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Unidentified
Four teenagers awaken in a scorched cornfield with no memory of how they got there. All they know is that there were five of them when they found the carcass of the mutilated cow.
Forty years later, Eric Devlin sends a cryptic email to the other three survivors: I remember everything.
Karl Doering has spent the majority of his life trying to understand what happened that night and learn the fate of his missing friend. He responds to the mysterious message and finds that Eric has killed himself in a decrepit barn, behind which is a cornfield filled with mutilated cattle.
When a local girl goes missing, Karl realizes that he and the other two survivors are her only hope. To find her they must confront repressed memories so traumatic they’d driven Eric to take his own life…and creatures straight out of their worst nightmares.
Forty years later, Eric Devlin sends a cryptic email to the other three survivors: I remember everything.
Karl Doering has spent the majority of his life trying to understand what happened that night and learn the fate of his missing friend. He responds to the mysterious message and finds that Eric has killed himself in a decrepit barn, behind which is a cornfield filled with mutilated cattle.
When a local girl goes missing, Karl realizes that he and the other two survivors are her only hope. To find her they must confront repressed memories so traumatic they’d driven Eric to take his own life…and creatures straight out of their worst nightmares.
193 pages, Hardcover
Published January 24, 2017
118 people are currently reading
506 people want to read
About the author
Michael McBride
123 books479 followersMichael McBride was born in Colorado and still resides in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. He hates the snow, but loves the Avalanche. He works with medical radiation, yet somehow managed to produce five children, none of whom, miraculously, have tails, third eyes, or other random mutations. He writes fiction that runs the gamut from thriller to horror to science fiction...and loves every minute of it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
April 26, 2019
Karl Doering gets an email from a friend (Eric) he hasn't seen in years which says "I remember everything". Karl goes back home (Yuma County) to Eric's farm to talk to him about it and finds that Eric committed suicide. While he is in town Karl visits with old friends, friends which shared a terrible experience with him 40 years ago that was so horrifying they still can't remember what happened. But now it seems to be starting again... the missing children, the mutilated cattle, the scorched cornfield, the red glowing light in the night...
I really enjoyed this story. I couldn't stop turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. I've never read a book with evil aliens before so this was new. The story was told in two timelines, 40 years ago, and present time. A truly creepy, scary read.
I really enjoyed this story. I couldn't stop turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. I've never read a book with evil aliens before so this was new. The story was told in two timelines, 40 years ago, and present time. A truly creepy, scary read.
January 5, 2022
The story is set into two different narration perspectives. One in the past (40 years ago) and one at present time. A group of youth see some strange lights over a field and want to find out what it is all about. There are two children missing. Is there any connection? 40 years later the terror starts again. This is one of the best alien horror books I read for a very long time. Incredibly intriguing, fast paced, convincing characters and creepy as hell. I often had to think about Stephen King's IT as there are some parallels here. Highly recommended!
August 15, 2018
This is a brief little novella that runs a little over 2 hours on audio. It’s narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Joe Hempel, who helps the story leap off the pages. He also never grates on my last nerve like some narrators do. His pace is on the slower side and it draws you into the chilling atmosphere of the story and his performance of the characters sounds natural. If you like audio and scary tales, this is a really good one.
40 years ago a group of teens stumbled across something terrible in the aftermath of crop circles, missing teens and animal mutilations. They woke without memories of the events that cost them a friend but now that another child has gone missing and one of them writes a chilling email saying only “I remember everything”, they reunite to start digging into the past and end whatever it is from tormenting their hometown once and for all.
Since this is such a short story I don’t have a lot to say about it. It left me guessing and I loved the bleak threads running throughout it and if you listen to the author notes at the end, and you should, you might be a little terrified of the sky!
40 years ago a group of teens stumbled across something terrible in the aftermath of crop circles, missing teens and animal mutilations. They woke without memories of the events that cost them a friend but now that another child has gone missing and one of them writes a chilling email saying only “I remember everything”, they reunite to start digging into the past and end whatever it is from tormenting their hometown once and for all.
