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Mail Order Massacres #1
Just Add Water
GROW AMAZING LIVE SEA SERPENTS!
It’s fun! It’s easy! They only cost a measly dollar. Just clip out the ad in your comic book. Then ask Mom to mail it in. A few weeks later, receive a packet of instant Sea Serpent dust. Then:
Just add water . . . and watch them grow!
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
Just ask David and Patrick. Their “instant pets” are instant duds. They don’t hatch, they don’t grow, they don’t do anything. So they dump them into the sewer where Dad pours toxic chemicals . . .
WAIT UNTIL FEEDING TIME.
It’s been years since David and Patrick thought about those Sea Serpents. But now, small animals are disappearing in the neighborhood. Strange slimy creatures are rising from the sewers. And once the screaming starts, David and Patrick realize that their childhood pets really did come to life. With a vengeance. They’re enormous . . . and have a ravenous hunger for human flesh . . .
It’s fun! It’s easy! They only cost a measly dollar. Just clip out the ad in your comic book. Then ask Mom to mail it in. A few weeks later, receive a packet of instant Sea Serpent dust. Then:
Just add water . . . and watch them grow!
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
Just ask David and Patrick. Their “instant pets” are instant duds. They don’t hatch, they don’t grow, they don’t do anything. So they dump them into the sewer where Dad pours toxic chemicals . . .
WAIT UNTIL FEEDING TIME.
It’s been years since David and Patrick thought about those Sea Serpents. But now, small animals are disappearing in the neighborhood. Strange slimy creatures are rising from the sewers. And once the screaming starts, David and Patrick realize that their childhood pets really did come to life. With a vengeance. They’re enormous . . . and have a ravenous hunger for human flesh . . .
91 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 13, 2017
23 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
Hunter Shea
66 books1,008 followersHunter Shea is the author of over 25 books, with a specialization in cryptozoological horror that includes The Jersey Devil, The Dover Demon, Loch Ness Revenge and many others. As part of the new horror line at Flame Tree Press, his novel Creature has gained critical acclaim. His novel, The Montauk Monster, was named one of the best reads of the summer by Publishers Weekly. A trip to the International Cryptozoology Museum will find several of his cryptid books among the fascinating displays. Living in a true haunted house inspired his Jessica Backman: Death in the Afterlife series (Forest of Shadows, Sinister Entity and Island of the Forbidden). In 2011, he was selected to be a part of the launch of Samhain Publishing’s new horror line alongside legendary author Ramsey Campbell. When he’s not writing thrillers and horror, he also spins tall tales for middle grade readers on Amazon’s highly regarded Rapids reading app.
An avid podcaster, he can be seen and heard on Monster Men, one of the longest running video horror podcasts in the world, and Final Guys, focusing on weekly movie and book reviews. His nostalgic column about the magic of 80s horror, Video Visions, is featured monthly at Cemetery Dance Online. You can find his short stories in a number of anthologies, including Chopping Block Party, The Body Horror Book and Fearful Fathoms II.
A lifetime New Yorker, Hunter is supported by his loving wife and two beautiful daughters. When he’s not studying up on cryptozoology, he’s an avid explorer of the unknown, having spent a night alone on the Queen Mary, searching for the Warren’s famous White Lady of the Union Cemetery and other mysterious places.
You can follow his travails at www.huntershea.com.
An avid podcaster, he can be seen and heard on Monster Men, one of the longest running video horror podcasts in the world, and Final Guys, focusing on weekly movie and book reviews. His nostalgic column about the magic of 80s horror, Video Visions, is featured monthly at Cemetery Dance Online. You can find his short stories in a number of anthologies, including Chopping Block Party, The Body Horror Book and Fearful Fathoms II.
A lifetime New Yorker, Hunter is supported by his loving wife and two beautiful daughters. When he’s not studying up on cryptozoology, he’s an avid explorer of the unknown, having spent a night alone on the Queen Mary, searching for the Warren’s famous White Lady of the Union Cemetery and other mysterious places.
You can follow his travails at www.huntershea.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
April 7, 2017
When David and Patrick order Amazing Sea Serpents from the ad in the back of a Wonder Woman comic, they wait 6-8 weeks to receive an envelope of disappointment in the mail. However, when they dump the Amazing Sea Serpents down the sewer, they get more than their money's worth.
I'd pre-ordered this, fueled by nostalgic memories of Sea Monkey ads in the backs of comics back in the day and my fandom of Hunter Shea. Imagine my delight when it popped up on Netgalley AND I got approved for it.
Just Add Water is another one of Hunter Shea's lovably gory creature features. David and Patrick are junior high kids at the dawn of the 1980s. Like many of us who were comic nerds in the days before such a thing was fashionable, the ad for some amazing anthropomorphic pets caught their eyes. Unlike most of us, they actually ordered them. Turns out, what they got was monster eggs.
Just Add Water feels like an 80's kids' monster movie, like The Monster Squad, only with a much higher body count and ten times as much gore. While there's a dose of nostalgia, it's so smeared in gore that it's soon unrecognizable. And the early 80s nostalgia isn't limited to comics and TV. There's also a key party that goes horribly, horribly wrong.
Hunter Shea's writing continues to entertain the shit out of me. I'm convinced we would have been buds back in our younger days due to our mutual interests in comics, cryptids, and monsters in general. Now if he'd just lift that damn restraining order...
Just Add Water is a horror novella that is a hell of a lot of bloody fun. I can't wait to read the next installment in the loosely connected series, Optical Delusion. Four out of five stars.
I'd pre-ordered this, fueled by nostalgic memories of Sea Monkey ads in the backs of comics back in the day and my fandom of Hunter Shea. Imagine my delight when it popped up on Netgalley AND I got approved for it.
Just Add Water is another one of Hunter Shea's lovably gory creature features. David and Patrick are junior high kids at the dawn of the 1980s. Like many of us who were comic nerds in the days before such a thing was fashionable, the ad for some amazing anthropomorphic pets caught their eyes. Unlike most of us, they actually ordered them. Turns out, what they got was monster eggs.
Just Add Water feels like an 80's kids' monster movie, like The Monster Squad, only with a much higher body count and ten times as much gore. While there's a dose of nostalgia, it's so smeared in gore that it's soon unrecognizable. And the early 80s nostalgia isn't limited to comics and TV. There's also a key party that goes horribly, horribly wrong.
Hunter Shea's writing continues to entertain the shit out of me. I'm convinced we would have been buds back in our younger days due to our mutual interests in comics, cryptids, and monsters in general. Now if he'd just lift that damn restraining order...
Just Add Water is a horror novella that is a hell of a lot of bloody fun. I can't wait to read the next installment in the loosely connected series, Optical Delusion. Four out of five stars.
May 8, 2017
I loved the crap out of this and I'm gonna ramble. (Like normal)
First of all this is not Wonder Woman's fault! Wonder Woman is freaking the most awesomeness of all the awesome of the world. I'll tell me friend Erica on you if you don't agree..and you can see here what happens when you mess with Wonder Woman.
Second of all, my stingy parents would never let me order these:
How could you not let your comic book loving kid have a set of these? I just knew I was missing out on the greatest thing ever. I would have had my own little family of cuteness. But no, I was deprived.
Just look at the cuteness.
This book destroyed my dream. Sea Monkeys didn't turn out like the comic book ad said they would.( That they CUT OUT of a Wonder Woman comic-the injustice)
They turned out very boring. And stanky. So the two boys in the story take them to the sewer and just dump those smelly suckers in.
Then pets in the town start to go missing.
Then a sexy time party ends up going way different than sexy times.
It's a bad time in this town.
You would think I would learn my lesson wouldn't you? Nah, I'm a cool mom so a few months ago I got the dino loving boy child something really awesome.
Guess what we are doing!!
Don't worry. If it goes wrong we can always find an alternative use for them.
Now I see that Hunter Shea is doing a little preview at the end for some of those X-ray glasses into a story. Yes, please! I would have taken over the world with a pair of those. Thanks Mom.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
First of all this is not Wonder Woman's fault! Wonder Woman is freaking the most awesomeness of all the awesome of the world. I'll tell me friend Erica on you if you don't agree..and you can see here what happens when you mess with Wonder Woman.
Second of all, my stingy parents would never let me order these:
How could you not let your comic book loving kid have a set of these? I just knew I was missing out on the greatest thing ever. I would have had my own little family of cuteness. But no, I was deprived.
Just look at the cuteness.
This book destroyed my dream. Sea Monkeys didn't turn out like the comic book ad said they would.( That they CUT OUT of a Wonder Woman comic-the injustice)
They turned out very boring. And stanky. So the two boys in the story take them to the sewer and just dump those smelly suckers in.
Then pets in the town start to go missing.
Then a sexy time party ends up going way different than sexy times.
It's a bad time in this town.
You would think I would learn my lesson wouldn't you? Nah, I'm a cool mom so a few months ago I got the dino loving boy child something really awesome.
Guess what we are doing!!
Don't worry. If it goes wrong we can always find an alternative use for them.
Now I see that Hunter Shea is doing a little preview at the end for some of those X-ray glasses into a story. Yes, please! I would have taken over the world with a pair of those. Thanks Mom.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
April 27, 2017
Amazing sea monkeys!! Remember those ads in the back of comic books? Didn't you always want them? I know I did. But my mean smart parents never let me order them because they were a "waste of money." That's what David and Patrick's parents told them too, but they ordered them anyway. Just Add Water is the story of what happened next.
This novella read so fast and was so much fun that I almost read it all in one sitting. It's exactly what a creature feature fan wants in a story. Lots of action? Check! High body count? Check! Lots of blood and gore? Check! This tale has the added bonus of being set in the 80's, and 80's nostalgia works for me.
All in all, I say "head's up" creature feature fans! This one is not to be missed! I highly recommend it!
Available June 13th, but you can pre-order your copy here: Just Add Water
*Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/Random House for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
This novella read so fast and was so much fun that I almost read it all in one sitting. It's exactly what a creature feature fan wants in a story. Lots of action? Check! High body count? Check! Lots of blood and gore? Check! This tale has the added bonus of being set in the 80's, and 80's nostalgia works for me.
All in all, I say "head's up" creature feature fans! This one is not to be missed! I highly recommend it!
Available June 13th, but you can pre-order your copy here: Just Add Water
*Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/Random House for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
April 23, 2017
OMG this was some hellishly wicked fun horror, like straight out of 1980's B-Movies with kids as protagonists and creepy crawlies ALL OVER SUBURBIA eating EVERYONE.
I mean, seriously, back in the day, I'd have gone NUTS over this if I'd watched this movie. So much blood and guts and sly humor and light commentary, this is pretty much a CLASSIC that brings me back to the goriest of all the cheese of my youth.
Classic, I say. :)
It's short and sweet and I'd go total cult-classic all over this if it had been made into a flick. Seriously. :)
For all you people who wanted something kinda like Stranger Things only turned into a straight alligator in the sewer story that eats practically everyone, STOP LOOKING. It's here! Have fun! :) :)
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!
I mean, seriously, back in the day, I'd have gone NUTS over this if I'd watched this movie. So much blood and guts and sly humor and light commentary, this is pretty much a CLASSIC that brings me back to the goriest of all the cheese of my youth.
Classic, I say. :)
It's short and sweet and I'd go total cult-classic all over this if it had been made into a flick. Seriously. :)
For all you people who wanted something kinda like Stranger Things only turned into a straight alligator in the sewer story that eats practically everyone, STOP LOOKING. It's here! Have fun! :) :)
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!
April 25, 2017
Tuckerville Road was as quiet as a cemetary at night, and filled with just as many bodies.
Lessons from this book: it's all Wonder Woman's fault and 80s kids rock (I already knew that because I am an 80s kid but now we have proof) since they aren't such dependent whiny asses like the kids nowadays - 80s kids get shit done! WASABI!!!
Seriously, anyone who ever enjoyed any monster movie will love this novella about how an innocent little purchase with a comicbook coupon went completely wrong.
I loved the kids (they were full-on comicbook nerds and it was delightful; also, they didn't just take old people's money, they really wanted to earn it!); the town had the right kind of 80s feel to it; and the blood and gore was EXCELLENT! :D
The only thing I would have wished for was a sentence or two more as an ending (it was very abrupt and left me with some questions like ).
Nevertheless, I had enormous fun reading this and will definitely check out more stories by this author - monsters for the win!!!
Lessons from this book: it's all Wonder Woman's fault and 80s kids rock (I already knew that because I am an 80s kid but now we have proof) since they aren't such dependent whiny asses like the kids nowadays - 80s kids get shit done! WASABI!!!
Seriously, anyone who ever enjoyed any monster movie will love this novella about how an innocent little purchase with a comicbook coupon went completely wrong.
I loved the kids (they were full-on comicbook nerds and it was delightful; also, they didn't just take old people's money, they really wanted to earn it!); the town had the right kind of 80s feel to it; and the blood and gore was EXCELLENT! :D
The only thing I would have wished for was a sentence or two more as an ending (it was very abrupt and left me with some questions like ).
Nevertheless, I had enormous fun reading this and will definitely check out more stories by this author - monsters for the win!!!
April 28, 2017
Hunter Shea's latest novella is an 80's creature-feature that put me in mind of the great "B" horror movies--action packed, with page after page of nonstop gore. In short, just the type of book to pick up when you want to escape reality for a while and just "enjoy" the ride.
Young comic book enthusiasts, David and Patrick, go into a store intending to purchase some new editions to add to their already considerable comic collections. Disappointed to find that the only one out that they haven't already read is a Wonder Woman, the best friends buy it to avoid going home empty handed. While ultimately disappointed with the book, they spy an advertisement in it for "Amazing Sea Serpents". Intrigued by the pictures of an underwater community, they cut out the ad and send for them.
Let down by the few sperm-like creations that actually hatch, and disgusted by the noxious smell coming from some black balls that have settled to the bottom of the small tank, the boys dispose of the sea "serpents" by dumping them down the sewer grate--which smells almost as bad as its latest treasure. Lesson learned: ". . . And no more Wonder Woman . . . "
Only the sludge in the sewer seems to bring life out of the little black balls . . .
"The black wads of snot from the Amazing Sea Serpent tank were no longer lifeless balls . . . "
From that point on, Shea ramps up the action with hideous, fast growing creatures and racks up the body count all over the entire town. A race for survival brings the boys to a fast food restaurant chef that translates the foreign inscription from the sea serpent package.
You do not understand. What you have hatched were Hakuri, the demon lizards of Hatsukaichi . . . "
With a blend of dark comedy, Shea leaves the two young boys to survive on their own, while simultaneously allowing the black creatures to thrive by eating every living thing they encounter.
Once again, a "fun gore-fest" with a twist on the "sea monkey" kits marketed today.
Recommended!
Young comic book enthusiasts, David and Patrick, go into a store intending to purchase some new editions to add to their already considerable comic collections. Disappointed to find that the only one out that they haven't already read is a Wonder Woman, the best friends buy it to avoid going home empty handed. While ultimately disappointed with the book, they spy an advertisement in it for "Amazing Sea Serpents". Intrigued by the pictures of an underwater community, they cut out the ad and send for them.
Let down by the few sperm-like creations that actually hatch, and disgusted by the noxious smell coming from some black balls that have settled to the bottom of the small tank, the boys dispose of the sea "serpents" by dumping them down the sewer grate--which smells almost as bad as its latest treasure. Lesson learned: ". . . And no more Wonder Woman . . . "
Only the sludge in the sewer seems to bring life out of the little black balls . . .
"The black wads of snot from the Amazing Sea Serpent tank were no longer lifeless balls . . . "
From that point on, Shea ramps up the action with hideous, fast growing creatures and racks up the body count all over the entire town. A race for survival brings the boys to a fast food restaurant chef that translates the foreign inscription from the sea serpent package.
You do not understand. What you have hatched were Hakuri, the demon lizards of Hatsukaichi . . . "
With a blend of dark comedy, Shea leaves the two young boys to survive on their own, while simultaneously allowing the black creatures to thrive by eating every living thing they encounter.
Once again, a "fun gore-fest" with a twist on the "sea monkey" kits marketed today.
Recommended!
June 16, 2017
Just Add Water (Mail Order Massacres) by Hunter Shea is a fun retro horror short story. At first I thought this would be a horror book for middle grade kids until I got further into it and I hit a couple of paragraphs that certainly would not be suited for kids. Then came some graphic gore, then I realized it was not a mistake, it was an adult horror and I was the one mistaken. Imagine that? I think without the couple of paragraphs and tone down the gore, it would be a great middle grade kids book too. But due to that little bit extra, it certainly is an adult book and a good one too. Great characters, some predictable suspense but fun, an enjoyable plot, great bits of humor thrown in, and pretty good for a short story. It is set in the 1980's around a couple of 13 year old boys, their comic books, baseball, and this misadventure. I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher to allow me to read this fun book.
September 5, 2017
At first was I surprised how short this story is. I had expected a book and got a novella. And, that's perfectly alright because the story is fast, furious and brutal. If you have a problem with pets and kids getting brutally attacked and eaten is this not a book for you. But, if you are a horror fan with a penchant for gruesome deaths, then you're in for a treat.
One thing I thought of while reading this book was when the "sea serpents" had grown and started to hunt people did David and Patrick find someone that could tell them how to stop them. Have you seen the movie Evolution from 2001 with David Duchovny? The way they stopped the alien organism? The solution in this novella made me think of that. LOL
Just Add Water is just the gruesome kind of story that I've come to expect from Hunter Shea. The reason it doesn't get the 4-star rating is that it's not really as entertaining and gruesome as The Jersey Devil, my so far favorite book by Shea. But, it's still an awesome novella.
Now I can't wait to read the sequel: Optical Delusion: OPEN YOUR EYES WITH “X-RAY” VISION!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
One thing I thought of while reading this book was when the "sea serpents" had grown and started to hunt people did David and Patrick find someone that could tell them how to stop them. Have you seen the movie Evolution from 2001 with David Duchovny? The way they stopped the alien organism? The solution in this novella made me think of that. LOL
Just Add Water is just the gruesome kind of story that I've come to expect from Hunter Shea. The reason it doesn't get the 4-star rating is that it's not really as entertaining and gruesome as The Jersey Devil, my so far favorite book by Shea. But, it's still an awesome novella.
Now I can't wait to read the sequel: Optical Delusion: OPEN YOUR EYES WITH “X-RAY” VISION!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
April 27, 2017
When I'm in the mood for some fun, creature-feature horror, Hunter Shea has become my automatic go-to.
Just Add Water is the first in a series of novellas by Shea from Kensington Publishing revolving around the concept of those items for sale at the back of comic books from back in the day. Stuff like automatic muscles, space rockets, and X-Ray eyes. In the first of these Mail Order Massacres, Patrick and David, flush with pocket money, decide to ignore their parent's warnings of ordering rip-off junk from the funny pages and splurge on a set of Amazing Sea Serpents. What arrives in the mail is far cry from what they had expected.
This is a brief novella, and Shea rockets the reader through from beginning to end. He doesn't waste much time getting the monsters rampaging through a sleepy Manhattan suburb, and the crazy goes full tilt in short order. There's plenty of violence and mayhem as things ramp up, but the main focus here is on fun.
Set in 1980, Shea's story recalled for me a lot of those fun, youth-driven monster movies of the era, stuff like Gremlins and The Monster Squad. This sucker is just pure, smooth entertainment from start to finish.
[Note: I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]
Just Add Water is the first in a series of novellas by Shea from Kensington Publishing revolving around the concept of those items for sale at the back of comic books from back in the day. Stuff like automatic muscles, space rockets, and X-Ray eyes. In the first of these Mail Order Massacres, Patrick and David, flush with pocket money, decide to ignore their parent's warnings of ordering rip-off junk from the funny pages and splurge on a set of Amazing Sea Serpents. What arrives in the mail is far cry from what they had expected.
This is a brief novella, and Shea rockets the reader through from beginning to end. He doesn't waste much time getting the monsters rampaging through a sleepy Manhattan suburb, and the crazy goes full tilt in short order. There's plenty of violence and mayhem as things ramp up, but the main focus here is on fun.
Set in 1980, Shea's story recalled for me a lot of those fun, youth-driven monster movies of the era, stuff like Gremlins and The Monster Squad. This sucker is just pure, smooth entertainment from start to finish.
[Note: I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]
September 11, 2020
Wow! What a fun action packed gory ride!
When you were a kid any kind of pets would make you happy, right? Maybe even "sea serpents" for pets?
A little backstory:
David and Patrick saw an advertisement on the back of a comic book where they could order sea serpents along with a tank and have them as pets. So they ordered it and waited for the package to arrive. They did not tell their parents as they knew their parents would not approve, so they kept it a secret.
When the package arrives the boys were disappointed as it wasn't what they thought and when they opened it they realized it was too much trouble as they had to not only water the sea serpents to make them grow they were also going to have to feed them. The boys found out that it was a waste of money, so they decided to throw the whole thing down in the sewer outside on the street to get rid of it.
What they didn't know was throwing it in the sewer was the worst thing they could have done as since the sea serpents thrived in water it became the perfect breeding ground for them. When the sea serpents became hungry they wanted more than what was running around in the sewer system and they decided to venture out of the sewer in search of better food: Humans. The town topside is full of them and that becomes their buffet.
This book was a wild ride of horror, blood, and gore!
No one is safe from these creatures as they run rampant through the town! Even though this was a short story it packs a bloody punch and as with any Hunter Shea book, you are going to be captivated by the action within as the author lets the creatures in his mind run free and lets them cause destruction within the story! I read this book within a day and I couldn't hardly put it down! Five stars for entertaining action and bloody fun!
When you were a kid any kind of pets would make you happy, right? Maybe even "sea serpents" for pets?
A little backstory:
David and Patrick saw an advertisement on the back of a comic book where they could order sea serpents along with a tank and have them as pets. So they ordered it and waited for the package to arrive. They did not tell their parents as they knew their parents would not approve, so they kept it a secret.
When the package arrives the boys were disappointed as it wasn't what they thought and when they opened it they realized it was too much trouble as they had to not only water the sea serpents to make them grow they were also going to have to feed them. The boys found out that it was a waste of money, so they decided to throw the whole thing down in the sewer outside on the street to get rid of it.
What they didn't know was throwing it in the sewer was the worst thing they could have done as since the sea serpents thrived in water it became the perfect breeding ground for them. When the sea serpents became hungry they wanted more than what was running around in the sewer system and they decided to venture out of the sewer in search of better food: Humans. The town topside is full of them and that becomes their buffet.
This book was a wild ride of horror, blood, and gore!
No one is safe from these creatures as they run rampant through the town! Even though this was a short story it packs a bloody punch and as with any Hunter Shea book, you are going to be captivated by the action within as the author lets the creatures in his mind run free and lets them cause destruction within the story! I read this book within a day and I couldn't hardly put it down! Five stars for entertaining action and bloody fun!
April 29, 2017
I don't like to say that he's my favorite 'mindless read' because it sounds borderline offensive, but Hunter Shea has quickly become my go-to for when I want a well-done monster flick in the form of a book. He pulls of a fast-paced, creature feature in a way that not only makes it seem damn near plausible but that you morbidly almost want to happen.
As someone who liked to repeat the same mistake with AMAZING LIVE SEA-MONKEYS! Or in my case, amazingly dead brine shrimp... Just Add Water was right up my alley. I felt the same excitement with their AMAZING LIVE SEA SERPENTS! and same letdown when they also succumb to false advertising... Or do they? When neighborhood pets start go missing and then neighbors, it doesn't take long for the 'why' to rear its ugly head. An ugly head--and body-- that look amazingly similar to their would-be pets...
This was a short but fun read that was everything I could have hoped for and more. I'm told this is the first in a series of amazing 'back of comic goods' stories and cannot freaking wait for the next ones. So no, Hunter Shea isn't mindless, but he is fun and a nice break from reality with some wicked-nasty monsters up his sleeve.
I received this e-ARC from Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As someone who liked to repeat the same mistake with AMAZING LIVE SEA-MONKEYS! Or in my case, amazingly dead brine shrimp... Just Add Water was right up my alley. I felt the same excitement with their AMAZING LIVE SEA SERPENTS! and same letdown when they also succumb to false advertising... Or do they? When neighborhood pets start go missing and then neighbors, it doesn't take long for the 'why' to rear its ugly head. An ugly head--and body-- that look amazingly similar to their would-be pets...
This was a short but fun read that was everything I could have hoped for and more. I'm told this is the first in a series of amazing 'back of comic goods' stories and cannot freaking wait for the next ones. So no, Hunter Shea isn't mindless, but he is fun and a nice break from reality with some wicked-nasty monsters up his sleeve.
I received this e-ARC from Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 23, 2017
Short and sweet and fantastic fun. Gruesome and funny in equal amounts.
David and Patrick are teenage friends and big comic collectors. When searching for their latest purchase in a store, the only comic that they don't have is a Wonder Woman one so they buy it.
At the back in the ads section there's an ad for "Amazing Sea Serpents". Only $5, you get a tank and everything.
So the guys order it for the laugh and a few weeks later the parcel turns up. They follow the instructions, fill the tank with tepid water, add the sachet of seeds that contain the sea serpents. The instructions say leave it a week to add the food sachet. After a couple of days there is no sign of life so they decide to add the food early. After a week, all they have are what look like moth balls at the bottom of the tank and they stink like hell.
Fed up with the whole thing the boys dump the contents down into public drains, disappointed that they have been duped.
A few days later and they start to notice a lot of signs for missing pets in the community. Yes the Sea Serpents have grown in the sewers, feeding on the rats and now they've escaped the sewers and are on the rampage! Can the two boys right the situation before the whole town is eaten?
This is a novella rather than a novel. It doesn't overstay it's welcome but gets the job done perfectly. It's like old school monster horror and gore with splatterings of humour. It's just great fun. Very gory but fantastically entertaining and funny. I lapped it up and had a blast for the duration of this short read.
Thoroughly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Hunter Shea for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
David and Patrick are teenage friends and big comic collectors. When searching for their latest purchase in a store, the only comic that they don't have is a Wonder Woman one so they buy it.
At the back in the ads section there's an ad for "Amazing Sea Serpents". Only $5, you get a tank and everything.
So the guys order it for the laugh and a few weeks later the parcel turns up. They follow the instructions, fill the tank with tepid water, add the sachet of seeds that contain the sea serpents. The instructions say leave it a week to add the food sachet. After a couple of days there is no sign of life so they decide to add the food early. After a week, all they have are what look like moth balls at the bottom of the tank and they stink like hell.
Fed up with the whole thing the boys dump the contents down into public drains, disappointed that they have been duped.
A few days later and they start to notice a lot of signs for missing pets in the community. Yes the Sea Serpents have grown in the sewers, feeding on the rats and now they've escaped the sewers and are on the rampage! Can the two boys right the situation before the whole town is eaten?
This is a novella rather than a novel. It doesn't overstay it's welcome but gets the job done perfectly. It's like old school monster horror and gore with splatterings of humour. It's just great fun. Very gory but fantastically entertaining and funny. I lapped it up and had a blast for the duration of this short read.
Thoroughly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Hunter Shea for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 21, 2017
Hunter Shea is quickly becoming one of my "must read everything he writes" authors which is saying a lot because he is sharing space with some of my favorites such as Stephen King, Joe Hill and Stuart West. I feel "Just Add Water" is best compared to a B-movie horror-fest and I mean that in the best way possible. It's the kind of book you should grab up when you want to escape reality for a while and enjoy some blood, gore and a tad bit of humor all at the same time.
David and Patrick are two comic-obsessed kids who place an order out of an ad in the back of a "Wonder Woman" comic for some amazing sea monkeys. When they arrive, they secretly house them in a garage but when they don't start growing as expected and smell horrific to boot, they flush them down the commode. Flash forward a few years and pets are mysteriously turning up all over the city and in an attempt to help locate them, and maybe more importantly earn some reward money for more comic books, the two discover they may not have seen the last of the nasty smelling sea monkey goo.
The action in "Just Add Water" is pretty much non-stop and it's a book I devoured within the course of 24 hours. I hated to put it down and only did so because life got in the way. I loved the group of kids who work together to take down the sea monkeys and I even loved the gore Shea infused into the tale. And while not a children's book in any fashion, these kids actually have parents - although in some cases I use that term loosely. Oh and I can't forget - let's say I'll never look at wasabi the same way again. If you are a fan of Shea's or just looking for some new horror to try out, I can't stress enough that you should immediately seek out a copy of "Just Add Water" and settle in for some good old-fashioned, gory fun. The next in this series, "Optical Delusion" comes out in August and a wonderful glorious ARC is already waiting for me on my Kindle.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
David and Patrick are two comic-obsessed kids who place an order out of an ad in the back of a "Wonder Woman" comic for some amazing sea monkeys. When they arrive, they secretly house them in a garage but when they don't start growing as expected and smell horrific to boot, they flush them down the commode. Flash forward a few years and pets are mysteriously turning up all over the city and in an attempt to help locate them, and maybe more importantly earn some reward money for more comic books, the two discover they may not have seen the last of the nasty smelling sea monkey goo.
The action in "Just Add Water" is pretty much non-stop and it's a book I devoured within the course of 24 hours. I hated to put it down and only did so because life got in the way. I loved the group of kids who work together to take down the sea monkeys and I even loved the gore Shea infused into the tale. And while not a children's book in any fashion, these kids actually have parents - although in some cases I use that term loosely. Oh and I can't forget - let's say I'll never look at wasabi the same way again. If you are a fan of Shea's or just looking for some new horror to try out, I can't stress enough that you should immediately seek out a copy of "Just Add Water" and settle in for some good old-fashioned, gory fun. The next in this series, "Optical Delusion" comes out in August and a wonderful glorious ARC is already waiting for me on my Kindle.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2017
Review of JUST ADD WATER
by Hunter Shea
I never miss a title by Hunter Shea. No matter what his chosen topic, I'm going to experience a new and different twist on it. I classify JUST ADD WATER—in his MAILORDER MASSACRES Series—in the category of Morality Tale, subcategory “Be Careful What You Wish For.” Another subcategory for it is “Coming of Age: The Hard Way.” Mr. Shea (another author who does this well is Richard Chizmar) eloquently remembers and elucidates the lives and thinking of growing boys, specifically two thirteen-year-olds in this story.
Patrick and David are normal boys in early adolescent, loving baseball and monster films and of course, comic books. Amazingly, they share...and one day, no new comics they love are available, so they buy “Wonder Woman,” which is okay enough but not exciting, so they idly flip through the silly ads...and decide to order the Amazing Sea Serpents. Oh, dear.
“Be careful what you wish for...” The Amazing Sea Serpents disappoint...but unfortunately, the sludge they produce (which the boys think is excrement) is highly susceptible to mutation..with very unfortunate consequences.
by Hunter Shea
I never miss a title by Hunter Shea. No matter what his chosen topic, I'm going to experience a new and different twist on it. I classify JUST ADD WATER—in his MAILORDER MASSACRES Series—in the category of Morality Tale, subcategory “Be Careful What You Wish For.” Another subcategory for it is “Coming of Age: The Hard Way.” Mr. Shea (another author who does this well is Richard Chizmar) eloquently remembers and elucidates the lives and thinking of growing boys, specifically two thirteen-year-olds in this story.
Patrick and David are normal boys in early adolescent, loving baseball and monster films and of course, comic books. Amazingly, they share...and one day, no new comics they love are available, so they buy “Wonder Woman,” which is okay enough but not exciting, so they idly flip through the silly ads...and decide to order the Amazing Sea Serpents. Oh, dear.
“Be careful what you wish for...” The Amazing Sea Serpents disappoint...but unfortunately, the sludge they produce (which the boys think is excrement) is highly susceptible to mutation..with very unfortunate consequences.
April 30, 2021
Move over sea monkeys, there’s a new pet in town
When David and Patrick buy sea serpents from an ad in a Wonder Woman comic, they had no idea the wild ride they had ahead of them!
This novella is so fun! David and Patrick are great characters. I could see (and smell!) all the action. The monsters are scary, there’s plenty of gore, and the solution is genius.
When David and Patrick buy sea serpents from an ad in a Wonder Woman comic, they had no idea the wild ride they had ahead of them!
This novella is so fun! David and Patrick are great characters. I could see (and smell!) all the action. The monsters are scary, there’s plenty of gore, and the solution is genius.
June 16, 2017
This book is, like most Hunter Shea books, a blast cover to cover. If you're looking for serious fun and a super fast read, this is the ticket.
Review coming to HorrorTalk.com soon.
Review coming to HorrorTalk.com soon.
June 5, 2025
GROW AMAZING LIVE SEA SERPENTS! It’s fun! It’s easy! They only cost a measly dollar. Just clip out the ad in your comic book. Then ask Mom to mail it in. A few weeks later, receive a packet of instant Sea Serpent dust. Then: Just add water . . . and watch them grow! WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Just ask David and Patrick. Their “instant pets” are instant duds. They don’t hatch, they don’t grow, they don’t do anything. So they dump them into the sewer where Dad pours toxic chemicals . . .Growing is hard work and they're hungry...BUT IT WILL SOON BE FEEDING TIME.
A good friend that knows how I "feed" on strange and unusual "stuff", but loves me anyway, brought this to me and said... Read this...I heard it calling for you". After finishing this little somewhat bloody treasure, I have to sincerely say that "I HOPE IT DOESN'T KNOW WHERE I LIVE AND IT WILL NEVER, EVER HAVE ANY PLANS TO CALL ON ME"!! But I do have to admit that I loved it, and it brought back some good memories.
Do you remember the ads in the back of your comic book for the most "amazing stuff" that your 11-year-old self ever saw...and for only a mere $1.00 would bring the "amazing stuff" straight to your door!?
This was an absolutely "barrel of fun" read from start to finish. They all in this series; "Mail Order Massacres", appear to be really short little books, most around 100 pages or less, and oh boy...there are A LOT of them. Hunter Shea has been a busy man filling the pages with all this nostalgia and wonder that most all of us remember when we were kids...or our kids were kids.
This story is set in the 1980’s and is sprinkled with songs from that era, which were also a fun memory. The 1980's saw baseball games played in the street, and various "kid’-type" activities that sometimes lead to no good. David and Patrick were true 80's kids. In true "kid fashion" they had no patience waiting for the "Amazing Sea Serpents", that their $1.00 had bought, to grow. They feed them without much happening...that is other than a horrible smell...so they decide to dump them in the gutter. NO, NO, NO... bad move boys...and bad news is just around the corner for everyone. Those little beasts are growing, and you can't help but love the general mayhem that ensued after they were let loose.
There is plenty of horror along with juicy blood and guts along with tense moments. This is the first, but not the last, of Hunter’s book that I've read but I know that he must the KING of cryptids. I actually began to believe that these little monsters were really very cool creations. It was fun discovering their origin and their weakness that let the kids eventually beat them. Not "beat" them right away, of course...they DID NEED TO FEED...and FEED THEY DID!
I liked that the two kids were the main characters and ultimately the ones who battle the sea serpents. Just Add Water had a similar feel to Stephen King's IT with the banding together of "kids against monsters". I am getting the next book in this "Mail Order Massacre series"! I guess all of you know by now that I have a bit of a "Warped Sense of Humor".
A good friend that knows how I "feed" on strange and unusual "stuff", but loves me anyway, brought this to me and said... Read this...I heard it calling for you". After finishing this little somewhat bloody treasure, I have to sincerely say that "I HOPE IT DOESN'T KNOW WHERE I LIVE AND IT WILL NEVER, EVER HAVE ANY PLANS TO CALL ON ME"!! But I do have to admit that I loved it, and it brought back some good memories.
Do you remember the ads in the back of your comic book for the most "amazing stuff" that your 11-year-old self ever saw...and for only a mere $1.00 would bring the "amazing stuff" straight to your door!?
This was an absolutely "barrel of fun" read from start to finish. They all in this series; "Mail Order Massacres", appear to be really short little books, most around 100 pages or less, and oh boy...there are A LOT of them. Hunter Shea has been a busy man filling the pages with all this nostalgia and wonder that most all of us remember when we were kids...or our kids were kids.
This story is set in the 1980’s and is sprinkled with songs from that era, which were also a fun memory. The 1980's saw baseball games played in the street, and various "kid’-type" activities that sometimes lead to no good. David and Patrick were true 80's kids. In true "kid fashion" they had no patience waiting for the "Amazing Sea Serpents", that their $1.00 had bought, to grow. They feed them without much happening...that is other than a horrible smell...so they decide to dump them in the gutter. NO, NO, NO... bad move boys...and bad news is just around the corner for everyone. Those little beasts are growing, and you can't help but love the general mayhem that ensued after they were let loose.
There is plenty of horror along with juicy blood and guts along with tense moments. This is the first, but not the last, of Hunter’s book that I've read but I know that he must the KING of cryptids. I actually began to believe that these little monsters were really very cool creations. It was fun discovering their origin and their weakness that let the kids eventually beat them. Not "beat" them right away, of course...they DID NEED TO FEED...and FEED THEY DID!
I liked that the two kids were the main characters and ultimately the ones who battle the sea serpents. Just Add Water had a similar feel to Stephen King's IT with the banding together of "kids against monsters". I am getting the next book in this "Mail Order Massacre series"! I guess all of you know by now that I have a bit of a "Warped Sense of Humor".
April 26, 2017
When I first saw the cover, I had a strange feeling of déjà vu, as it looks just so similar to the cover of this book I've only recently read:
.
Or maybe this variation on a children's book which I had bookmarked for my son:
.
And while we're at it, another very cute story fitting the out-of-the-box creature books for children is this one (though the cover does not hide much):
But let's get back to 'Just Add Water' and its nasty and very deadly variation of the gremlin theme. Ever heard of those little sea serpents (maybe better known as sea monkeys)? You get an envelope with little flaky stuff which you put in water to grow some little fish-like creatures? I remember them being advertised in the YPS magazine when I was young, and how I loved their funny looks (no, sadly I never actually had some myself). Well, if you know what I'm talking about, you may reconsider reading this book, as it will shatter your cute memories to pieces and reassemble them into a nightmare...
The author wastes little time on the introduction, but goes straight to the core and gore of it. This would make an awesome B-movie, with lots of screaming and blood-splattering and just a little humor to lighten the mood. A fast read which fits the pace of this highly entertaining story perfectly. Got to go now - see if those sea monkeys are still available somewhere...
(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)
.Or maybe this variation on a children's book which I had bookmarked for my son:
.And while we're at it, another very cute story fitting the out-of-the-box creature books for children is this one (though the cover does not hide much):
But let's get back to 'Just Add Water' and its nasty and very deadly variation of the gremlin theme. Ever heard of those little sea serpents (maybe better known as sea monkeys)? You get an envelope with little flaky stuff which you put in water to grow some little fish-like creatures? I remember them being advertised in the YPS magazine when I was young, and how I loved their funny looks (no, sadly I never actually had some myself). Well, if you know what I'm talking about, you may reconsider reading this book, as it will shatter your cute memories to pieces and reassemble them into a nightmare...
The author wastes little time on the introduction, but goes straight to the core and gore of it. This would make an awesome B-movie, with lots of screaming and blood-splattering and just a little humor to lighten the mood. A fast read which fits the pace of this highly entertaining story perfectly. Got to go now - see if those sea monkeys are still available somewhere...
(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)
May 2, 2017
This was a quick, creepy read that once again takes my mind back to classic 80s horror, and I loved it. Having previously read The Jersey Devil by the same author I was hopeful that Just Add Water would be a ridiculous amount of fun to read, and I was not disappointed.
I still remember all those ads in comics and magazines for "sea monkeys" (which were total duds by the way) that showed fantastic tiny sea families frolicking in their little cities. Apparently Hunter Shea remembers them too. Here we have not sea monkeys but sea serpents that will hatch with very little care.. just add water. Of course it doesn't work out that way at all and soon the neighborhood is over run with vicious hungry monsters that eat everything in sight.
I received an advance copy for review.
I still remember all those ads in comics and magazines for "sea monkeys" (which were total duds by the way) that showed fantastic tiny sea families frolicking in their little cities. Apparently Hunter Shea remembers them too. Here we have not sea monkeys but sea serpents that will hatch with very little care.. just add water. Of course it doesn't work out that way at all and soon the neighborhood is over run with vicious hungry monsters that eat everything in sight.
I received an advance copy for review.
May 21, 2017
Somebody get me some salt. A lot of salt. Wait...those aren't slugs. Shit. Get me the salt anyway.
Patrick and David are best buddies. Loves them some comic books. They order some Amazing Sea Serpents! from the ad in the back of a Wonder Woman comic because honestly, who doesn’t want to order Amazing Sea Serpents! from the back of a comic book? Turns out it was a bad idea. Really bad.
A super-fast and bloody monster romp. Maybe too fast. While good and enjoyable, I wanted a little more depth. Not a bunch, I get what this was, but a little more would have been nice. Still a good little horror quickie.
Patrick and David are best buddies. Loves them some comic books. They order some Amazing Sea Serpents! from the ad in the back of a Wonder Woman comic because honestly, who doesn’t want to order Amazing Sea Serpents! from the back of a comic book? Turns out it was a bad idea. Really bad.
A super-fast and bloody monster romp. Maybe too fast. While good and enjoyable, I wanted a little more depth. Not a bunch, I get what this was, but a little more would have been nice. Still a good little horror quickie.
April 13, 2017
4 stars
The year is 1980 and best friends David and Patrick are looking forward to summer vacation. They are thirteen-year olds who love movies, super hero comics, baseball and swimming. They see an ad in one of their comic books for “Amazing Sea Serpents.” It’s only $4.95, so they send for them. After watching them for a week or so during which they do very little and smell an awful lot, they give up and put them down the storm sewer.
Then they basically forget about them until strange things begin to happen in their town. People are dying. They see the monsters for themselves and begin to make the connection to the Amazing Sea Serpents.
This book is a rollicking, fast moving trip down the wild side. It is a fun read. Oh I know it was supposed to be scary, but it was too much fun to be scary. The book is well written and plotted. It moved along nicely and in a straight line. I can just imagine 13-year old boys thinking like Pat and Dave did in the book.
And the secret weapon is just a scream!
I want to thank Netgalley and Kensington Books/Lyrical Underground for forwarding to me a copy of this delightful book to read.
The year is 1980 and best friends David and Patrick are looking forward to summer vacation. They are thirteen-year olds who love movies, super hero comics, baseball and swimming. They see an ad in one of their comic books for “Amazing Sea Serpents.” It’s only $4.95, so they send for them. After watching them for a week or so during which they do very little and smell an awful lot, they give up and put them down the storm sewer.
Then they basically forget about them until strange things begin to happen in their town. People are dying. They see the monsters for themselves and begin to make the connection to the Amazing Sea Serpents.
This book is a rollicking, fast moving trip down the wild side. It is a fun read. Oh I know it was supposed to be scary, but it was too much fun to be scary. The book is well written and plotted. It moved along nicely and in a straight line. I can just imagine 13-year old boys thinking like Pat and Dave did in the book.
And the secret weapon is just a scream!
I want to thank Netgalley and Kensington Books/Lyrical Underground for forwarding to me a copy of this delightful book to read.
October 7, 2017
I’m sure many of you bought them. Those sea monkeys advertised in comic books. I did. And so did a couple of boys.They clip out the order form, fill it out, insert their dollar bill and send it off. When the order arrives and their freeze dried pets don’t hatch and start to stink, they dump them in the sewer.
Yep, you guessed it. Time passes. The creatures hatch. They grow. They crawl out of the sewers. Horrific in ways unimaginable. And then they feed. There goes the neighborhood.
I can always count on Hunter to make me laugh and squirm at the same time. It’s bloody good fun on the level of B- movies. It doesn’t have to be spectacular writing. The author doesn’t have to have his ducks all in a row. He just lets it rip and rip and rip.
If you haven’t tried any of Hunter’s books before, this would be a perfect first read. Not too short or too long and packed full of action.
Yep, you guessed it. Time passes. The creatures hatch. They grow. They crawl out of the sewers. Horrific in ways unimaginable. And then they feed. There goes the neighborhood.
I can always count on Hunter to make me laugh and squirm at the same time. It’s bloody good fun on the level of B- movies. It doesn’t have to be spectacular writing. The author doesn’t have to have his ducks all in a row. He just lets it rip and rip and rip.
If you haven’t tried any of Hunter’s books before, this would be a perfect first read. Not too short or too long and packed full of action.
October 20, 2018
What fun! A word of caution: it's a good thing I never ordered anything from the back of the comic books. I was never interested in the sea serpents, but the ant farms always looked like such fun.
These poor boys have the misfortune of not just getting the sea serpents but then throwing them in the sewer. They have the good luck of having an expert in town that knows something about how to get rid of them.
This short tale (90 pages) was great fun with monster carnage and hero kids. Loved it!
These poor boys have the misfortune of not just getting the sea serpents but then throwing them in the sewer. They have the good luck of having an expert in town that knows something about how to get rid of them.
This short tale (90 pages) was great fun with monster carnage and hero kids. Loved it!
July 3, 2017
3 and 1/2 Stars
Like many of you, I came across author Hunter Shea while surfing the many titles on Amazon. I had just gotten myself...
http://thescarefactor.blogspot.ca/201...
Like many of you, I came across author Hunter Shea while surfing the many titles on Amazon. I had just gotten myself...
http://thescarefactor.blogspot.ca/201...
June 6, 2017
I have read only one other book by Hunter Shea and that was The Jersey Devil which Barb and I buddy read so it just seemed right to buddy read this one. I didn't realize it was a novella till I started reading and finished in the same day which doesn't happen with me often,..lol. Nonetheless, it was a fun cheesy horror book and I will be checking out the next in this Mail Order Massacre series.
David and Patrick are huge comic book collectors and they use all their money they scrap together to get the next ones. When they go to the store to get a new comic they are bummed to find no new comics but Wonder Woman. They are not a huge fan of WW but they get it anyway as it was something new. So when they see an ad in the WW comic for sea serpents they think it would be cool to try it out and they don't mind cutting into that comic cause they were not going to keep it in a plastic sleeve like their others.
When they get them they feel really let down cause nothing really happens, so one day they decide to get rid of them and throw them in the sewer. They forget all about that experiment, meanwhile, those little smelly eggs hatch out some nasty critters. They devour the sewer rats and then move on to bigger things and as they eat they grow then one day they come out and start attacking people. It was like slaughterhouse time and pretty gory.
When the boys realize what those creatures are they find the package with the chinese writing on it and take it to the only man they know who is Asian. He is a Chinese chef and he tells them those were not sea serpents but the Hakuri, or Demon Lizards. There is only one way to kill them and I will let you find out that rather interesting and slightly cheesy method, it made me laugh.
Even though this novel features children it is by no means a children's horror story as it was really gory and features an adult party. Hunter Shea has a great imagination and is very good at the gore. This one reminds me a bit of a cheesy syfy movie but I really enjoyed it though I thought the ending was a bit fast.
3.5 rating
David and Patrick are huge comic book collectors and they use all their money they scrap together to get the next ones. When they go to the store to get a new comic they are bummed to find no new comics but Wonder Woman. They are not a huge fan of WW but they get it anyway as it was something new. So when they see an ad in the WW comic for sea serpents they think it would be cool to try it out and they don't mind cutting into that comic cause they were not going to keep it in a plastic sleeve like their others.
When they get them they feel really let down cause nothing really happens, so one day they decide to get rid of them and throw them in the sewer. They forget all about that experiment, meanwhile, those little smelly eggs hatch out some nasty critters. They devour the sewer rats and then move on to bigger things and as they eat they grow then one day they come out and start attacking people. It was like slaughterhouse time and pretty gory.
When the boys realize what those creatures are they find the package with the chinese writing on it and take it to the only man they know who is Asian. He is a Chinese chef and he tells them those were not sea serpents but the Hakuri, or Demon Lizards. There is only one way to kill them and I will let you find out that rather interesting and slightly cheesy method, it made me laugh.
Even though this novel features children it is by no means a children's horror story as it was really gory and features an adult party. Hunter Shea has a great imagination and is very good at the gore. This one reminds me a bit of a cheesy syfy movie but I really enjoyed it though I thought the ending was a bit fast.
3.5 rating
November 29, 2017
Hunter Shea delivers the goods in this fond look back at the B-monster tales from our past, while also paying homage to the way life used to be by making the threat the result of a comic book mail-order scam.
Just Add Water is pretty simple stuff as two friends inadvertently create a horde of monsters which descend on their local town, tearing most of the population apart, before extremely conveniently working out a way to fight back against said monsters.
It's fun, fast-paced, quite gory, and just the right length, with Shea clearly recognising that something like this could get old if he spent too much time developing his main characters or the fodder they come across on their adventure.
If the other tales in his Mail order Massacres series is as good as this one, consider me sending away for more ...
Recommended.
3.5 Times Your Parents Were Actually Right for Just Add Water.
Just Add Water is pretty simple stuff as two friends inadvertently create a horde of monsters which descend on their local town, tearing most of the population apart, before extremely conveniently working out a way to fight back against said monsters.
It's fun, fast-paced, quite gory, and just the right length, with Shea clearly recognising that something like this could get old if he spent too much time developing his main characters or the fodder they come across on their adventure.
If the other tales in his Mail order Massacres series is as good as this one, consider me sending away for more ...
Recommended.
3.5 Times Your Parents Were Actually Right for Just Add Water.
May 24, 2025
JUST ADD WATER by Hunter Shea is an 80s movie style monster romp. What happens if those retro mail-order Amazing Sea Monkeys turned out to be a batch of ravenous sea monsters ravenous to eat the whole town!
This gave me all the 80s monsters movie vibes: CHUD, Critters, The Gate and so on and so forth. And it delivers with all the great cheesy 80s monsters movie tropes.
Bottomlone: this is too fun to pass up. A fast, wonderful monsters story told as only the Monster Mam himself, Hunter Shea, could tell it.
This gave me all the 80s monsters movie vibes: CHUD, Critters, The Gate and so on and so forth. And it delivers with all the great cheesy 80s monsters movie tropes.
Bottomlone: this is too fun to pass up. A fast, wonderful monsters story told as only the Monster Mam himself, Hunter Shea, could tell it.
December 8, 2021
While I enjoy Hunter’s work, I didn’t really get into this one. Felt like there was nothing new here, and it was really tame. Might be better suited to kids. It’s short so a quick read but I will have forgot it by tomorrow.
November 28, 2017
What a fun read! Hunter Shea and his creativity has no limits. Another really cool monster has just been created in Just Add Water. Full review coming soon.
May 23, 2017
OMG!! I can't believe someone hasn't taken this idea and made a movie! It would be such a classic. Most of us grew up with the ads in practically everything showing how much fun sea monkeys were. I even had some! Such a disappointment, but thankfully they didn't turn out like these!!!
I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.
I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.
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