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It Came from Above
When a young and attractive college student disappears from her date at the local drive-in movie theater, her friends try their best to discover what could've happened to her. Terror ensues as more of their loved ones continue to vanish, and they are left with more questions than answers.
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Published December 30, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 25, 2022
Full disclosure, I received a copy through a giveaway. The cover art is gorgeous and reminiscent of classic horror paperbacks, but the content does not do it justice. It reads as a first draft - perhaps a promising one, but still a first draft.
First, this book is badly in need of an editor. There are several punctuation errors, a couple spelling errors, and some missing words. In a few areas the same idea is repeated twice in one paragraph.
Second, the content isn't terrible but isn't very good either. I understand this is a first book for this author, but the concept really could benefit from some workshopping. The characters do not act like actual teens and young adults, and not in a "charmingly cheesy" sense. The stakes never feel particularly high and by the ending I was left thinking "wait, where was the climax?" I would love to see more clues along the way, a big reveal, and some sort of wrap-up or cliffhanger. Instead, we got some clues, a couple theories, a few missing people, then an ending that gives neither closure nor thrill.
First, this book is badly in need of an editor. There are several punctuation errors, a couple spelling errors, and some missing words. In a few areas the same idea is repeated twice in one paragraph.
Second, the content isn't terrible but isn't very good either. I understand this is a first book for this author, but the concept really could benefit from some workshopping. The characters do not act like actual teens and young adults, and not in a "charmingly cheesy" sense. The stakes never feel particularly high and by the ending I was left thinking "wait, where was the climax?" I would love to see more clues along the way, a big reveal, and some sort of wrap-up or cliffhanger. Instead, we got some clues, a couple theories, a few missing people, then an ending that gives neither closure nor thrill.
July 20, 2023
The author sent me a copy of the first and second book in this series and I've just finished this one! This is a short little novella at 135 pages and tells the story of a group of young adults who start disappearing one by one. There are weird electrical issues and when people disappear, it is as if they've vanished into thin air leaving their clothes behind.
This is a slasher book so expect lots of death!
I do believe that this book needs editing and perhaps a bit more fleshing out and action. It ends rather abruptly and we don't truly figure out what is going on or why its doing on- just some guesses from the group.
With that being said, I did really enjoy how certain scenes of this book were laid out. Particularly chapters with Cynthia prior to events at her home and Emma. There was that cheesy horror movie build up to it that I enjoyed and I could picture the scenes vividly.
I think this is worth the read- its a short little afternoon slasher that isn't too brutal (so good for horror newbies!)
This is a slasher book so expect lots of death!
I do believe that this book needs editing and perhaps a bit more fleshing out and action. It ends rather abruptly and we don't truly figure out what is going on or why its doing on- just some guesses from the group.
With that being said, I did really enjoy how certain scenes of this book were laid out. Particularly chapters with Cynthia prior to events at her home and Emma. There was that cheesy horror movie build up to it that I enjoyed and I could picture the scenes vividly.
I think this is worth the read- its a short little afternoon slasher that isn't too brutal (so good for horror newbies!)
November 8, 2022
Cool Story that gives 90’s YA horror
Overall, I enjoyed this story quite a bit. It was a quick read that held my attention well. If you’re into 90’s young adult thriller/horror authors like RL Stine or Christopher Pike, I think you’d enjoy this.
The author seems to have a lot of creativity, and I love the idea of this series being an anthology—I’m always a sucker for anthologies.
My main critique is that some parts of the story seemed rushed, and the conversations a little too formal. For an emerging author, however, these things will likely improve as he continues to write (which I highly encourage he does!)
Overall, I enjoyed this story quite a bit. It was a quick read that held my attention well. If you’re into 90’s young adult thriller/horror authors like RL Stine or Christopher Pike, I think you’d enjoy this.
The author seems to have a lot of creativity, and I love the idea of this series being an anthology—I’m always a sucker for anthologies.
My main critique is that some parts of the story seemed rushed, and the conversations a little too formal. For an emerging author, however, these things will likely improve as he continues to write (which I highly encourage he does!)
January 16, 2025
I am always willing to give a new author a chance, so when Matthew Mercer delivers a short story as his first attempt, which only takes a couple of hours to read, I regard that as an aspiring author seeking approval of readers for his storytelling abilities but not wishing to waste their time with an overly pretentious first attempt, thus an extra star from myself. You can tell it is a first attempt, the grammatical editing could be better, very little character development (it is a short story), but there is enough there that I will encourage Matthew Mercer to possibly pursue a career in writing.
The story is an 80's style slasher type with a throwback to 60's storyline (as you can tell from the cover art). Sean and Samantha are on their first date at a drive-in movie. An apparent electrical issue occurs affecting the entire drive-in and when Sean returns from obtaining snacks, he finds Samantha has disappeared leaving behind her clothes. When another teen goes missing it becomes apparent something strange is happening but what is the cause? When Samantha suddenly re-appears, mayhem eventuates.
Mercer does stick to the tried and tested cliche characters that works in many novels and film, the jock, the conspiracy theorist who actually does make sense, the narcissistic teenager, etc and the storyline is familiar, but it is a fun, entertaining read for a couple of hours. There are still few things wrong with the plot, possibly the work could be seen as being hurried in its completion, seen as being restrained due to it being a short story. Personally, I am not captivated by the anthology idea Mercer is setting up with this short story, but it did intrigue my interest in Mercer's potential, so much so that I did purchase and look forward to reading his novel Summer Camp for Slasher Victims.
The story is an 80's style slasher type with a throwback to 60's storyline (as you can tell from the cover art). Sean and Samantha are on their first date at a drive-in movie. An apparent electrical issue occurs affecting the entire drive-in and when Sean returns from obtaining snacks, he finds Samantha has disappeared leaving behind her clothes. When another teen goes missing it becomes apparent something strange is happening but what is the cause? When Samantha suddenly re-appears, mayhem eventuates.
Mercer does stick to the tried and tested cliche characters that works in many novels and film, the jock, the conspiracy theorist who actually does make sense, the narcissistic teenager, etc and the storyline is familiar, but it is a fun, entertaining read for a couple of hours. There are still few things wrong with the plot, possibly the work could be seen as being hurried in its completion, seen as being restrained due to it being a short story. Personally, I am not captivated by the anthology idea Mercer is setting up with this short story, but it did intrigue my interest in Mercer's potential, so much so that I did purchase and look forward to reading his novel Summer Camp for Slasher Victims.
November 1, 2023
Excellent Attempt at a First Novel
I enjoyed the author’s story. It kept my interest all the way and though there were some logic problems, they were minor. All in all, this would make a good script for a movie.
If there is a sequel, I will surely give it a go.
I enjoyed the author’s story. It kept my interest all the way and though there were some logic problems, they were minor. All in all, this would make a good script for a movie.
If there is a sequel, I will surely give it a go.
February 12, 2023
4 stars
I really liked this book. It reminded me a lot of 90’s B movies or late night horror shows. It was light and fun and exactly what I love about the genre. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book It Came From the Woods.
Another note…that cover 😍 is amazing!
There were a few editing issues but that will never take away from my star rating.
I really liked this book. It reminded me a lot of 90’s B movies or late night horror shows. It was light and fun and exactly what I love about the genre. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book It Came From the Woods.
Another note…that cover 😍 is amazing!
There were a few editing issues but that will never take away from my star rating.
January 3, 2023
It Came from Above, although not a genre I typically gravitate toward, pleasantly surprised me as I kept reading. At times, I don't think I resonated with the writing, however overall it was undeniably a good start to what I assume will be a series in the future.
September 3, 2023
This book lacked a real story, had too many characters to keep track of and had little to no character development. It had so much potential and I love the cover art, but lack of plot was too blatant. Overall, it was a fun read and I do recommend the entire series!
November 2, 2022
I enjoyed the book, the writing was good, and the story is familiar enough, but the author made it interesting.
The book needs a bit of editing. It’s not a big deal, because I’ve seen mixed up character names (it only happened once) and a missing or misspelled (I don’t think there were any) words in books published by huge publishers companies written by authors who have been writing for years and years. I also feel like it could have been longer. Some of the characters that were miss/killed were never found. We need we got to find out exactly what was happening and who was doing it. I just wanted a bit more. I know there are a lot of books out there that will leave things a bit open ended, and that is something that doesn’t usually bother me. However, with this book, I feel like it could have gone a little further without giving it all away.