Since this is such a short story I don’t have a lot to say about it. It left me guessing and I loved the bleak threads running throughout it and if you listen to the author notes at the end, and you should, you might be a little terrified of the sky!
February 22, 2017
UNIDENTIFIED, by Michael McBride is yet another example of his mastery in the horror "novella". This book has everything needed to create a lasting impression on the reader, in a condensed format: complex characterization, mystery, horror/death, atmosphere, and of course, the "unknown" element--where the reader doesn't immediately sense where the end will take them.
We begin with Eric Delvin emailing three words to his friend. These three words are in relation to a traumatizing event that occurred to five teenaged-friends, 40 years prior: "I remember everything."
The events alternate between the happenings that this group--Kyle, Bruce, Val, Eric, and Wyatt--encountered when they were 15, and of the present time, when most of them are brought together again for the first time in years. Despite their different ways of coping in the interim, no matter how deeply buried they left their pasts, things all begin to come together again.
"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote: "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Sherlock Holmes had never faced the improbability of . . . though."
A fast-paced horror adventure from the first page to the last.
Highest recommendation!
We begin with Eric Delvin emailing three words to his friend. These three words are in relation to a traumatizing event that occurred to five teenaged-friends, 40 years prior: "I remember everything."
The events alternate between the happenings that this group--Kyle, Bruce, Val, Eric, and Wyatt--encountered when they were 15, and of the present time, when most of them are brought together again for the first time in years. Despite their different ways of coping in the interim, no matter how deeply buried they left their pasts, things all begin to come together again.
"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote: "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Sherlock Holmes had never faced the improbability of . . . though."
A fast-paced horror adventure from the first page to the last.
Highest recommendation!
December 26, 2018
Unidentified by Michael McBride and narrated by the great How Hempel is a terrific and terrifying short story about friends that met the unknown when they were young. This event brought about this story, the second meeting! Wow! Very unique!
Wonderful narration that kept the tension tight! Great job as usual!!!
Wonderful narration that kept the tension tight! Great job as usual!!!
February 7, 2017
40 years ago, Karl and his friends saved their little town of Wray from an unknown entity that was mutilating cattle and snatching local children.
Now it’s come back and Karl and his friends must do it again. This time, they need to finish the job.
McBride knows how novellas are supposed to be done. Even in shorter formats, he skillfully develops characters and story lines that go much deeper than just the word count.
Excellent as usual. Highest Recommendation.
Now it’s come back and Karl and his friends must do it again. This time, they need to finish the job.
McBride knows how novellas are supposed to be done. Even in shorter formats, he skillfully develops characters and story lines that go much deeper than just the word count.
Excellent as usual. Highest Recommendation.
May 31, 2018
Damn but this was good. An effective combination of Fire in the Sky and Stephen King’s IT in under one hundred pages?!?! Michael McBride, You. Fucking. Genius.
I ate this up and you should too!
A thousand thank you’s to my friend Kimberly who made this a present! Copy 92/100, signed and adorably sized!
January 1, 2019
this short story starts off in a really dark place and never lets up. It's short and scary AF.
WARNING!! animal mutilation.
WARNING!! animal mutilation.
Want to read
July 10, 2017This mini-hardcover is copy 17 of 100 printed and is signed by Michael McBride.
February 14, 2017
This would be the seventeenth book by Michael McBride I have read. I see that a lot of people gave this book five stars. For some reason this book just didn't do it for me like it did for these people. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy reading it. How can I explain this, the story reminded me of other stories I've read over the years. A different take but the same premise. Sort of a coming of age story that something happens that impacts their life as kids and comes back to haunt them as adults. I don't know if I'm being too picky when it comes to Michael McBride's writing. But lately I'm so use to him blowing me away with his books like Ancient Enemy, Snowblind II: The Killing Grounds and Sunblind. It's probably just me. Now that I got that off my chest I'll talk about the story. The story flashes back and forth from when they are kids to forty years later as adults. The story centers around mutilated cows being found, children come up missing and what's behind all this. I'll keep this short and sweet and not give too much away. Just like all of MM books they are well written, flow is good and he creates this great atmosphere for you while you're reading. I gave Unidentified 3 1/2 stars.
