Mount Misery

by Angelo Peluso

There are new residents in the Long Island Sound . . . and they have a taste for flesh.The first time the creatures tasted human blood, their savagery went undetected.Thus begins Mount Misery, a terrific horror tale by writer Angelo Peluso. Located on the Long Island Sound, random attacks by unknown creatures are terrorizing local residents. The Who is going to do something about it?Marine biologist Katie DiNardo and ichthyologist Nick Tanner have seen the damage caused by their mystery creatures but are at a complete loss as to the attacking species. All they know is that they need to get to the bottom of this . . . and fast. While they continue to do their research, people are dropping like flies, and if they don’t figure out what’s going on, there’s no saying what this destructive species will do next.In a similar style to Jaws, Mount Misery is a spectacular suspense novel that grips you from the first page and doesn’t let its teeth out! Fans of horror will rejoice with Mount Misery, and readers will enjoy the throwback style that made this genre what it is today.Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Genres: Horror

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 21, 2014

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fast summer read. The author tells a fun story about mutant fish eating people. My only complaint is that his editor should have told him to vary his sentence structure. 50% of the sentences in this novel start off with someone's name. "Kate, we have to go." "Rick, yes, I know." "Kate, I mean now!" "Rick, I understand." Like that. It was tedious.

But: a good monster story. Very readable with high adrenaline. I liked it.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unknown killer sea creatures are on the loose, killing people left and right and some people trying to discover what this unknown predetor fish is and how to stop them. Not greatly written but quite entertaining to kill some time with. Interested to see what the author will write next.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A B movie book with absolutely horrible dialogue and mutant killer fishies. Not good.

[Stu · Rating 2 out of 5]

No idea why this is so highly rated (3.5ish stars at time of writing). Real slog to read through, writing style is like a sophomore who just read Hemingway - lot of stilted sentences. Dialogue and characters woeful. I’m giving two stars because I wanted to like the premise. Hope the author doesn’t read this review, just trying to warn fellows like myself out there.

[Rmslis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water . . . A sci-fi thriller that takes place in and around the waters of Long Island Sound. Something in or around the waters of the Sound is terrorizing the inhabitants, animal and human.

The action starts at the opening of the book and doesn’t let up. It was fast paced and held my interest from the beginning and I didn’t want to put the book down until the end. (Tho I did. There were some things I just HAD to do.) I liked how the author really dragged out the revealing of the identity of the killer creatures. He kept offering teasers that enticed you to keep reading, thinking that the identity of the creatures would be revealed ANY TIME NOW! But, no, WAIT! . . . Not quite YET. Hooking you and reeling you in to the intrigue as you just HAVE to know the identity already! (Frustrated and impatient, I found myself at times interrupting my reading in order to do some research on the internet to see if I could figure out the identity of the creatures before it was revealed in the book.) As the book was fast approaching the end I was anxiously wondering how it could possibly end given the scant number of pages left. The ending was a real surprise.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Peter Benchley is turning in his grave. While I like the premise of this book, the execution left much to be desired.

Let's start with the clunky, awkward dialogue. The character are constantly saying each other's names, as if they can't remember who they're talking to. The author clearly doesn't think I'm smart enough to discern who is speaking, even if it only involves two people. Yikes.

There is relentless detail into Long Island Sound, fishing, evolutionary biology, fishing, genetics, fishing and oh, yes...more fishing. Dear God. And, as a last nitpick, did this book have a proofer, much less an editor? I counted at least ten print mistakes and I was barely paying attention.

Two stars is generous. Reread "Jaws" .

[Randy Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like it

I wanted to like it, but there were a few things that just wouldn't let me. As some reviews have previously mentioned the dialog between the characters wasn't very good. I couldn't picture anyone actually speaking to others the way these characters did. You could cut out ten to fifteen percent of the book that negatively affected the flow of the story. Just too much unnecessary information given that bogged the story down; I don't need to know the history of every little thing nor do I need an explanation of how all things work. Characters doing dumb things that anyone in their right mind wouldn't be doing aggravated me as well. Not a horrible read, but not one that I would read again.