With all that being said, I think there is alot of potential in Mr. Mercer.
I’m looking forward to his next book which looks like will be about Bigfoot (I’ll even buy the book this time). I hope there are many cryptid/ monster/creature to come. I’m here for it.
Matthew, I do not know you, but I’m proud of you for putting yourself out there. Please keep writing. I’m excited to see what you put out there next.
I received this book from the author for free in a Goodreads giveaway.
The book needs a bit of editing. It’s not a big deal, because I’ve seen mixed up character names (it only happened once) and a missing or misspelled (I don’t think there were any) words in books published by huge publishers companies written by authors who have been writing for years and years. I also feel like it could have been longer. Some of the characters that were miss/killed were never found. We need we got to find out exactly what was happening and who was doing it. I just wanted a bit more. I know there are a lot of books out there that will leave things a bit open ended, and that is something that doesn’t usually bother me. However, with this book, I feel like it could have gone a little further without giving it all away.
With all that being said, I think there is alot of potential in Mr. Mercer.
I’m looking forward to his next book which looks like will be about Bigfoot (I’ll even buy the book this time). I hope there are many cryptid/ monster/creature to come. I’m here for it.
Matthew, I do not know you, but I’m proud of you for putting yourself out there. Please keep writing. I’m excited to see what you put out there next.
I received this book from the author for free in a Goodreads giveaway.
October 15, 2024
Samantha and Sean are on their first date at a drive-in movie. Sean leaves Samantha in the car while he gets snacks, but when he gets back, he finds she has disappeared. But her clothes are still in his car. Soon, another kid goes missing, and Sean's friends are dying. But no one knows why.
This was a pretty short read, with a cool retro 80s/90s vibe. It was a little cheesy, which is something I loved. I actually found myself a little gutted when I got to the end of the book as I had actually really been getting into it. I did feel it needed to be a bit longer and I would have liked an actual ending. It just didn't feel finished to me.
I can't wait to start on the next book.
This was a pretty short read, with a cool retro 80s/90s vibe. It was a little cheesy, which is something I loved. I actually found myself a little gutted when I got to the end of the book as I had actually really been getting into it. I did feel it needed to be a bit longer and I would have liked an actual ending. It just didn't feel finished to me.
I can't wait to start on the next book.
January 22, 2025
Huh?????
People are getting abducted one after the other, with no suspects in sight. It baffled the whole town, and a group of friends worked hard to solve this mystery.
Okay, I started this as a palate cleanser in between my romance books and it was interesting enough. Writing was very straight forward and the mystery was great. But that ending was wtf.
No words, no thoughts, just plain old good vibes.
People are getting abducted one after the other, with no suspects in sight. It baffled the whole town, and a group of friends worked hard to solve this mystery.
Okay, I started this as a palate cleanser in between my romance books and it was interesting enough. Writing was very straight forward and the mystery was great. But that ending was wtf.
No words, no thoughts, just plain old good vibes.
April 14, 2025
Cool book idea but felt like it was all over the place. And I like a horror ending that leaves room for a sequel, but this was too open, like we have no idea what was actually going on.
Also the fact that they couldn't find one of their friends for like a day while people were going missing and no one seemed even slightly concerned annoyed the shit out of me lol.
Also the fact that they couldn't find one of their friends for like a day while people were going missing and no one seemed even slightly concerned annoyed the shit out of me lol.
December 8, 2023
I had to read this book because of the cover. I'll be reading the next two books in the series soon. This loosely reminded me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but I wish this story had more of that story line and also delved more into the characters. I wanted to get to know them more. But besides that, a very quick entertaining read!
September 4, 2023
vibes
July 31, 2023
I received this book and the second one in the series from the author. I was immediately drawn to the covers of Mercer's It Came From books. They take me back to the 80s and 90s horror-slasher flicks that I've come to love.
It Came from Above follows a group of young adult friends who start to experience bizarre, unexplainable events. Most notably, when a couple goes on a date at a drive-in movie theater and one goes missing, leaving nothing but her clothes behind. Things keep getting weirder and the group is left with more questions than answers.