I received an e-arc of this book from DarkFuse in exchange for an honest review.
I received an e-arc of this book from DarkFuse in exchange for an honest review.
April 23, 2020
It should be no surprise that I once again really enjoyed a novella by Michael McBride. The author really knows how to entertain, engage, and frighten with a well-crafted story. Its set-up has elements that recall Stephen King's It but obviously much more compressed at less than a hundred pages. It tells parallel stories of childhood friends when they're younger and 40 years later, confronting an inexplicable terror that slowly revealed as the story progresses. It's tight and efficient, and suitably creepy. It's definitely not as effective or as memorable as other works like Sunblind or Snowblind, but I definitely recommend this as a quick read.
February 6, 2017
I can always count on Michael McBride to deliver a heck of a story, and his newest novella, Unidentified, is certainly no exception. This is a pretty slim book, and one that kept me riveted the whole way through - and, really, how could it not? There's cattle mutilation, abductions, and a forgotten past slowly revealing itself to the primary characters as they search for a missing girl. All good stuff, blended together quite wonderfully.
The story is told across two alternating timelines. There's our characters in present-day, and their actions forty years earlier as teens caught up in a series of disappearances. Each converge during an unexpected, imaginative, and bloody climax.
At around 85 pages, this is a quick read, made all the faster by McBride's smooth writing and rapid-fire pacing. There's a keen urgency to the story, as well as plenty of mystery and action, that makes this novella a cool one-sitting read.
The story is told across two alternating timelines. There's our characters in present-day, and their actions forty years earlier as teens caught up in a series of disappearances. Each converge during an unexpected, imaginative, and bloody climax.
At around 85 pages, this is a quick read, made all the faster by McBride's smooth writing and rapid-fire pacing. There's a keen urgency to the story, as well as plenty of mystery and action, that makes this novella a cool one-sitting read.
April 26, 2021
A worthy read, if you're a sci-fi nerd who appreciates a bit of ripped-from-the-headlines reality inspiring your stories.
It strikes him that the memories he recalls belong to a boy who has been gone for such a long time, he no longer feels real.
Jumping from teen years to middle age, we follow a group of kids (now grandparents) who experience something so horrifying it defines their lives, even if they try to forget what happened.
You'll be glad to know Unidentified accomplishes in 193 pages what Summer of Night danced around for a whopping 634. Something evil is stalking a rural town, and sh*t gets insane while people try to deal with it, or tragically decide not to.
The ending was shockingly abrupt, but the epilogue gives you a bit to chew on so you don't leave hungry. And the nice little dessert in the author's notes satisfies the nerd in you who simply has to go check his research, and see if it all really adds up.
It strikes him that the memories he recalls belong to a boy who has been gone for such a long time, he no longer feels real.
Jumping from teen years to middle age, we follow a group of kids (now grandparents) who experience something so horrifying it defines their lives, even if they try to forget what happened.
You'll be glad to know Unidentified accomplishes in 193 pages what Summer of Night danced around for a whopping 634. Something evil is stalking a rural town, and sh*t gets insane while people try to deal with it, or tragically decide not to.
The ending was shockingly abrupt, but the epilogue gives you a bit to chew on so you don't leave hungry. And the nice little dessert in the author's notes satisfies the nerd in you who simply has to go check his research, and see if it all really adds up.
January 5, 2019
How do you picture your outer-space counterparts? Like these guys, in need of a good feed...?
Maybe a bit cuddly and cute and I'll-hide-you-amongst-my-soft-toys-so Mum'll never know side...?
....Or on the mucus-producing-I-just-shat-myself side...?
Nope, nope and nope.
Michael McBride manages to reinvent them in a way that made my skin crawl. And I've developed a sudden sense of claustrophobia......
Maybe a bit cuddly and cute and I'll-hide-you-amongst-my-soft-toys-so Mum'll never know side...?
....Or on the mucus-producing-I-just-shat-myself side...?
Nope, nope and nope.
Michael McBride manages to reinvent them in a way that made my skin crawl. And I've developed a sudden sense of claustrophobia......