[Greg Seery · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hesitate to downgrade a book that I've just read. I know that most of them were written by authors with good intentions and a drive to put word to paper in a manner such that their audience enjoys their efforts. And truthfully, I did enjoy the book. But I'm also feeling betrayed by this novel, and ultimately the ending left a decidedly sour taste in my mouth.

The good things. The story's characters were generally believable, from the somewhat footloose boat captain to the brainy marine biologist and her partner sent to study the phenomenon, as well as the variety of bureaucrats and news people anxious to serve their respective masters. A few gratuitous and obnoxious toads to add color, some of whom meet a somewhat contrived ending.

And this is where I start running into the bad things. The ending and the villains are contrived and largely unbelievable. The ending is a classic deux ex machina, I won't give away any more than that except to say that while there was a bit of foreshadowing involved, it comes completely from way out beyond left field and doesn't really make the grade for being believable, even for a work that is basically science fiction.

Add to this villains that are a mishmash of improbable coincidences that I found completely unbelievable. It would have been more believable if an evil scientist with plans for world domination had been behind this rather than... well, rather than what presumably happened.

The writing is overall good, easy to follow. Characters are decently fleshed out. But the ending raised all sorts of "This is so much bullshit" that I'm deducting a good 1 1/2 Stars out of the 4/5 that I would have otherwise given it. 2 1/2 stars out of 5.

[Stephanie Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
This is one of those "I said I enjoyed it, I didn't say it was good" kind of books. The premise is the kind of marine creature feature I can't resist, but didn't find the story to be particularly well written. Some passages were fine, but some were clunky with odd word choices. There was unnecessary backstory added for people, places, and things that were barely important to the overall plot. And some chapters gave the impression that Peluso was just info dumping every bit of background research that went into the science behind the story.

[Aimeé Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow !!!!
Well what can I say ! What an incredible read !
Fast paced on the end of the couch stuff !
If you’re even remotely into fishing you will love this book .
I particularly love how the book ends !
I really hope the author writes another of a similar style , I haven’t read such a good book I’m such a long time .
This book and author definitely needs some recognition !

[Yelena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half of this book reads like an entry into the Wikipedia and the other is like a manual on game fishing.

Not to mention timely rescue by the dolphins! And such a neat one too!

Killing an entire school of psychotic mutant killer fish in a space of like 30 seconds!

Had a few tense moments, but overall nothing to write home about.

[Danielle Hasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This book was impossible to put down from start to finish. The characters were relatable, believable and had strong personalities. This story was straightforward and had no fluff. Loved the way the identity of the villain was a mystery to be solved by putting together clues throughout the story. This was a great read with a satisfying ending.

[maria helena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painfully bad read.

[Beth Maeder · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. The author comes across as a 13yo boy who is self important and sexist. No editing to speak of. Comically bad.

[Tegan Jack · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only managed to get to around the 20-25% mark and was incredibly bored. Unfortunately wasn't for me.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yikes! A great beach read (hehe!) with all of the terror of JAWS, but a smarter, more intricate development of the origins of the danger. Peluso's characters ring true, and he captures the local color of a seaside community as well. There's a bit of a cautionary tale woven into this thriller, but it only serves to make the plot more believable, not preachy. You'll devour this in a day, but you'll think about it every time you dip your toes in the water for years to come!

[Judy Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

PulsePounding

What an exciting read. I'm not typically interested in this type of story but I could not put this book down. I absolutely love it when the writing and the story come together so well.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad.....exciting toward the end. I liked the characters but could've done without the long in depth fishing class. Yes I know fish are part of the story....but didn't need to know soooo much about how to fish. Good story nonetheless. Happy Reading :)

[Marcie Galick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jaws in words

[Patricia Spagnoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good beach book.

Captivating story had me from the beginning. Lost me at the 98% mark. This is a quick beach read that will keep you out of the water.