times before John Lee Schneider's gotta gift. The guy can put a story together. From the first page to the last you are glued to this book.

[Michael Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Really enjoyed this one. Gave me a whole new view of snakes. Short but still entertaining. Couldn't put it down.

[constance coleman-loach · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOOD READ

It started out a little slow, but then it started getting good, then better. I loved it. Wish there was more.

[Brayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite John Lee Schneider story yet. The way he builds the history between Buffy and Frank is so well done. Every detail provided has an eventual payoff at different points of the story from facts about pythons to Frank’s raising of Buffy to Frank’s apartment community. The latter is also a highlight for me. The different members of this apartment community are so grounded it was easy to get invested and that includes Frank who is a deeply flawed person. Most importantly Buffy always feels like a looming threat, even when confined in her tank. The way Schneider describes the eyes / stare of Buffy was deeply chilling. Loved this book!

[Terry and dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really got wrapped up in this story.
This Buffy may not be a vampire hunter, but she is a hunter. This was such an easy to read and engrossing story. The setting was perfect and characters were good. Short story so I can't give any details without giving anything away, but this was an awesome story to read in an afternoon.