January 1, 2019
Well that was horrifying! It has 2 timelines, 40 years ago and now. I found it really easy to follow though (sometimes timelines like that can get confusing) and the chapters are short. A group of friends witness something horrible, and the survivors can't remember what happened after the fact. Repressed memories. 40 years later, it's happening again. Memories came back. It's horrifying, and potentially all too real. That epilogue O_O.
TW: Suicide, Blood, Grossness, Guns, Death
TW: Suicide, Blood, Grossness, Guns, Death
April 2, 2018
Fast paced
I won this novella on Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I wanted something different and fast paced to read. I turned the first few pages and was engrossed with each world. It ended too quickly for me and left me wanting to read more from this author. I was impressed and will be recommending this author to my friends.
I won this novella on Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I wanted something different and fast paced to read. I turned the first few pages and was engrossed with each world. It ended too quickly for me and left me wanting to read more from this author. I was impressed and will be recommending this author to my friends.
January 2, 2019
Excellent sci-fi/horror novella. Great writing and lots of action. Well worth it, and left me asking, could it really be... 5 stars.
January 8, 2019
Originally published on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
"Four teenagers awaken in a scorched cornfield with no memory of how they got there. All they know is that there were five of them when they found the carcass of the mutilated cow. Forty years later, Eric Devlin sends a cryptic email to the other three survivors: I remember everything. Karl Doering has spent the majority of his life trying to understand what happened that night and learn the fate of his missing friend. He responds to the mysterious message and finds that Eric has killed himself in a decrepit barn, behind which is a cornfield filled with mutilated cattle. When a local girl goes missing, Karl realizes that he and the other two survivors are her only hope. To find her they must confront repressed memories so traumatic they’d driven Eric to take his own life…and creatures straight out of their worst nightmares."
Unidentified did not disappoint. It was a super quick read, clocking in at 86 pages (for the kindle edition). This novella had a great plot. At the end, when it was finally revealed as to what was out in that corn field… CREEPY!! The chapters zig zag back and forth between present time and 40 years ago when the main characters were teenagers. The story of what happened when they were kids reveals itself piece by piece as the present time closely mirrors those long ago events. At first it took me a few chapters to wrap my head around that sort of play by play, but after I got used to it, it was not a problem.
This story was DARK. Don’t expect a happy ending with this one, because you aren’t going to get it. It is pretty messed up from the very first chapter. There is a decent amount of gore, but it is not overly gory. Warning though, there are cattle mutilations and dead animals in this story. The deaths happen all off page, so you only see the remains, but Mr. McBride does go in to a lot of details about what the dead bodies look like or how they were killed. I have an easier time when it happens off page like this, but I just like to give out a warning whenever there is any sort of animal deaths in a book. I know there are other people out there like me who draw the line at animal deaths, especially pet deaths.
My biggest problem with this story is that it was just too damn short!! I flew through it in just a couple of hours and I didn’t want it to end! There were so many things I wanted to know at the end about these creatures and their history as well as their future! I wish it had been a full length novel instead of a novella. Unidentified took a common alien topic of cattle mutilations and really gave it a fresh, unique take. Man, this book would make a pretty epic movie! 😮
I really enjoy this authors work and Unidentified was just as fun to read as his other stories. Fans of aliens and creatures definitely should check this out! It’s a very quick read and totally worth looking in to! There is a decent amount of gory and animal deaths in this novella, so just be ready for that if it is something you are not a huge fan of. A very unique take on aliens and it was a rather creepy little story.
"Four teenagers awaken in a scorched cornfield with no memory of how they got there. All they know is that there were five of them when they found the carcass of the mutilated cow. Forty years later, Eric Devlin sends a cryptic email to the other three survivors: I remember everything. Karl Doering has spent the majority of his life trying to understand what happened that night and learn the fate of his missing friend. He responds to the mysterious message and finds that Eric has killed himself in a decrepit barn, behind which is a cornfield filled with mutilated cattle. When a local girl goes missing, Karl realizes that he and the other two survivors are her only hope. To find her they must confront repressed memories so traumatic they’d driven Eric to take his own life…and creatures straight out of their worst nightmares."
