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The Sludge
Deep in Montana's Lolo National Forest, toxic waste is leaking from aged oil drums and mixing with a new batch of biological sludge that has been dumped into a remote lake. It sickens, it mutates, and like cancer, it spreads and devours.
A group of hikers stumble upon bank robbers who've been hiding out in the forest. Held at gunpoint, they soon discover they are being hunted by a vicious predator, and it will take their combined efforts to make it out of the forest alive.
A group of hikers stumble upon bank robbers who've been hiding out in the forest. Held at gunpoint, they soon discover they are being hunted by a vicious predator, and it will take their combined efforts to make it out of the forest alive.
- GenresHorrorScience Fiction
131 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 5, 2016
5 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 23, 2016
THE SLUDGE, by David Bernstein starts out with three separate groups of people, and combines their actions into one large "creature-feature" gore fest. In the Southeast of Montana lies the Lolo National Forest, "an over two million acre stretch of protected land". Unfortunately, Bull and his partner, Nate, have been using its remote lake as a dumping ground for oil drums filled with toxic waste. When The Jennings Chemical Corporation calls them for an immediate, covert dumping of their biological sludge, the two pawns think nothing of mixing it into their favorite drop off point.
After all, toxic waste and biological sludge combined--what could possibly go wrong?
Bring in the Garrett brothers, bank robbers who felt this remote area would be the perfect hide-out for them until the heat is off, and a wealthy group of four New Yorkers out for a "back-to-nature" vacation, and a great problem suddenly emerges. Now, there's a new food source for the unintentional combination in the lake that is taking over and assimilating all possible life forms.
Bernstein managed to get some really detailed characterization in this short novel, so I felt that I knew the motivations and instincts of each one of them. Whether intentional or not, I sympathized with all of these characters as the sludge began to expand its boundaries and infiltrate the area. Even parts where you might think, "I wouldn't do that in this situation!", become believable with the right behavioral traits and motivational factors.
This was one of those creature tales that leave you needing to root for someone--anyone--to figure things out and get in touch with the proper authorities. In addition to a "fun" escapade of mutilations and carnage, this book delivers with an ending that I did not predict!
Recommended!
*I received an e-copy of this book from the publicist in exchange for an honest review.*
After all, toxic waste and biological sludge combined--what could possibly go wrong?
Bring in the Garrett brothers, bank robbers who felt this remote area would be the perfect hide-out for them until the heat is off, and a wealthy group of four New Yorkers out for a "back-to-nature" vacation, and a great problem suddenly emerges. Now, there's a new food source for the unintentional combination in the lake that is taking over and assimilating all possible life forms.
Bernstein managed to get some really detailed characterization in this short novel, so I felt that I knew the motivations and instincts of each one of them. Whether intentional or not, I sympathized with all of these characters as the sludge began to expand its boundaries and infiltrate the area. Even parts where you might think, "I wouldn't do that in this situation!", become believable with the right behavioral traits and motivational factors.
This was one of those creature tales that leave you needing to root for someone--anyone--to figure things out and get in touch with the proper authorities. In addition to a "fun" escapade of mutilations and carnage, this book delivers with an ending that I did not predict!
Recommended!
*I received an e-copy of this book from the publicist in exchange for an honest review.*
July 11, 2016
Review copy
Take a milk truck full of toxic waste and dump it into a lake where sealed barrels of contaminants have been dumped before. No harm right? Wrong. Add the Garrett brothers hiding out from the law and then mix in a group of unwary hikers, stir vigorously and you have the perfect formula for...disaster.
I won't go into a lot of detail on the plot, that would spoil all the fun, but that's the key word...fun. The Sludge is the kind or story I used to love seeing on the drive-in movie screen, only in book form, preying on your imagination.
Disturbing in places and gleefully graphic, reading The Sludge is the equivalent of pigging out on your favorite junk food. You know it's not good for you, but it's oh, so tasty.
If you love monster mayhem, you'll love this quick read from David Bernstein.
The Sludge is available in both paperback and e-book formats from Great Old Ones Publishing.
David Bernstein is originally from a small town in Upstate New York. He now resides in NYC and misses being surrounded by chainsaw-wielding maniacs. David writes all kinds of horror, from hair-raising ghost stories to gore-filled slashers and apocalyptic tales of terror.
Take a milk truck full of toxic waste and dump it into a lake where sealed barrels of contaminants have been dumped before. No harm right? Wrong. Add the Garrett brothers hiding out from the law and then mix in a group of unwary hikers, stir vigorously and you have the perfect formula for...disaster.
I won't go into a lot of detail on the plot, that would spoil all the fun, but that's the key word...fun. The Sludge is the kind or story I used to love seeing on the drive-in movie screen, only in book form, preying on your imagination.
Disturbing in places and gleefully graphic, reading The Sludge is the equivalent of pigging out on your favorite junk food. You know it's not good for you, but it's oh, so tasty.
If you love monster mayhem, you'll love this quick read from David Bernstein.
The Sludge is available in both paperback and e-book formats from Great Old Ones Publishing.
David Bernstein is originally from a small town in Upstate New York. He now resides in NYC and misses being surrounded by chainsaw-wielding maniacs. David writes all kinds of horror, from hair-raising ghost stories to gore-filled slashers and apocalyptic tales of terror.
