Peculiar, MO

by Robert Williams

Welcome to Peculiar, MO. For most, life is good in this idyllic Midwestern town, until a falling star brings an unearthly menace. Soon animals are found dying of a mysterious disease. At night, beasts begin to cry out in voices that sound almost like words, as they are drawn to a burned clearing to serve an alien will.Local widow Kelly Ross, who is struggling to make ends meet after the death of her husband, sends her young son into the forest on an errand, where he makes a frightening discovery.Spencer Dale, the town's mechanic, whose past contains a painful secret, begins to experience strange dreams and visions, as he relives memories that are not his own.Nine-year-old Rachel, a child of nature, becomes linked to an unspeakable crime that took place more than eighty years in the past, while a military operation moving inexorably towards the meteor's impact site makes its presence, and its plans, known.All of their lives are linked together, and their courage and faith are tested, as they are drawn to the site where the star fell to Earth and an alien life cycle reaches its terrifying climax.

Genres: Science Fiction

342 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2007

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A meteor containing alien life forms hits the small, rural town of Peculiar, MO. A few Peculiar inhabitants begin experiencing strange dreams and visions. Animals begin acting wildly. The lives of several Peculiar residents are linked together in this suspenseful, science fiction novel.

I enjoyed this novel because it was suspenseful in parts, had well developed characters and was very well written.

For the most part, the book was suspenseful and a page turner. I had to get to the next page, chapter and definitely had to find out how it all ended! However, there were some scenes that I felt were too long or drawn out. This took away from some of the scenes. I especially felt this way near the end of the book where I think it was filled with too much description. I felt it was slower-paced with lots of explanation that was not necessary. That being said, I want to reiterate that there was good suspense and at no point did I want to stop reading or skip to the end.

I felt the book was a bit gory. I expected a science fiction novel but this was a hybrid - mostly science fiction with a few pages of gore. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing and I wouldn't take off any stars, but it's just good for a reader to know. It's now tagged as "horror" as well and I think that tag wasn't there when I purchased the book.

I was a little disappointed with Rachel's storyline. I wanted to know more about her link to the unspeakable crime in the past. Without giving anything away here, I suppose I expected more resolution on that side story regarding said crime.

The characters were great. I felt connected to all of them and I could empathize with them. I cared about what happened to them and wanted to see how the story turned out for each and every one of them. I enjoyed being on an adventure with these characters. I'd go on another one with them. I think I would have liked to see Gordon more developed but maybe that was the point - he was supposed to be a bit mysterious. I enjoyed (for the most part) the character of Rollins. He was a bit uneven but I liked that. I liked how the point of view changed. It wasn't hard to follow and the reader gets to experience the storylines of the different characters.

There was a lot of science in the book. I have no idea if it was accurate or not but there was a lot of scientific description that was way over my head. Thankfully one of the characters felt the same way :-) so another character regularly explained the science behind the aliens. However, it was still a lot for my taste. All in all, I found the book to be very well written. Robert Williams is a very talented author and I plan to see what else he has written.

[Trinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up because Peculiar is the next town south of where I live; I was curious but didn't expect much when I chose it. I was surprised that I enjoyed reading this sci-fi story. I think another writer might have told it better, and I was often confused by the "sci" parts. I was also distracted by the poor proofreading. But I did enjoy the geographical and I thought the characters were well-developed and easily imagined.

[Debra Slonek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to Peculiar, where all is not well. An imaginative, alien invasion wreaks havoc in small town America. The storyline is mainly sci-fi, but is also a suspenseful thriller with horror and even a touch of romance included. Filled with satisfying interactions between well developed characters. Alliances were forged and enemies were identified. A creepy, satisfying adventure in reading.

[Kipp Poe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this story takes a hold of you and takes you further and further into terror you will never look at trees and cats the same ever again. Fantastic character development where you walk away feeling like you have actually met these people. Well worth the price don't pass it up

[Jp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tremendous book. A deep an realistic-feeling science fiction thriller in the vein of Stephen King and Michael Chrichton. Fascinating from beginning to end.

[Nightraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part this was a very good sci-fi read. Had some of the Thing feel to it with the alien creature. Left me a little flat at the end, but would recommend to fans of sci-fi/horror.

[Scott Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. I loved the character development and found myself attached to many of the characters and really disliking others. Well written story that kept me guessing. I look forward to reading other novels by Mr. Williams.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I put this on my Kindle because it had Missouri in the title and that intrigued this Missouri girl. It turned out to be more sci-fi than books that I choose to read. I did enjoy the writing up to the end.

[Adele Clagett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did finish reading this story, but I'm afraid it just wasn't my "cup of tea" so to speak. I will add though - I did develop an interest in the characters and wanted to find out how they all fared.

Note to author - I suggest another round of proof-reading.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!