Unidentified did not disappoint. It was a super quick read, clocking in at 86 pages (for the kindle edition). This novella had a great plot. At the end, when it was finally revealed as to what was out in that corn field… CREEPY!! The chapters zig zag back and forth between present time and 40 years ago when the main characters were teenagers. The story of what happened when they were kids reveals itself piece by piece as the present time closely mirrors those long ago events. At first it took me a few chapters to wrap my head around that sort of play by play, but after I got used to it, it was not a problem.
This story was DARK. Don’t expect a happy ending with this one, because you aren’t going to get it. It is pretty messed up from the very first chapter. There is a decent amount of gore, but it is not overly gory. Warning though, there are cattle mutilations and dead animals in this story. The deaths happen all off page, so you only see the remains, but Mr. McBride does go in to a lot of details about what the dead bodies look like or how they were killed. I have an easier time when it happens off page like this, but I just like to give out a warning whenever there is any sort of animal deaths in a book. I know there are other people out there like me who draw the line at animal deaths, especially pet deaths.
My biggest problem with this story is that it was just too damn short!! I flew through it in just a couple of hours and I didn’t want it to end! There were so many things I wanted to know at the end about these creatures and their history as well as their future! I wish it had been a full length novel instead of a novella. Unidentified took a common alien topic of cattle mutilations and really gave it a fresh, unique take. Man, this book would make a pretty epic movie! 😮
I really enjoy this authors work and Unidentified was just as fun to read as his other stories. Fans of aliens and creatures definitely should check this out! It’s a very quick read and totally worth looking in to! There is a decent amount of gory and animal deaths in this novella, so just be ready for that if it is something you are not a huge fan of. A very unique take on aliens and it was a rather creepy little story.
November 25, 2017
Not sure what to say about this one. McBride has great talent into letting the read think they know where the story is going and then brilliantly blindsiding them with something unexpected.
All in all, a great, unsettling story.
All in all, a great, unsettling story.
February 15, 2019
The opening scene is from 40 years ago. A group of friends slowly regain consciousness, battered and confused about what had happened to them. Flash forward 40 years and the suicide of one of the group. The event brings them back to the place they’d hoped never to return to. It was time to dust off the buried memories they couldn’t outrun and once and for all put an end to them.
This is a fairly short story and I think that worked well. I was quickly filled in on past events and the author kept the momentum of the story moving right along as the story leapt to the present and the scary stuff began.
Ever wondered about those reported cattle mutilations? Does the government know who or what is behind them? Michael McBride took those elements and gave me quite the scary read. He also kept me guessing. What really happened to all of those missing people? Was it aliens or wasn’t it?
As the childhood friends meet up 40 years later they have their own set of questions. Did they stop it all those years ago or did whoever or whatever was doing the killings just learn to hide their actions better? How could they not be discovered? This is where it got particularly creepy. As the characters get their answers so did I, and they weren’t what I was expecting. I leapt to one conclusion and then to another and back again.
I wish I could share how it all ends. Another surprise.
Did I enjoy Unidentified? Yes, I did. Especially when the story took a surprising and creepy turn. Would I recommend it? Sure enough. It’s a fun spin on alien’s that would make a great movie.
I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
This is a fairly short story and I think that worked well. I was quickly filled in on past events and the author kept the momentum of the story moving right along as the story leapt to the present and the scary stuff began.
Ever wondered about those reported cattle mutilations? Does the government know who or what is behind them? Michael McBride took those elements and gave me quite the scary read. He also kept me guessing. What really happened to all of those missing people? Was it aliens or wasn’t it?
As the childhood friends meet up 40 years later they have their own set of questions. Did they stop it all those years ago or did whoever or whatever was doing the killings just learn to hide their actions better? How could they not be discovered? This is where it got particularly creepy. As the characters get their answers so did I, and they weren’t what I was expecting. I leapt to one conclusion and then to another and back again.
I wish I could share how it all ends. Another surprise.
Did I enjoy Unidentified? Yes, I did. Especially when the story took a surprising and creepy turn. Would I recommend it? Sure enough. It’s a fun spin on alien’s that would make a great movie.
I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
January 5, 2019
Creepy and claustrophobic alien story
A very scary encounter with aliens. A very creepy mix of science fiction and horror. It was a fast read that I would recommend to those looking for a thrilling creature story.
A very scary encounter with aliens. A very creepy mix of science fiction and horror. It was a fast read that I would recommend to those looking for a thrilling creature story.
Read
August 26, 2018DNF. Not a fan of narration and couldn't slip into the story.
June 5, 2025
3.5/5 rounded
don't ever go into a corn field.
don't ever go into a corn field.
June 22, 2020
Full of some riveting horror descriptions, but I didn't find the narrative structure that oscillated back and forth between present and past compelling. Think it would have been better structured as a frame so that we could inhabit each situation for an extended time and then let them reflect on each other. Excellent writing.
January 17, 2017
Unidentified is exactly what you would expect from Michael McBride, and this is not a bad thing. It is a ripping good yarn with great characters, an imaginative creature, and tons of real world research to back up the fictional (?) story.
The story follows Karl and his childhood friends as they start to recover memories of something that happened to them in their teens. The narrative moves back and forth in time so that the reader can make the discovery at the same time as the characters. This is not a unique structure for a horror tale but when done right, as in this case, it makes the novella even more exciting.
Michael McBride fans will have a new favorite to enjoy and anyone with an interest in crytozoological fiction should get this (along with Mr. McBride's other works) right away. 5 stars, highly recommended.
The story follows Karl and his childhood friends as they start to recover memories of something that happened to them in their teens. The narrative moves back and forth in time so that the reader can make the discovery at the same time as the characters. This is not a unique structure for a horror tale but when done right, as in this case, it makes the novella even more exciting.
Michael McBride fans will have a new favorite to enjoy and anyone with an interest in crytozoological fiction should get this (along with Mr. McBride's other works) right away. 5 stars, highly recommended.
January 3, 2019
This is a great horror novelette - short, entertaining, and very effective with it's scares. There's a bit of IT to it in the way, but not enough that it's in any way derivative.
Lots of fun, and good for those of us who prefer our aliens terrifying and dream-haunting.
Lots of fun, and good for those of us who prefer our aliens terrifying and dream-haunting.
August 18, 2024
2,5*
A group of four friends see some strange lights over a field and want to find out what it is all about. They wake up in a cornfield with no memory of what happened and one of them is missing. In that cornfield they also found the mutilated body of a cow.
Forty years later, Eric Devlin sends a cryptic email to the other three. I remember everything.
Now as adults, they return to their hometown because kids are going missing again and animals are being mutilated. Just like forty years ago.
The concept and the idea for this scifi horror is really good and I really enjoyed some of the horror aspects of it. We have a group of friends forced to return to their hometown to face an evil they had contact with forty years ago. By relieving their trauma and remembering what happened, they want to end this once and for all before more people get hurt.
This novella was told through a dual timeline and the chapters are short so jumping back and forth so much made it a bit choppy and I didn’t have enough time to connect with the characters at all.
A group of four friends see some strange lights over a field and want to find out what it is all about. They wake up in a cornfield with no memory of what happened and one of them is missing. In that cornfield they also found the mutilated body of a cow.
Forty years later, Eric Devlin sends a cryptic email to the other three. I remember everything.
Now as adults, they return to their hometown because kids are going missing again and animals are being mutilated. Just like forty years ago.
The concept and the idea for this scifi horror is really good and I really enjoyed some of the horror aspects of it. We have a group of friends forced to return to their hometown to face an evil they had contact with forty years ago. By relieving their trauma and remembering what happened, they want to end this once and for all before more people get hurt.
This novella was told through a dual timeline and the chapters are short so jumping back and forth so much made it a bit choppy and I didn’t have enough time to connect with the characters at all.
December 18, 2019
McBride can weave a great short story. I really enjoyed this.
Great narration.
Great narration.
July 10, 2018
A surprise ending I kinda wasnt expecting.
December 31, 2018
You can always count on McBride to deliver a tight and memorable story. "Unidentified" is no exception. Glad to see this book reissued after DarkFuse's closure.
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