The parasites came out of nowhere, squirming horrors that enslaved the human race. They turned the population into mindless pack animals, psychotic cannibalistic hordes whose only purpose was to feed them.
Now with the human race teetering at the edge of extinction, extermination teams are fighting back, killing off the parasites and their voracious hosts. Taking them out one by one in violent, bloody encounters.
A team of exterminators fight a losing war against a parasitic menace that turns people into zombies and hosts to a terrifying invasive species. Creepy, action-packed, and full of creature-feature greatness. Jack Hamlyn/Tim Curran's "The Squirming" is like a Twix bar for horror fans.
I'm not sure why Tim Curran feels the need to write under a pseudonym, because it is almost immediately obvious from the opening page that this is a Tim Curran book. The dense descriptions, the gross out factor of the creatures, the palpable atmosphere, and the over-the-top gore, all scream Curran.
Which is a good thing. Because The Squirming is a richly detailed variation on the apocalypse, told from the point of view of one extermination squad which is trying to clear out as many "sluggos" - people infected with parasitic slugs and their attendant flukes - as possible.
It is all the things a strong horror novella should be, and though it does get a bogged down in the early half with Curran ... err, Hamlyn's trademark overly wordy passages, it picks up the pace in the second and barrels along to a thematically satisfying conclusion.
4 Creepy-Crawlies to Avoid Like the Plague for The Squirming.
Readers might be familiar with some of the excellent horror fiction written by Tim Curran. In fact you’ll find several reviews on my blog. Jack Hamlyn is Curran’s alter ego, allowing him the freedom to write under a different name.
I’ll make no bones about it. This book is an action-packed gore fest. Ten pages in, you’ll have seen more slime, viscera, and general ick than most manage in 400 pages. Parasitic slugs emerged from origins unknown infecting the majority of humans in no time at all. Society has broken down and teams of exterminators in containment suits are the last line of defense to try and pull humanity back from extinction.
We follow one of the exterminator teams and get to experience their claustrophobic hunting encounters. Mistrust and rivalry within the group is a huge threat when they are so reliant on each other to watch each other’s backs and make it through each mission alive. The tension level never drops.
The lifecycle and biology of the slugs is explained, as is their methods for conquering their host. It’s really well thought out and fascinating. The popular name for the hosts of the parasitic slugs is Slughead. The host cradles the egg sack while it feeds off their body’s nutrients. What’s even worse is the gestational slugs release little slugs called Flukes that fill the body, making them a slave to the host. Slugheads are fast, always looking for more meat for their hosts, and can continue to function in limbless states. Where they came from is not known – a result of pollution, evolution? All the survivors can do is ponder.
Fans of Aliens, 28 Days Later, and especially The Thing will love this, which I’m pretty sure means everyone. There is body horror galore that Cronenberg would be proud of. This book is non-stop action at a feverish pace – apocalyptic horror at its best. I’d also say we get the best mall situation since Dawn of the Dead.
The Squirming is a gross ride through a devastated reality where things take over our bodies. I'm not sure if sci fi horror is a great way to put it but it I wasn't sure how else to put it. Action horror? I don't know but it was awesome. Give it a read!!