This was a good start, but maybe not a strong start to this series. When the gore came, it came in hot, but I would have loved more. At just 140-ish pages, it took longer than I would have liked to get into the action, and even then, I was left feeling a bit lost by the end.
I'm not going to beat a dead horse about the lack of editing in this book- the author already commented on that.
I'm still looking forward to reading the next two: It Came from the Woods and It Came from the Loch. And I would still recommend this one to people new to horror. It's a fun, quick read.
It Came from Above follows a group of young adult friends who start to experience bizarre, unexplainable events. Most notably, when a couple goes on a date at a drive-in movie theater and one goes missing, leaving nothing but her clothes behind. Things keep getting weirder and the group is left with more questions than answers.
This was a good start, but maybe not a strong start to this series. When the gore came, it came in hot, but I would have loved more. At just 140-ish pages, it took longer than I would have liked to get into the action, and even then, I was left feeling a bit lost by the end.
I'm not going to beat a dead horse about the lack of editing in this book- the author already commented on that.
I'm still looking forward to reading the next two: It Came from the Woods and It Came from the Loch. And I would still recommend this one to people new to horror. It's a fun, quick read.
June 24, 2024
It Came From Above follows the classic "80's slasher film" format, so much so it felt like I was reading a movie (I mean that as a compliment). The story starts with Sean finally getting to take his crush, Samantha, out on a date to the drive-in movies. While trying to find the movie on the radio, there's unusual static followed by electrical issues effected everyone at the theatre. Nobody thinks anything of it so Sean leaves Samantha to grab the two of them snacks. However, when Sean returns Samantha is nowhere to be found. Maybe she changed her mind, maybe she wasn't having as good of a time as Sean thought. It's odd she's left behind all of her belongings including her clothes though..
This was such a fun read! The pacing was perfect, the characters were classic horror "tropes" (the jock, the bimbo, the conspiracy theorist, etc.) and the story overall was compelling. While this book could use another round of editing, I'm still looking forward to reading more from Matthew Mercer.
This was such a fun read! The pacing was perfect, the characters were classic horror "tropes" (the jock, the bimbo, the conspiracy theorist, etc.) and the story overall was compelling. While this book could use another round of editing, I'm still looking forward to reading more from Matthew Mercer.
January 8, 2023
The tone for "It Came From Above" is set by a typo in the epigraph (on Kindle; it's correct on the Amazon preview) and again in the first sentence of the acknowledgement thanking editors and proofreaders. Throw in a couple of awkward phrasings in the first few pages and you've grabbed the reader's attention all right, but not in a good way. The writing is clunky. For example, "She jumped up and ran for the trees on the outskirts of the parking lot, feeling the vibration of the SUV she was leaned on as a bullet ricochet (sic) off the spot where she stood moments prior." So ... was she leaning on this SUV while she's running into the woods? This kind of thing throughout that makes you have to keep backing up to reread to understand what's going on. And it ends in either a cliffhanger or is just meant to be a figure-it-out-yourself open ending.
January 19, 2023
*I received a copy from Goodreads Giveaways on kindle*
So I feel really bad giving 1 star reviews so I really try not to but…this really isn’t my favorite book. The writing is clunky and hard to follow sometimes, almost all of the female characters are written stereotypically, the plot is interesting at first but the dialogue becomes so bad so quickly that it just completely takes away from the original idea. There’s an open ended ending which is cool but it’s TOO open ended cuz you never really have any idea what’s actually going on? If that makes sense? It just felt like watching a really cheesy horror movie in my head. Cheers to the author though for going with his passion and writing something definitely unique
So I feel really bad giving 1 star reviews so I really try not to but…this really isn’t my favorite book. The writing is clunky and hard to follow sometimes, almost all of the female characters are written stereotypically, the plot is interesting at first but the dialogue becomes so bad so quickly that it just completely takes away from the original idea. There’s an open ended ending which is cool but it’s TOO open ended cuz you never really have any idea what’s actually going on? If that makes sense? It just felt like watching a really cheesy horror movie in my head. Cheers to the author though for going with his passion and writing something definitely unique
April 16, 2023
Unlike other reviewers, I (presumably) read an edited version of the book on Kindle, and there were mistakes but nothing really serious. The editing was not stellar, but not bad, either. The story was interesting, the pacing was alright, the characterization was typical B-movie material, and plotwise it didn't really disappoint. It seemingly ends on a cliffhanger, but I'm not so sure: it seems that the author intends us to understand that the main action starts again. It was funny, if nothing else. Overall, I enjoyed it, it has great atmosphere and suspense. Unfortunately, it leads nowhere, and that was a bit disappointing.
July 11, 2025
3 Stars
On one hand, I found it hard to connect with the characters and it felt very young despite it being about college kids. It wasn't as descriptive as I would have liked either, so I never found myself tense. HOWEVER despite its flaws, I found the story addicting, and I liked the open ending. I will check out more of Mercer's stuff, because I'm hoping he is one of their authors that gets better with time and this was a promising start.
On one hand, I found it hard to connect with the characters and it felt very young despite it being about college kids. It wasn't as descriptive as I would have liked either, so I never found myself tense. HOWEVER despite its flaws, I found the story addicting, and I liked the open ending. I will check out more of Mercer's stuff, because I'm hoping he is one of their authors that gets better with time and this was a promising start.
November 17, 2025
Really enjoyed this, just wish there was more of the story! The ending feels more like a chapter end than a story ending.
I see in other reviews that people mention spelling errors etc but I didn't really notice them, I think because I was enjoying the story.
Someone said it reminded them of 90's YA horror and it definitely does have a 90's feel to it! Definitely worth a read and I'm looking forward to reading the two other 'It came from..,' stories.
I see in other reviews that people mention spelling errors etc but I didn't really notice them, I think because I was enjoying the story.
Someone said it reminded them of 90's YA horror and it definitely does have a 90's feel to it! Definitely worth a read and I'm looking forward to reading the two other 'It came from..,' stories.
May 28, 2025
What??? …What?
I don’t know what I just read other than a load of horse shit… it was rife with typos, cardboard dialogue, ai cover art, confusing characters with plain names so you get them all mixed up… I have no clue what was happening and why this was written
Genuinely just waste of time shit ass story, I can’t believe I even sat through to finish this 😭
I don’t know what I just read other than a load of horse shit… it was rife with typos, cardboard dialogue, ai cover art, confusing characters with plain names so you get them all mixed up… I have no clue what was happening and why this was written
Genuinely just waste of time shit ass story, I can’t believe I even sat through to finish this 😭
January 16, 2023
Not bad at all for a first book by the author.
Okay so it may not be a major gold mine but it was interesting and I can see this author getting even better with each book. I will definitely read more. Kind of a Sci-fi B movie vibe.
Okay so it may not be a major gold mine but it was interesting and I can see this author getting even better with each book. I will definitely read more. Kind of a Sci-fi B movie vibe.
April 29, 2023
Cryptid debut. I dig '80s/'90s creature features, and I love this author's covers! His second book, It Came From the Woods is much better, overall, and I look forward to reading the (coming soon) third book in the series.
June 18, 2024
quick fun alien book
Reminds me of a 90's alien book. It's simply written but that doesn't really bother me.
I actually enjoyed this. I laughed, I was shocked, I need to know what happens next.
Reminds me of a 90's alien book. It's simply written but that doesn't really bother me.
I actually enjoyed this. I laughed, I was shocked, I need to know what happens next.
January 3, 2025
Now I wasn't expecting much from this book and I blame the author for this as he put himself down in the write up but I enjoyed it, it was fun, a sort of 70s horror vibe. I do wish the ending was a bit more, though. I felt like I had more questions I needed answers to.
April 14, 2025
I did enjoy this book. It had an interesting premise but it feels like it finishes in the middle of the story. I did not love the ending. The ending dropped it from being 4 1/2 stars to 3 1/2 the next book in the series it came from #2 is much better.
July 1, 2024
I think I’m just obsessed with Matthew Mercers books because really enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. I loved the cliffhanger, overall the book was a good easy read!
August 2, 2024
Really great story, short and sweet. I enjoyed the texts at the end of each chapter too nice touch
September 21, 2024
It may or may not have been aliens
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews