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The Big Meat
From the godfather of bizarro fiction, Carlton Mellick III, award-winning author of Quicksand House and Cuddly Holocaust, comes a "kaiju" tribute novel that explores the surreal aftermath of a giant monster attack.
The creature was finally dead. After months of fighting it, trying desperately to stop it as it rampaged across the American countryside, turning city after city into a landscape of rubble, we finally managed to beat the damned thing. We actually saved the human species. We survived.
But the corpse still lingers.
In the center of the city once known as Portland, Oregon, there lies a mountain of flesh. Hundreds of thousands of tons of rotting flesh. It has filled the city with disease and dead-lizard stench, contaminated the water supply with its greasy putrid fluids, clogged the air with toxic gasses so thick that you can't leave your house without the aid of a gas mask. And no one really knows quite what to do about it. A thousand-man demolition crew has been trying to clear it out one piece at a time, but after three months of work they've barely made a dent. And then there's the junkies who have started burrowing into the monster's guts, searching for a drug produced by its fire glands, setting back the excavation even longer.
It seems like the corpse will never go away. And with the quarantine still in place, we're not even allowed to leave. We're stuck in this disgusting rotten hell forever.
The Big Meat is a gut-wrenching, nerve-squirming survival story of loss, addiction, and claustrophobia.
The creature was finally dead. After months of fighting it, trying desperately to stop it as it rampaged across the American countryside, turning city after city into a landscape of rubble, we finally managed to beat the damned thing. We actually saved the human species. We survived.
But the corpse still lingers.
In the center of the city once known as Portland, Oregon, there lies a mountain of flesh. Hundreds of thousands of tons of rotting flesh. It has filled the city with disease and dead-lizard stench, contaminated the water supply with its greasy putrid fluids, clogged the air with toxic gasses so thick that you can't leave your house without the aid of a gas mask. And no one really knows quite what to do about it. A thousand-man demolition crew has been trying to clear it out one piece at a time, but after three months of work they've barely made a dent. And then there's the junkies who have started burrowing into the monster's guts, searching for a drug produced by its fire glands, setting back the excavation even longer.
It seems like the corpse will never go away. And with the quarantine still in place, we're not even allowed to leave. We're stuck in this disgusting rotten hell forever.
The Big Meat is a gut-wrenching, nerve-squirming survival story of loss, addiction, and claustrophobia.
180 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2017
39 people are currently reading
1005 people want to read
About the author
Carlton Mellick III
119 books2,168 followersCarlton Mellick III (July 2, 1977, Phoenix, Arizona) is an American author currently residing in Portland, Oregon. He calls his style of writing "avant-punk," and is currently one of the leading authors in the recent 'Bizarro' movement in underground literature[citation needed] with Steve Aylett, Chris Genoa and D. Harlan Wilson.
Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.
Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.
He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.
In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.
In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.
Mellick's work has been described as a combination of trashy schlock sci-fi/horror and postmodern literary art. His novels explore surreal versions of earth in contemporary society and imagined futures, commonly focusing on social absurdities and satire.
Carlton Mellick III started writing at the age of ten and completed twelve novels by the age of eighteen. Only one of these early novels, "Electric Jesus Corpse", ever made it to print.
He is best known for his first novel Satan Burger and its sequel Punk Land. Satan Burger was translated into Russian and published by Ultra Culture in 2005. It was part of a four book series called Brave New World, which also featured Virtual Light by William Gibson, City Come A Walkin by John Shirley, and Tea from an Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan.
In the late 90's, he formed a collective for offbeat authors which included D. Harlan Wilson, Kevin L. Donihe, Vincent Sakowski, among others, and the publishing company Eraserhead Press. This scene evolved into the Bizarro fiction movement in 2005.
In addition to writing, Mellick is an artist and musician.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
September 3, 2017
So good! I really enjoyed this one, which comes as no surprise. I don’t know if Carlton Mellick can write a bad book, at least in my opinion. The Big Meat functions like kind of a mashup between Godzilla and The Descent, but, ya know, more bizarro. But because it mostly functions within kaiju fictions trope’s borders, the story itself is not quite as weird as some of the author’s other recent books (see: Exercise Bike and Spider Bunny.) But Mellick is one of those authors who are only comparable to themselves, and saying it’s “not quite as weird” as his other books still makes it weirder than 99% of the stuff out there. Even so, I found this story to be quite resonant, effortlessly unfolding in surprising but logical (well, with a logic that is inherent to itself) ways as it pays off all the threads it sets up in the beginning. Couple that with some vivid imagery and a relatable protagonist, and I suspect this is a story that’ll stay with me for quite some time.
December 2, 2024
Completely ridiculous and very funny.
Godzilla attacked, and humanity survived—barely. Our cities have been turned to rubble, and half of our population has perished, but the world came together and beat this monster. The carcass of this beast is enormous, 2 skyscrapers stacked high and many miles in every direction; it has flattened the city of Portland, and day by day it gets more toxic. Thousands of people have been risking their lives trying to clean it up one piece at a time; this is one unlucky man's story.
Right, I'm a prime target audience for this; I loved monster films as a kid: Godzilla, Gojira, Rodan, Starship Troopers...anything like that, I devoured it and the author kind of hit the right spot, for me.
It was very grotesque and I totally understand this is not for everybody; I'd still recommend it. Some parts were laugh-out-loud funny, which is very rare when I’m reading.
Godzilla attacked, and humanity survived—barely. Our cities have been turned to rubble, and half of our population has perished, but the world came together and beat this monster. The carcass of this beast is enormous, 2 skyscrapers stacked high and many miles in every direction; it has flattened the city of Portland, and day by day it gets more toxic. Thousands of people have been risking their lives trying to clean it up one piece at a time; this is one unlucky man's story.
Right, I'm a prime target audience for this; I loved monster films as a kid: Godzilla, Gojira, Rodan, Starship Troopers...anything like that, I devoured it and the author kind of hit the right spot, for me.
It was very grotesque and I totally understand this is not for everybody; I'd still recommend it. Some parts were laugh-out-loud funny, which is very rare when I’m reading.
May 30, 2021
One day a massive lizard monster shows up on our world. A monster of such magnitude and enormity that it would make Godzilla and King Kong look like minor inconveniences.
After wiping out two thirds of life all on earth, The US military finally manages to kill this world destroyer, but now they have to figure out how to dispose of its corpse. We follow a cleanup crew as they explore the bowels of this fallen behemoth and it quickly becomes a battle for survival as they uncover that even in its death this monster still poses a threat to all life on earth.
This was an amazing book that any fans of Cloverfield or Attack on Titan would love. Its very rare that I enjoy a book this much and it's going to be one of the standouts of my 2021 reading year.
Im giving this book 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
After wiping out two thirds of life all on earth, The US military finally manages to kill this world destroyer, but now they have to figure out how to dispose of its corpse. We follow a cleanup crew as they explore the bowels of this fallen behemoth and it quickly becomes a battle for survival as they uncover that even in its death this monster still poses a threat to all life on earth.
This was an amazing book that any fans of Cloverfield or Attack on Titan would love. Its very rare that I enjoy a book this much and it's going to be one of the standouts of my 2021 reading year.
Im giving this book 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
May 23, 2024
A fever dream. A journey into a superorganism. Mellick delivers another disturbing post-apocalyptic scenario with fantastic imagery and survival tale constraints. The sheepish main character joins a crew in charge of excavating the remains of a kaiju. It might remind you of Kaiju No. 8. But unlike the manga, this is focused on the detrimental effects of the beast upon the characters' health and peace of mind. The scenes of destruction and escape are riveting and the mysterious, claustrophobic tunneling is unforgettable.
This author produces some of the most memorable books around, without relying solely on splatter or shock value. He provides ample backstory and investigates the consequences of his premise with careful exactitude. Aside from a handful of typos, I was impressed by the surprising clarity of his writing. He typically writes his books in a very short 2-3 week period, he says, but one would think he had dwelt in this dreamlike alternate reality for months. The imaginative use of setting and forcing his characters into intense and escalating situations means you will have trouble putting this one down. It ranks in the S-tier of Mellick's works in my opinion.
Now on to the next one.
This author produces some of the most memorable books around, without relying solely on splatter or shock value. He provides ample backstory and investigates the consequences of his premise with careful exactitude. Aside from a handful of typos, I was impressed by the surprising clarity of his writing. He typically writes his books in a very short 2-3 week period, he says, but one would think he had dwelt in this dreamlike alternate reality for months. The imaginative use of setting and forcing his characters into intense and escalating situations means you will have trouble putting this one down. It ranks in the S-tier of Mellick's works in my opinion.
Now on to the next one.
August 29, 2021
Would you like to SUPERSIZE your lizard sir?
So before we had the giant robots that saved our bacon in Pacific Rim: , we just had to rely on the military whupping some kaiju butt. It's no good just popping a sidewinder into its ass; its booty is like bulletproof steel (eat your heart out Ms Minaj). No - it took a lot of blowy-uppy things to kill this kaiju...and even then, it had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra...and just as cranky too. It's dead - finally! Now who cleans up a dead monster kaiju the size of Mount Saint Helens? This is the story of that clean-up...but is that monster really dead?
Sometimes, reading a CM3 book can be like grabbing hold of a giant kangaroo's tail and being dragged through the bush in giant bound hops - your head being bashed against trees and your body being stuck with various sticks and venomous snakes you pick up along the way.
He writes well and very bizarro-ly. I liked it - 'cept for the ending - goddamn raccoons! (You'll have to read the cartoon at the end to know what that means.)
So before we had the giant robots that saved our bacon in Pacific Rim: , we just had to rely on the military whupping some kaiju butt. It's no good just popping a sidewinder into its ass; its booty is like bulletproof steel (eat your heart out Ms Minaj). No - it took a lot of blowy-uppy things to kill this kaiju...and even then, it had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra...and just as cranky too. It's dead - finally! Now who cleans up a dead monster kaiju the size of Mount Saint Helens? This is the story of that clean-up...but is that monster really dead?
Sometimes, reading a CM3 book can be like grabbing hold of a giant kangaroo's tail and being dragged through the bush in giant bound hops - your head being bashed against trees and your body being stuck with various sticks and venomous snakes you pick up along the way.
He writes well and very bizarro-ly. I liked it - 'cept for the ending - goddamn raccoons! (You'll have to read the cartoon at the end to know what that means.)
July 21, 2024
"There is no part in the city where the corpse is not visible. . . . A massive mound of rotting putrid flesh that stretches for miles across the city. It doesn't look like a monster anymore. . . . All that's left is meat. A mountain of ugly black meat rising into the clouds so high that it blocks out the sun, covering our dilapidated homes in shadow."
Countless stories of Kaiju attacks have been told over the years, most of them playing out pretty similarly. But what happens after the Kaiju is killed? What happens to the body? What happens to the city that was just decimated? What happens to the people who live there? Well, CM3 finally gives us some answers.
The book is broken into two timelines, and most of the present day timeline takes place inside of the dead Kaiju, as the MC works on the crew responsible for disposing of the monster's remains. But the Kaiju corpse is just the setting, as the present timeline is really about what it's like your first day at a new job and the relationships with your coworkers.
"I wouldn't call any of the assholes my friends. But I worked with them every day. I spent more time with them than any real friends of mine. I shared memories with them, had a history with them. You know, they were a part of my life. That doesn't make them friends, but it makes them something."
Of course, the novel is about other things as well, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. I'm always impressed by how much plot CM3 is able to cram into one of these slim books of his. Some of his stories feel as though they shift into new genres as they progress, quickly, but also very fluidly.
Countless stories of Kaiju attacks have been told over the years, most of them playing out pretty similarly. But what happens after the Kaiju is killed? What happens to the body? What happens to the city that was just decimated? What happens to the people who live there? Well, CM3 finally gives us some answers.
The book is broken into two timelines, and most of the present day timeline takes place inside of the dead Kaiju, as the MC works on the crew responsible for disposing of the monster's remains. But the Kaiju corpse is just the setting, as the present timeline is really about what it's like your first day at a new job and the relationships with your coworkers.
"I wouldn't call any of the assholes my friends. But I worked with them every day. I spent more time with them than any real friends of mine. I shared memories with them, had a history with them. You know, they were a part of my life. That doesn't make them friends, but it makes them something."
Of course, the novel is about other things as well, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. I'm always impressed by how much plot CM3 is able to cram into one of these slim books of his. Some of his stories feel as though they shift into new genres as they progress, quickly, but also very fluidly.
November 9, 2024
'The Big Meat' narra la historia de un joven trabajador que se une a una cuadrilla encargada de limpiar los restos en descomposición de un monstruo gigante que arrasó su ciudad. El protagonista, apodado “Maggot” por sus compañeros, enfrenta el horror y los peligros físicos de trabajar en un ambiente tóxico, plagado de parásitos y sustancias nocivas, bajo la estricta dirección de su jefa Meri, quien gobierna el equipo con mano dura. A medida que avanzan en la limpieza del cadáver, surgen tensiones entre los trabajadores, quienes también lidian con la paranoia de que la bestia pueda revivir en cualquier momento. Mellick despliega una gran imaginación al introducir giros inesperados que complican el entorno, como la aparición de parásitos gigantes y drogas que se generan dentro del cadáver, elementos que mantienen la historia en un terreno imprevisible y macabro. La novela explora temas de supervivencia, alienación y agotamiento en un contexto que combina horror y ciencia ficción.
April 12, 2021
I love kaiju stuff. I always have, always will. Carlton's book takes the kaiju tropes and does great shit with them. Sure the Kaiju in this one is dead already. But the feelings of hopelessness, the social commentary, that's all very much alive.
Fantastic read.
Fantastic read.
January 30, 2024
Carlton Mellick is always a good time but he is especially a good time when my fiction reading is in a rut. I read some stinkers and some middle ground stories this January. Somehow I am so used to my Januarys being stellar reading months but this one was weird, especially in fiction there was little I loved even though I read a lot. But Godzilla turned all of that around.
Yes, I'm in my Godzilla era, so this book (not coincidentally) came at the right time. I paired it with a first time watch of the OG 1954 film and followed it up with the black and white re-release of "Godzilla Minus One". And now "The Big Meat" which does what non of the movies do: it looks at the aftermath. But in Mellick fashion, of course.
So we follow this cleanup crew that is tasked with cleaning up the giant, rotting pile of dead Kaiju flesh in Portland, Or. I honestly love everything about this idea, it also seems sort of obvious to wonder about what to do with this huge corpse that may or may not slowly regenerate itself. Maybe that's why Japanese Gojira films are always a bit of a war metaphor because the clean up is it's own kind of hell?
It's all so gross and wonderful. Splintered among this goo are flashbacks to the actual attack which fill this universe out nicely. There is a bit of a doom filled, almost apocalyptic vibe to the story while never forgetting about the humorous side of it all. I am not sure I fully loved the trajectory of the third act but I was impressed that, again, Mellick was able to infuse his bizarro adventure about guts and Kaiju parasites that live in those guts also with some deeper meaning. I am not saying that Mellick stories are some profound masterpieces but considering how fun and silly his concepts are, there always is something more to the stories, too. This turns into an allegory for addiction, and like I said while it is maybe not my favorite turn of events I can appreciate what is being done here.
On the other end, this book had me in stitches at some point over some stupid joke. And when I say in stitches, I mean I couldn't stop laughing for minutes and had to explain the ins and outs plus the joke to my husband who found it more gross than funny but what can I say? I have a twisted sense of humor which is probably why I get on with Mellick's stories so well. He just does something with his personal blend of genres that I have never seen anywhere else even close like it. And I can't get enough of it, so now the difficult questions of which of his books to choose next?!
PS. While this story is very gross in setting, I still feel like it would make such a fun movie. Anyone with me?
Yes, I'm in my Godzilla era, so this book (not coincidentally) came at the right time. I paired it with a first time watch of the OG 1954 film and followed it up with the black and white re-release of "Godzilla Minus One". And now "The Big Meat" which does what non of the movies do: it looks at the aftermath. But in Mellick fashion, of course.
So we follow this cleanup crew that is tasked with cleaning up the giant, rotting pile of dead Kaiju flesh in Portland, Or. I honestly love everything about this idea, it also seems sort of obvious to wonder about what to do with this huge corpse that may or may not slowly regenerate itself. Maybe that's why Japanese Gojira films are always a bit of a war metaphor because the clean up is it's own kind of hell?
It's all so gross and wonderful. Splintered among this goo are flashbacks to the actual attack which fill this universe out nicely. There is a bit of a doom filled, almost apocalyptic vibe to the story while never forgetting about the humorous side of it all. I am not sure I fully loved the trajectory of the third act but I was impressed that, again, Mellick was able to infuse his bizarro adventure about guts and Kaiju parasites that live in those guts also with some deeper meaning. I am not saying that Mellick stories are some profound masterpieces but considering how fun and silly his concepts are, there always is something more to the stories, too. This turns into an allegory for addiction, and like I said while it is maybe not my favorite turn of events I can appreciate what is being done here.
On the other end, this book had me in stitches at some point over some stupid joke. And when I say in stitches, I mean I couldn't stop laughing for minutes and had to explain the ins and outs plus the joke to my husband who found it more gross than funny but what can I say? I have a twisted sense of humor which is probably why I get on with Mellick's stories so well. He just does something with his personal blend of genres that I have never seen anywhere else even close like it. And I can't get enough of it, so now the difficult questions of which of his books to choose next?!
PS. While this story is very gross in setting, I still feel like it would make such a fun movie. Anyone with me?
December 30, 2021
*4.5 stars. An incredible concept, great action and plenty of putrified gore. I flew through it and really enjoyed it. Mellick misses just a bit on his moments of emotion and human connection but his beautifully bizarre vision and breakneck pacing makes this a mere peccadillo in the end. Ridiculously fun.
September 5, 2021
Really enjoyed this. It held my attention the whole way through and I loved the ending.
July 7, 2022
SPOILERS!!!!,
!¡Ame el libró!¡Este rasca la misma esquina de mi cerebro que solo carlton mellick puede!, Me encanta la dinámica entre los personajes así cómo está, no hay amistades forzadas ni amabilidad salida de la nada.
Ame mas que nada el hecho de que el protagonista no tiene un romance con Meri, su relación es totalmente realista.
Los personajes actúan con tanto sentido que por momentos esperaba el típico comportamiento cliché y estereotipado de “la chica ruda pero amorosa🥰” o “el novato que salvara a todos”, etc.
El hecho de que David (el hermano del protagonista) siga siendo un adicto -LAS ADICCIONES NO DESAPARECEN SOLO CON EL PODER DEL AMOR Y LA HERMANDAD- y la forma en la que esto afecta la trama.
Meri siendo una persona fuerte y firme pero no malvada por vocación ni cayendo en los clichés que se les suele otorgar a los personajes femeninos por el estereotipo de que las mujeres siempre están en busca de amor o cariño, también que el hecho de que su familia murió debió al monstruo no es usado para sensibilizar o justificar ninguna actitud, sabemos que su familia murió y la forma en la que se nos informa es más que nada para dejarnos saber que ella también fue afectada de primera mano por el suceso. Que si bien ella sufrió tanto o incluso más que otros es lo suficiente fuerte como para seguir adelante, el que al final del libro ella siendo la que más perdió siga teniendo más fortaleza mental para querer espaciar de la ilusión solo apoya más esto.
Otros personajes secundarios siguen actuando de manera acorde a la que se nos ha dejado ver previamente, no hay ningún sacrificio, (a excepción de la muerte de los padres de Kevin) todas las muertes suceden de manera casi casual, en ningún momento vemos el deseo de sacrificarse por los demás, porque nadie lo siente, y si bien algunas muertes ayudan y le facilitan el camino a los personajes no hay sacrificios “forzados”, de esos que se sienten fuera de lugar.
La narración es maravillosa y el autor hace un uso increíble de los flashbacks. El personaje nos cuenta datos de lo que ha tenido que pasar para llegar a donde estamos y hay flashbacks perfectamente colocados que nos dan información directa que de otra forma se sentiría fuera de lugar, él como Kevin narra el como el suceso lo afectó de primera mano nos da una perspectiva más amplia de lo que vivió y su forma de pensar.
De todas formas y a pesar de todo lo positivo que le puedo sacar al libro, -!ODIE EL FINAL¡-.
Esto no se debe a que sea un mal final, ¡es un final increíble!. Pero el hecho de que todo suceda tan rápido, lo volvió muy anticlimático. El concepto de que el monstruo pueda hacer que la gente se comunique con este tipo de telepatía extraña es increíblemente interesante. Que el monstruo sea lo único capaz de devolverles el sentimiento a casa y paz que todos buscan después de tanta destrucción es casi poético. “The god damned creature didn’t just kill my mom and dad when it was alive. After it died, it took my brother from me as well.”
La forma en la que Kevin describe lo que siente, la forma en la que percibe ese sentimiento a hogar que tanto había extrañado, los mundos que ve dentro de este trance traído por el monstruo, las personas que conoce y experiencias por las qué pasa. ¡Hubiera podido leer veinte páginas de todo eso!.
Pero en cambio lo meten todo en un par de párrafos y esperan que eso sea suficiente para justificar el final que se deja implícito.
!si me creo que alguien como Kevin se rinda a la droga¡. su personaje es débil. Nos dicen que siempre cumplió con lo que sus padres querían de él para no tener que llevar la contraria e incluso en la forma en la que narra podemos ver que no es alguien con una fuerte mentalidad, solo hace sentido que se rinda a la idea de una vida perfecta. Esto no quita el hecho de que quieran cambiar toda su perspectiva con respecto al monstruo en medio párrafo.
!¡Ame el libró!¡Este rasca la misma esquina de mi cerebro que solo carlton mellick puede!, Me encanta la dinámica entre los personajes así cómo está, no hay amistades forzadas ni amabilidad salida de la nada.
Ame mas que nada el hecho de que el protagonista no tiene un romance con Meri, su relación es totalmente realista.
Los personajes actúan con tanto sentido que por momentos esperaba el típico comportamiento cliché y estereotipado de “la chica ruda pero amorosa🥰” o “el novato que salvara a todos”, etc.
El hecho de que David (el hermano del protagonista) siga siendo un adicto -LAS ADICCIONES NO DESAPARECEN SOLO CON EL PODER DEL AMOR Y LA HERMANDAD- y la forma en la que esto afecta la trama.
Meri siendo una persona fuerte y firme pero no malvada por vocación ni cayendo en los clichés que se les suele otorgar a los personajes femeninos por el estereotipo de que las mujeres siempre están en busca de amor o cariño, también que el hecho de que su familia murió debió al monstruo no es usado para sensibilizar o justificar ninguna actitud, sabemos que su familia murió y la forma en la que se nos informa es más que nada para dejarnos saber que ella también fue afectada de primera mano por el suceso. Que si bien ella sufrió tanto o incluso más que otros es lo suficiente fuerte como para seguir adelante, el que al final del libro ella siendo la que más perdió siga teniendo más fortaleza mental para querer espaciar de la ilusión solo apoya más esto.
Otros personajes secundarios siguen actuando de manera acorde a la que se nos ha dejado ver previamente, no hay ningún sacrificio, (a excepción de la muerte de los padres de Kevin) todas las muertes suceden de manera casi casual, en ningún momento vemos el deseo de sacrificarse por los demás, porque nadie lo siente, y si bien algunas muertes ayudan y le facilitan el camino a los personajes no hay sacrificios “forzados”, de esos que se sienten fuera de lugar.
La narración es maravillosa y el autor hace un uso increíble de los flashbacks. El personaje nos cuenta datos de lo que ha tenido que pasar para llegar a donde estamos y hay flashbacks perfectamente colocados que nos dan información directa que de otra forma se sentiría fuera de lugar, él como Kevin narra el como el suceso lo afectó de primera mano nos da una perspectiva más amplia de lo que vivió y su forma de pensar.
De todas formas y a pesar de todo lo positivo que le puedo sacar al libro, -!ODIE EL FINAL¡-.
Esto no se debe a que sea un mal final, ¡es un final increíble!. Pero el hecho de que todo suceda tan rápido, lo volvió muy anticlimático. El concepto de que el monstruo pueda hacer que la gente se comunique con este tipo de telepatía extraña es increíblemente interesante. Que el monstruo sea lo único capaz de devolverles el sentimiento a casa y paz que todos buscan después de tanta destrucción es casi poético. “The god damned creature didn’t just kill my mom and dad when it was alive. After it died, it took my brother from me as well.”
La forma en la que Kevin describe lo que siente, la forma en la que percibe ese sentimiento a hogar que tanto había extrañado, los mundos que ve dentro de este trance traído por el monstruo, las personas que conoce y experiencias por las qué pasa. ¡Hubiera podido leer veinte páginas de todo eso!.
Pero en cambio lo meten todo en un par de párrafos y esperan que eso sea suficiente para justificar el final que se deja implícito.
!si me creo que alguien como Kevin se rinda a la droga¡. su personaje es débil. Nos dicen que siempre cumplió con lo que sus padres querían de él para no tener que llevar la contraria e incluso en la forma en la que narra podemos ver que no es alguien con una fuerte mentalidad, solo hace sentido que se rinda a la idea de una vida perfecta. Esto no quita el hecho de que quieran cambiar toda su perspectiva con respecto al monstruo en medio párrafo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2022
Otra novela bizarra de Mellick, que nos presenta un mundo asolado por la invasión de un monstruo al que llaman "The Meat". Al inicio de la histario el monstruo ya aparece aparentemente muerto, reducido a un montículo gigante de carne putrefacta que se extiende por toda la ciudad y que resulta tóxica para el ser humano.
Nuestro protagonista consigue su primer empleo que consiste en limpiar las zonas contaminadas. Cada trabajo se asigna a un grupo que se encargará de una parte concreta del monstruo, en su caso...las tripas.
Obviamente allí se nos desvela una historia estrafalaria, loca y adictiva cuando su equipo de limpieza se ve atrapado en el intestino de la bestia sin posibilidad de salir al exterior, a la par que descubrimos una realidad muy muy turbia.
¡Excelente historia!
Nuestro protagonista consigue su primer empleo que consiste en limpiar las zonas contaminadas. Cada trabajo se asigna a un grupo que se encargará de una parte concreta del monstruo, en su caso...las tripas.
Obviamente allí se nos desvela una historia estrafalaria, loca y adictiva cuando su equipo de limpieza se ve atrapado en el intestino de la bestia sin posibilidad de salir al exterior, a la par que descubrimos una realidad muy muy turbia.
¡Excelente historia!
October 2, 2017
Another good book from Mellick. He has really been impressing me lately. This book is a take on the big monster tales. Think Godzilla, Rodan, etc. This is a different take though. What happens after the monster is killed? What happens when a giant corpse is rotting and is emitting toxic fumes? Almost as bad as the creature being alive and terrorizing town. This book takes a glimpse at that scenario and with the struggles with addiction. Those 2 together makes for one wild ride.
July 3, 2022
Tik tok made me read it.
Revisando algunos otros trabajos del autor, no es un género que yo me sienta cómoda leyendo, así que seguramente este será el único libro que él que leeré y fue un libro que me sorprendió por lo bien hecho que está.
Es un libro corto pero que te mete a la historia de lleno desde la primer página, amo las películas de sci-fi y las de monstruos gigantes también. Ahora siempre nos muestran el momento de la batalla y todas terminan en el momento en el que derrotan al monstruo y salvan la tierra, pero ¿Qué pasa después? Definitivamente el cuerpo del monstruo no desaparece de la noche a la mañana y ese es el tema principal de este libro.
Logra mezclar bien la ansiedad y el problema del presente que pasa el protagonista mientras también contesta todas tus preguntas de que pasó antes desde el punto de vista de uno de los ciudadanos, no del ejército, no de los héroes, solo alguien común.
Mientras leía no pude parar porque de verdad necesitaba saber que iba a pasar, y me gustaron mucho los giros que va tomando la trama.
Lo dejo en 4.3 estrellas solo por ese final. No era necesario terminar así :'v
Revisando algunos otros trabajos del autor, no es un género que yo me sienta cómoda leyendo, así que seguramente este será el único libro que él que leeré y fue un libro que me sorprendió por lo bien hecho que está.
Es un libro corto pero que te mete a la historia de lleno desde la primer página, amo las películas de sci-fi y las de monstruos gigantes también. Ahora siempre nos muestran el momento de la batalla y todas terminan en el momento en el que derrotan al monstruo y salvan la tierra, pero ¿Qué pasa después? Definitivamente el cuerpo del monstruo no desaparece de la noche a la mañana y ese es el tema principal de este libro.
Logra mezclar bien la ansiedad y el problema del presente que pasa el protagonista mientras también contesta todas tus preguntas de que pasó antes desde el punto de vista de uno de los ciudadanos, no del ejército, no de los héroes, solo alguien común.
Mientras leía no pude parar porque de verdad necesitaba saber que iba a pasar, y me gustaron mucho los giros que va tomando la trama.
Lo dejo en 4.3 estrellas solo por ese final. No era necesario terminar así :'v
July 7, 2022
Veo que este vato tiene como 40 libros jajaaja. Supongo que todos deben ser más o menos como este: breves, superficiales y divertidos.
La premisa daba para mucho y al final el libro se va como agua y te deja con ganas de que hubiera más carnita… más profundidad en los personajes, sus historias, sus personalidades…
Me habría encantado leer más del pasado de Meri!
Pero bueno, para alguien que escribe como dos libros al año está muy bien! 😂
La premisa daba para mucho y al final el libro se va como agua y te deja con ganas de que hubiera más carnita… más profundidad en los personajes, sus historias, sus personalidades…
Me habría encantado leer más del pasado de Meri!
Pero bueno, para alguien que escribe como dos libros al año está muy bien! 😂
June 22, 2023
Es los libros que los lees rápido y nesecitas saber más, es raro y pero bien pensado, me pude identificar desde los personajes, definitivamente si llegara un monstruo gigante haría lo mismo aplastarme en mi sillón y esperar a no morirme, tal vez lo único seria el final, grite esperando que hubiera más ggg
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2022
It's such a great book but I think that the end is something meeeeh.
I really like the concept about defeat a kaiju (very romanticised on the traditional media) whit a realistic twist.
This book is so entertaining and I had a good time reading it. I enjoyed the two line plots of the history, this let you see another panorama about the full history.
Also, I liked the characters, the author write some good character in a few words.
I think that my only trouble whit this book is the ending, don't misunderstand me, I liked this sad-tragic ending but I wish this happened in another way.
I really like the concept about defeat a kaiju (very romanticised on the traditional media) whit a realistic twist.
This book is so entertaining and I had a good time reading it. I enjoyed the two line plots of the history, this let you see another panorama about the full history.
Also, I liked the characters, the author write some good character in a few words.
I think that my only trouble whit this book is the ending, don't misunderstand me, I liked this sad-tragic ending but I wish this happened in another way.
December 6, 2017
Ever wonder what happens after a monster bigger than Godzilla stomps half the country, and then dies in your city? Care to know what happens when it’s bloated, toxic carcass slowly begins to rot? How about what it’s like working to clear the rotting corpse from the inside, only to get stuck in the intestinal tract and try to escape while being attacked by vicious worms and other nasty creatures?
No, you haven’t. And neither had I until I picked up this book. Like a lot of Mellick’s work, The Big Meat answers questions you never thought to ask, because those kinds of questions are only allowed to spawn in that sick, twisted, brilliant, mutton-chopped melon of his. I’m pretty sure there’s a government regulation about this.
The is the fourth CMIII book I’ve read, and it’s easily my favorite. But it isn’t just disgusting scenes wading around toxic sludge in post-kaiju Portland. It moves from sick to funny to solemn and back in wonderful strokes. Of course, as with most of his work, entertainment comes first. The characters are well developed, and the story makes an outlandish concept plausible and real.
My only issue with any of the author’s work is his tendency to use present tense a lot, which is something I generally have a hard time reading. However, it didn’t bother me here at all, and half the book (the parts leading up to the monster attack, and the immediate aftermath) are done in past tense.
This is a wonderful addition to any bookshelf. Recommended for anyone except the claustrophobic, easily nauseated, and survivors of gigantic monster attacks.
No, you haven’t. And neither had I until I picked up this book. Like a lot of Mellick’s work, The Big Meat answers questions you never thought to ask, because those kinds of questions are only allowed to spawn in that sick, twisted, brilliant, mutton-chopped melon of his. I’m pretty sure there’s a government regulation about this.
The is the fourth CMIII book I’ve read, and it’s easily my favorite. But it isn’t just disgusting scenes wading around toxic sludge in post-kaiju Portland. It moves from sick to funny to solemn and back in wonderful strokes. Of course, as with most of his work, entertainment comes first. The characters are well developed, and the story makes an outlandish concept plausible and real.
My only issue with any of the author’s work is his tendency to use present tense a lot, which is something I generally have a hard time reading. However, it didn’t bother me here at all, and half the book (the parts leading up to the monster attack, and the immediate aftermath) are done in past tense.
This is a wonderful addition to any bookshelf. Recommended for anyone except the claustrophobic, easily nauseated, and survivors of gigantic monster attacks.
January 29, 2024
Can't bring myself to rate this any higher than 3 stars. This was a Reddit recommendation, and I will say that the premise and the writing are quite good; the writing was better than expected. They say don't judge a book by its cover, and I didn't, or I would have never even picked it up. I've read some fantastic books with terrible cover art (please, hold your applause) but I really extended myself with this one…
A Godzilla-esque monster has been killed in the USA amid an apocalypse-level rampage of death and destruction, but its mountainous corpse remains decaying in the centre of Portland, emitting deathly gasses and a toxic fetid stench that is slowly killing off the remaining population.
Obviously, given these undesirable state-of-affairs, working crews are assembled to strategically dispose of the corpse piece by literal piece. The monster is so huge that the task seems insurmountable, not to mention volatile and deadly.
The book would honestly make a great movie. It's only 160 pages long and it's paced very well, but many of the human interactions and much of the dialogue slowly chipped away at my enjoyment, very much like the process of breaking down the monster’s carcass.
3 stars does not make this a bad book, just not a very good book. Though I'm happy I read it.
A Godzilla-esque monster has been killed in the USA amid an apocalypse-level rampage of death and destruction, but its mountainous corpse remains decaying in the centre of Portland, emitting deathly gasses and a toxic fetid stench that is slowly killing off the remaining population.
Obviously, given these undesirable state-of-affairs, working crews are assembled to strategically dispose of the corpse piece by literal piece. The monster is so huge that the task seems insurmountable, not to mention volatile and deadly.
The book would honestly make a great movie. It's only 160 pages long and it's paced very well, but many of the human interactions and much of the dialogue slowly chipped away at my enjoyment, very much like the process of breaking down the monster’s carcass.
3 stars does not make this a bad book, just not a very good book. Though I'm happy I read it.
January 31, 2019
The Big Meat was another great story by author Mellick, although not as Bizarro as some of his other work. This could almost pass as a mainstream novel, which is not bad. It just shows Mellick slowly making a turn into a more mature author and person. I was, however, surprised at the four or five typos in the book. If Eraserhead Press simply read through the text carefully before publishing the book, they could have easily spotted the errors. As for the story, I really enjoyed the premise along with Mellick's delivery how the story between past and present came together. Although the ending felt a bit thrown-away and flippant, I still strongly recommend this book, although I enjoyed his book, The Terrible Thing That Happens, more.
February 5, 2022
"The Big Meat" by Carlton Mellick III
The creature is FINALLY dead. But it's large stinking and decomposing corpse still lingers...
This book so was cool! The concept of cleaning up after a creature just terrorized the entire world is fabulous. Imagine Godzilla but without the actual creature running around causing mayhem. I've always wondered what it must be like to clean up after a natural disaster (etc) and this story did one hell of a bizarre job depicting a world post The Reaper. The worms mentioned inside reminded me of the "Tremors" franchise. The imagery inside is spectacular and incredibly repulsive. I also rally empathized with the main character despite this being a bizzaro novel. 4 🌟
The creature is FINALLY dead. But it's large stinking and decomposing corpse still lingers...
This book so was cool! The concept of cleaning up after a creature just terrorized the entire world is fabulous. Imagine Godzilla but without the actual creature running around causing mayhem. I've always wondered what it must be like to clean up after a natural disaster (etc) and this story did one hell of a bizarre job depicting a world post The Reaper. The worms mentioned inside reminded me of the "Tremors" franchise. The imagery inside is spectacular and incredibly repulsive. I also rally empathized with the main character despite this being a bizzaro novel. 4 🌟
December 23, 2022
4.5 (redondeado hacia arriba)
Honestamente no esperaba encontrarme con una trama tan atrapante como esta. La historia y los personajes se sienten súper realistas y me podía imaginar los escenarios a la perfección.
La narrativa está bien llevada, sigo enamorada del concepto y de como se desarrolló. No se que más decir sobre este libro, definitivamente voy a leer más del autor.
Solo le quité medio punto porque el final estuvo acelerado, generalmente no me gustan los finales abiertos, pero siento que con un poco más de desarrollo al final no me hubiera molestado tanto.
*Redondeado hacia arriba, porque siento que se acercaba más a ser 5 estrellas que 4.
Honestamente no esperaba encontrarme con una trama tan atrapante como esta. La historia y los personajes se sienten súper realistas y me podía imaginar los escenarios a la perfección.
La narrativa está bien llevada, sigo enamorada del concepto y de como se desarrolló. No se que más decir sobre este libro, definitivamente voy a leer más del autor.
Solo le quité medio punto porque el final estuvo acelerado, generalmente no me gustan los finales abiertos, pero siento que con un poco más de desarrollo al final no me hubiera molestado tanto.
*Redondeado hacia arriba, porque siento que se acercaba más a ser 5 estrellas que 4.
April 4, 2022
The Big Meat…oh, I was NOT expecting how solidly this book was executed. The depth of emotions, the character building, the WORLD building — outstanding. I could read series based on this, and honestly felt so disappointed with how it ended as well as the fact that it ended. It almost felt like there was the amazing buildup, this promise that suddenly stopped. A bit unfinished in my opinion, although that shouldn’t stop anyone from picking this up. If you ever wondered what happens after the monsters fall, this is it.
July 4, 2023
I think most of us have watched a movie or read a book where a city is totally destroyed by a giant monster, but it ends with the monster being slayed and it feels like a total victory and celebration for the protagonists. It comes across as a celebration of human ingenuity; overcoming an obstacle that seemed impossible to defeat. And yet, as the reader/viewer, there's a nagging thought in the back of your head.
What's next? The city is destroyed. Buildings will continue to collapse, the dead outnumber the living - can we even take the time to attempt to identify victims and notify loved ones? Or are we just burning them or dumping into mass graves? The architecture of the past is strewn about, roads destroyed, buildings teetering, with more collapses to come. Utilities are likely down and good luck getting them back without clearing out the husks of all destroyed houses, buildings, sky scrapers, etc.
And what of the monster? Congratulations on killing it. But now you've got a carcass the size of multiple city blocks just rotting in the sun. There's no way to bury it. Good luck burning it, since it originally breathed fire, it's not exactly flammable . You can slowly relocate it - tear it apart piece by piece and have those sent to landfills. But it will take thousands of people years to finish that task. All the while, the giant, reeking biohazard will continue to rot.
That final option is what occurs in Carlton Mellick III's book The Big Meat. While I haven't read all of his work, this is actually the most straightforward work of his that I've come across. It's the first day on the job for a young man stuck in the quarantined city who lost his family. He's clearly not cut out for this work and might have been chosen for political reasons between his boss and her bosses. His co-workers are pissed at him because if there's an emergency, he can't pull his weight and that means everyone is in danger.
He's working in the Gut Team, clearing out what remains in the creatures guts. Dead people, vehicles, parasites from wherever this beast came from, you name it. You are kilometers deep in the middle of this thing, shoveling out it's waste. Needless to say, something goes awry and the team is no longer able to leave the way they entered. So now they'll have to find their way through the carcass if they want to survive.
This gives CM3 opportunities to throw the reader some bizarre scenarios, but they all fit within the story of "escape the kaiju corpse" theme. Gooey, gross and full of unapologetically descriptive sights, sounds and smells of being trapped inside a rotting monster that's a few square miles in size.
It's a quick read, containing a few surprises, but nothing that really comes out of nowhere like some of the more "bizarro" titles of CM3, but you'll never watch a Kaiju movie the same way in the future. Not my fav of CM3, because it's not quite as "out there", but this may well be the best starting point for someone wanting to get into his work but may not be ready for super-weird bizarro stuff just yet. Recommended for sure.
What's next? The city is destroyed. Buildings will continue to collapse, the dead outnumber the living - can we even take the time to attempt to identify victims and notify loved ones? Or are we just burning them or dumping into mass graves? The architecture of the past is strewn about, roads destroyed, buildings teetering, with more collapses to come. Utilities are likely down and good luck getting them back without clearing out the husks of all destroyed houses, buildings, sky scrapers, etc.
And what of the monster? Congratulations on killing it. But now you've got a carcass the size of multiple city blocks just rotting in the sun. There's no way to bury it. Good luck burning it, since it originally breathed fire, it's not exactly flammable . You can slowly relocate it - tear it apart piece by piece and have those sent to landfills. But it will take thousands of people years to finish that task. All the while, the giant, reeking biohazard will continue to rot.
That final option is what occurs in Carlton Mellick III's book The Big Meat. While I haven't read all of his work, this is actually the most straightforward work of his that I've come across. It's the first day on the job for a young man stuck in the quarantined city who lost his family. He's clearly not cut out for this work and might have been chosen for political reasons between his boss and her bosses. His co-workers are pissed at him because if there's an emergency, he can't pull his weight and that means everyone is in danger.
He's working in the Gut Team, clearing out what remains in the creatures guts. Dead people, vehicles, parasites from wherever this beast came from, you name it. You are kilometers deep in the middle of this thing, shoveling out it's waste. Needless to say, something goes awry and the team is no longer able to leave the way they entered. So now they'll have to find their way through the carcass if they want to survive.
This gives CM3 opportunities to throw the reader some bizarre scenarios, but they all fit within the story of "escape the kaiju corpse" theme. Gooey, gross and full of unapologetically descriptive sights, sounds and smells of being trapped inside a rotting monster that's a few square miles in size.
It's a quick read, containing a few surprises, but nothing that really comes out of nowhere like some of the more "bizarro" titles of CM3, but you'll never watch a Kaiju movie the same way in the future. Not my fav of CM3, because it's not quite as "out there", but this may well be the best starting point for someone wanting to get into his work but may not be ready for super-weird bizarro stuff just yet. Recommended for sure.
March 9, 2024
Kinda disappointed by this. I think part of the problem is that I got really hyped for this book and expected some great stuff from it. The premise is absolutely phenomenal, the kind of thing that makes you slap your head and go, "Why hasn't someone done that before???" But before I harp on more of the negatives, let me talk about what I like.
Again, that premise is excellent.
The scenes of our main characters pushing their way through walls and walls of rotten meat are visceral in the worst possible way. They are, at times, waist deep in fecal matter and parasites with Mellick painting a horrid picture of the insides of this dead behemoth.
All of the scenes that take place in the past are excellent in analyzing that horror of a disaster that is absolutely coming for you, but just hasn't reached you yet. Kind of reminded me of the early COVID days.
I really love the exploration of hormones of the creature becoming a street drug that the quarantined people of Portland slowly get hooked on. I also love how it ends up coming back around to the felled monster.
Now, my negatives.
I don't like the characters. If they're not rude and off-putting, they tend to be one-note. The exception to this is our main character, but even he suffers from this lack of definition at times.
I wanted MORE. I'd heard so much about Mellick's insane wild style of writing and was ready to strap myself in for a truly visceral and mind bending look into just how a giant kaiju is broken down piece by piece. That is not the story that is told here. We follow the very very shitty day had by a certain crew tasked with grinding up the organs of the great beast. I still think this more focused idea could have worked, but most everything goes by so quickly that it's sometimes hard to really get steeped in the horror or revulsion of a certain situation. I feel that the premise could have easily been drawn out another 150 pages or so.
Mellick tended to use a lot of telling over showing, especially when it came to characters expressing thoughts/emotions. There's nothing grammatically wrong with it, but it contributes to the somewhat two-dimensional feel of some of the characters. Key example, the older guy's freak out when he sees a car he thinks he recognizes.
I'm really not a fan of that ending. It just feels like kind of a sad whimper to cap off the end of an otherwise wild trek through the decaying body of a kaiju.
All in all, The Big Meat isn't a bad book by any means, and I don't regret reading it in the slightest. It was maybe just a bit too pulpy for my tastes and can serve as an excellent lesson in tempering ones expectations.
Again, that premise is excellent.
The scenes of our main characters pushing their way through walls and walls of rotten meat are visceral in the worst possible way. They are, at times, waist deep in fecal matter and parasites with Mellick painting a horrid picture of the insides of this dead behemoth.
All of the scenes that take place in the past are excellent in analyzing that horror of a disaster that is absolutely coming for you, but just hasn't reached you yet. Kind of reminded me of the early COVID days.
I really love the exploration of hormones of the creature becoming a street drug that the quarantined people of Portland slowly get hooked on. I also love how it ends up coming back around to the felled monster.
Now, my negatives.
I don't like the characters. If they're not rude and off-putting, they tend to be one-note. The exception to this is our main character, but even he suffers from this lack of definition at times.
I wanted MORE. I'd heard so much about Mellick's insane wild style of writing and was ready to strap myself in for a truly visceral and mind bending look into just how a giant kaiju is broken down piece by piece. That is not the story that is told here. We follow the very very shitty day had by a certain crew tasked with grinding up the organs of the great beast. I still think this more focused idea could have worked, but most everything goes by so quickly that it's sometimes hard to really get steeped in the horror or revulsion of a certain situation. I feel that the premise could have easily been drawn out another 150 pages or so.
Mellick tended to use a lot of telling over showing, especially when it came to characters expressing thoughts/emotions. There's nothing grammatically wrong with it, but it contributes to the somewhat two-dimensional feel of some of the characters. Key example, the older guy's freak out when he sees a car he thinks he recognizes.
I'm really not a fan of that ending. It just feels like kind of a sad whimper to cap off the end of an otherwise wild trek through the decaying body of a kaiju.
All in all, The Big Meat isn't a bad book by any means, and I don't regret reading it in the slightest. It was maybe just a bit too pulpy for my tastes and can serve as an excellent lesson in tempering ones expectations.
June 26, 2022
I saw a TikTok where a guy recomend this book as something really creepy and fucked up. I mean, I thought I was going to be so disturbed after reading it, but no.
It isn't a bad book either. For example, my mother language is spanish, and my level on english isn't the best, but I understood almost 80% of the work. Also, the reading was so smooth and I surprised myself reading 20 or 30 pages without realising it (I usually spend a month reading a short english book), and that is really good, an A+ for the author. The plot is very interesting, like, I'd never imagine that situation, and the depressive tone that the main character gives it touched me so bad. The background of Kevin was needed for the correct story work, and that's why I could sympathize with him, because at the beginning I felt him very plane.
Uhmm, the images are strong, I hadn't any problem with creating the scenarios on my head, but, as I said, the novel wasn't disturbin enough as I expected. For example, Tender is the flesh, by Agustina Bazterrica, is more disturbing and that book isn't of science fiction. The big meat indeed is gross, and sometimes I felt nausea, but nothing beyond it. I found more interesting the topic of surviving the disaster, like, Poseidon's adventure, where the survivors need to escape but some of the dies on the path.
I think my big problem of the book and the reason I don't give it 4 stars is the end. I'm unsatisfied with the ending, and I wonder if the author didn't know how to give a proper finish to his work, you know that a poor ending could ruin the reading experience.
But, it's entertaining, it reads quickly and you can empathise easy with the characters. Is a good book, though, not the best, but good, you should give it a try.
It isn't a bad book either. For example, my mother language is spanish, and my level on english isn't the best, but I understood almost 80% of the work. Also, the reading was so smooth and I surprised myself reading 20 or 30 pages without realising it (I usually spend a month reading a short english book), and that is really good, an A+ for the author. The plot is very interesting, like, I'd never imagine that situation, and the depressive tone that the main character gives it touched me so bad. The background of Kevin was needed for the correct story work, and that's why I could sympathize with him, because at the beginning I felt him very plane.
Uhmm, the images are strong, I hadn't any problem with creating the scenarios on my head, but, as I said, the novel wasn't disturbin enough as I expected. For example, Tender is the flesh, by Agustina Bazterrica, is more disturbing and that book isn't of science fiction. The big meat indeed is gross, and sometimes I felt nausea, but nothing beyond it. I found more interesting the topic of surviving the disaster, like, Poseidon's adventure, where the survivors need to escape but some of the dies on the path.
I think my big problem of the book and the reason I don't give it 4 stars is the end. I'm unsatisfied with the ending, and I wonder if the author didn't know how to give a proper finish to his work, you know that a poor ending could ruin the reading experience.
But, it's entertaining, it reads quickly and you can empathise easy with the characters. Is a good book, though, not the best, but good, you should give it a try.
September 13, 2023
Honestamente, tenía unas expectativas muy altas, quizás demasiado altas, para este libro, y tengo que decir que me dejó un poco indiferente. No me malinterpreten, es realmente bueno, pero siento que va perdiendo fuerza a medida que avanzan los capítulos. El mundo, los personajes, las descripciones e incluso la forma en que está escrito son geniales, lo que hace que no sea una lectura pesada. Sin embargo, me da la impresión de que el autor tenía la intención de que este libro se adaptara a una película ya que hay partes que son muy bombásticas e impresionantes. La escena final con todo el mambo jambo del hermano, las descripciones detalladas de las entrañas del monstruo y otras cosas parecen más apropiadas para una película. También hay partes que me hicieron levantar una ceja, como cuando el hermano aparece de la nada en moto o cuando el viejo explica de manera poco sutil cómo y por qué murió su familia. Esto me hace pensar nuevamente que tal vez Carlton quería que se adaptara esta historia a la pantalla grande.
Otra cosa interesante es el final. Aunque no está mal, me pareció un poco abrupto. Después de seguir a los protagonistas mientras luchan por sobrevivir y encontrar una forma de escapar de las entrañas, de repente, el tema del coso azul llega de pronto. Una vez más el libro me parece brutal pero creo que con un par de capítulos más para explicar mejor las cosas y un final más satisfactorio, sin duda se habría convertido en una verdadera joya.
Otra cosa interesante es el final. Aunque no está mal, me pareció un poco abrupto. Después de seguir a los protagonistas mientras luchan por sobrevivir y encontrar una forma de escapar de las entrañas, de repente, el tema del coso azul llega de pronto. Una vez más el libro me parece brutal pero creo que con un par de capítulos más para explicar mejor las cosas y un final más satisfactorio, sin duda se habría convertido en una verdadera joya.
April 27, 2023
Si pudiera darle mas estrellas lo haría!! , que maravilla de libro y narrativa, una idea fresca de un tema muy tocado como los Kaijus pero abordada desde una perspectiva apocalíptica, un libro que nunca pierde el ritmo y nos va mostrando pasajes de nuestro protagonista que nos va contando la historia antes y despues de matar a The Reaper , una historia muy depresiva y desoladora y un desenlace muy bien logrado, sin lugar a duda no hay un libro que se le pueda comparar , el único que se me viene a la mente es El descenso de Jeff Long , pero este libro logra todo lo que Jeff Long no pudo hacer. muy recomendado para los amantes del terror y la ciencia ficción.
June 28, 2022
I loved the premise, never read something like that. This is the first time I get to read a "Bizarro fiction" book, really loved it.
I'm not a fan of the ending but I suppose there's a second novel.
While reading I felt like I was actually reading a comic book. The only thing that I didn't enjoy in this experience was the dialog, but maybe it was just because it's not my cup of tea.
Anyways, I hope there's more. I'll definitely check out other titles from this author.
Nice bonus comic, quite compelling.
I'm not a fan of the ending but I suppose there's a second novel.
While reading I felt like I was actually reading a comic book. The only thing that I didn't enjoy in this experience was the dialog, but maybe it was just because it's not my cup of tea.
Anyways, I hope there's more. I'll definitely check out other titles from this author.
Nice bonus comic, quite compelling.
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