October 21, 2016
"Mr Bernstein has a knack for writing stories that make you feel at ease very early. You feel like you belong. You can imagine yourself being there watching everything that is happening or even taking part yourself. He makes it believable. This is why I enjoy his stuff so much."
See here for the full review:
The Sludge
See here for the full review:
The Sludge
July 31, 2016
My favorite Bernstein book yet. If you like your horror extra pulpy with healthy doses of sex, gore, and (gasp!) fun, you'll love THE SLUDGE. More please.
August 23, 2016
David Bernstein is a great horror author and The Sludge is one of his best. This was such a fun book to read. The pace of the book starts slow but keeps building momentum throughout. There are great amounts of pulpy goodness throughout and the characters were really enjoyable as well. It was fun to see what awfulness would happen to them. This read like a great monster movie and the author's writing was great all the way through. This fun filled book was a blast to read and I highly recommend it.
August 24, 2016
I received a copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of this book.
The Sludge is a fabulously campy romp filled with all the gory cheesiness I love from the creature features found at the drive-in or on late night horror shows. The monster is like a fantastic mix of the mutated bear from Prophecy (1979) and the creatures from C.H.U.D. While the characters range from redneck bank robbers to yuppyish hikers frolicking in the wilderness. This story is fast paced and gloriously fun to read, I was hooked from the first page. My only complaint is the length, I wasn't ready for the fun to end. I recommend this highly entertaining 4.5 star read.
The Sludge is a fabulously campy romp filled with all the gory cheesiness I love from the creature features found at the drive-in or on late night horror shows. The monster is like a fantastic mix of the mutated bear from Prophecy (1979) and the creatures from C.H.U.D. While the characters range from redneck bank robbers to yuppyish hikers frolicking in the wilderness. This story is fast paced and gloriously fun to read, I was hooked from the first page. My only complaint is the length, I wasn't ready for the fun to end. I recommend this highly entertaining 4.5 star read.
May 28, 2019
If you are looking for a good time with violence and monsters, you won’t go wrong with David Bernstein’s The Sludge. The novella moves at a breakneck speed, mainly because there’s no fat in it. Hell, there’s barely any character development, and with a book like this, it’s really not necessary. The Sludge is a monster book through and through, and the characters are there for cannon fodder and little else.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
February 6, 2018
David has done it again. Love, love, loved it. totally different from others but a wild ride.
January 2, 2017
When I first saw the cover to David Bernstein’s newest, The Sludge, I was immediately transported back to the late eighties, browsing the shelves at the local video store, smiling at the covers for all those B-movies that were my main source of horror sustenance at the time. I’d made it through the classics, the slasher fare, and even some stuff that could be barely be called horror. But it was the B-movies that always pulled me back time and again. Needless to say, I was excited for this one, but I was also afraid that once my expectations were set, I’d end up disappointed.
I shouldn’t have worried.
From the first chapter, where toxic waste gets illegally dumped into a remote lake, I knew I was in for one of those B-movie rides that I couldn’t get enough of. Bernstein writes with a visual flair that made everything play out on the silver screen in my head, even down to the grain that seemed to always drift through those types of movies.
Even the characters were right out of a B-movie, from the bank-robbing brothers to the four young adults out for a hike in the woods. When the monster makes its appearance, the description was straight out of a Troma movie, which, for me, just added to the enjoyment.
Being a novella, there’s not a lot of page real estate with which to build and tell the story, but Bernstein does an admirable job of it nonetheless. One or two scenes felt a bit rushed, and the way the relationship between the brothers is built up may seem to go a little longer than is absolutely necessary, but even this adds to the low-budget feel that made the story so enjoyable in the first place.
If you want a throw-back to those wonderful B-movies from the eighties, without any of the descent into pure camp that sometimes accompanied them, The Sludge reads like a love letter to them, all while standing on its own merits as well. If you’ve never read his work, this is a wonderful sampler to start with. If you have read something else he’s done, you already know what you’re in for: a fun romp into darkness. Just watch out for the buckets of fake blood that might get thrown your way from off-camera.
4.5/5 Stars
*Note* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, which this is.
I shouldn’t have worried.
From the first chapter, where toxic waste gets illegally dumped into a remote lake, I knew I was in for one of those B-movie rides that I couldn’t get enough of. Bernstein writes with a visual flair that made everything play out on the silver screen in my head, even down to the grain that seemed to always drift through those types of movies.
Even the characters were right out of a B-movie, from the bank-robbing brothers to the four young adults out for a hike in the woods. When the monster makes its appearance, the description was straight out of a Troma movie, which, for me, just added to the enjoyment.
Being a novella, there’s not a lot of page real estate with which to build and tell the story, but Bernstein does an admirable job of it nonetheless. One or two scenes felt a bit rushed, and the way the relationship between the brothers is built up may seem to go a little longer than is absolutely necessary, but even this adds to the low-budget feel that made the story so enjoyable in the first place.
If you want a throw-back to those wonderful B-movies from the eighties, without any of the descent into pure camp that sometimes accompanied them, The Sludge reads like a love letter to them, all while standing on its own merits as well. If you’ve never read his work, this is a wonderful sampler to start with. If you have read something else he’s done, you already know what you’re in for: a fun romp into darkness. Just watch out for the buckets of fake blood that might get thrown your way from off-camera.
4.5/5 Stars
*Note* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, which this is.
September 11, 2016
One of David Bernstein's best!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews