Every fourteen months it appears on a secluded beach in a small town just before dawn.
One morning during his daily run to the beach, Danny Lynch witnesses the strangest and most incredible thing he's ever seen.
A dark, man-like figure emerges from the ocean, stands for just a few moments on the beach, and then retreats back to the surf.
Danny's perspective on the world changes in an instant, and as the only eyewitness to this event, his mission now is to convince anyone who will listen that what he saw was real.
But with only a vague photo and a dubious story, that task is proving almost impossible, and his only hope may be in finding a mysterious woman who was at the beach earlier that morning, and who may hold the terrifying secret that could cost Danny his life.
Christopher Coleman lives in Maryland with his wife and two children. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in English Literature. A fan of classic and modern horror and thriller movies, his favorite movies are Rosemary's Baby and The Ring. When he's not writing fiction, you can find him reading, taking his kids to and from various sporting activities or watching horror movies with his wife who shares his affinity for the horror genre. His books will creep you out and leave you scared to turn off the lights and go to sleep.
Somehow I’ve accumulated a bunch of Christopher Coleman’s books on my Kindle, all freebies at one time or another, so I figured I’d give him a try via a noncommittal novella length story. Or maybe it’s just that it’s set on the beach. Or maybe it’s the fact that there is a sea monster. Probably all of that. Danny, the protagonist of the story is living a dream funded by residuals from a popular song he wrote, no work for Danny, just leisure and sunshine in a small beach town. Until one morning he sees a creature walk out of the ocean and his perfect world is turned upside down. Who says life in a small town isn’t exciting? So that’s the book, essentially, a fun tale surprisingly well written and edited for a kindle freebie, the ending with dual perspectives was slightly unnecessarily drawn out and, of course, there simply wasn’t enough about the actual sea monster, but other than that this was very entertaining. Won’t put you off small beach towns (I’m still a fan, anyway), but might give you second thoughts. Definitely a very nice introduction to a new author. Very quick read, the last quarter of the book is a novel preview, and a perfectly enjoyable way to pass some time. Now if only I was reading this at the beach.
I can’t recollect where it was that I saw The Sighting recommended. I suspect it was some web-based listing of effective horror stories or something like that. I didn’t realize when I picked it up that it was self-published. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with self-published books; the publishing industry is hostile at the best of times and downright cruel at the moment. Still, there are many things an editor can do for a book. Authors tend to produce rough drafts. In any case, Christopher Coleman’s first book in The Sightings series is a good monster story. It’s an almost believable story for those of us who wake early, and even sometimes jog before the sun is up.
Danny Lynch, the protagonist, sees a sea monster while out for a pre-dawn jog and the story takes off from there. It comes around to a logical conclusion, but my sense was the story wasn’t quite long enough. That’s odd coming from me, since, as a rule, I find much fiction too long. My personal Goldilocks’ zone is about 150 to 175 pages. Time enough to develop the characters so we can get to know them a bit. Since the text of this story comes in at just over 100 pages, having a little bit more would’ve felt good. Given its brevity, the story’s not too complex. It is exciting, though.
As I mentioned in my blog post on it Sects and Violence in the Ancient World, the monster is known as “the god” to one of the characters (Lynn Shields). This is one of the characters I’d like to have known more about. She’s intriguing as presented, but then I always appreciate backstory. For a quick read that has some scary moments, this is a fun little story. It’s also a good example of how gods become monsters and vice-versa.
Well, I did enjoy the story. It was original and pretty well written. What I don’t like is when an author tacks on a couple of chapters of one of their other books so you think you’re buying a full novel when you really aren’t. The length of this story is more like a novella at just under 100 pages. That’s fine but don’t mislead us into thinking we’re buying a longer novel. Also, take the time to edit fully. Such simple things as of and off reversed many times, and using minke whale at the start and then getting it wrong as minka once and continuing that way. Overall a good story but it lost a star for the things above.
I love sea monsters, and there was nothing wrong with this particular guy/monster/mer-thing.
I just didn't connect with any of the characters. The writing was fine, but the story a little blah, and I loathed the ending, it felt like such a cop out. In fact, I was rooting for the mer-creature by about half-way through!
This was an interesting read. I wasn’t expecting it to be so short until I actually started reading it (it’s only about 110 pages). I liked the idea of the story but the end took a turn I wasn’t expecting. I felt myself wishing they had actually looked at or discussed some of the things they found in the “research”. I wanted to know more history about the monster instead of just the mystical appearance of it but the second book in this series might go more in depth. If you are looking for a short read that’s a little scary then this is the book for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is the same Coleman behind the Gretel series, which I didn't realize until I got to the end. I knew the name was familiar, but I didn't check until after I was finished with the book, and yes--same author.
I really enjoyed the first two books of the Gretel series (mixed feelings about the third, and haven't read beyond that yet), and I really REALLY loved the first installment. This one did not have the same impact on me; I liked it, and it was interesting, but it didn't grab me by the collar and shake my teeth out. All of the elements were there, but somehow they just didn't seem to come together. The ending felt very strange, like the book had been broken off abruptly and an ending tacked on. Based on where we ended this book, I'm not sure how it's a series, but I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt that that was a deliberate choice. I do want to read the next book now and see where this goes, and how we deal with the changes in our protagonist. I'm assuming there are answers to the many, many questions I was left with after finishing this, so I want to keep going until I find them. So, even though it wasn't my favorite of the author's works, if it makes me want to keep reading, I think that's still a win.
"The Sighting" started off quickly, but lost its wind a quarter of the way into it. I liked the concept of the story and you can clearly tell the author was influenced by the likes of Polanski and maybe Lovecraft. The story remains dark throughout and uses the backstory to build the suspense. He gives the ending a slight twist that the reader can clearly see coming if they are paying attention. If you are looking for a quick read, this book can keep you busy for about 7 hours. I only wish it had been longer.
Coleman can do creepy, that's been proven. You have to give the guy some stars for imagination, and I did. What made me hold back on a 4th was how vile I found the characters. Worse than vile is boring, they bored me! The premise was truly unique but the evolution was stunted. I feel like I want to give it back and say, no, please redo it, I know you can do better.
** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **
I snagged The Sighting from Amazon a while ago after it was offered up as a freebie. The cover and synopsis were super intriguing and I had already grabbed Coleman’s twisted fairy tale books (which I need to still read).
I’ve always been a fan of the unknown; what lurks in deep waters? What resided in those subterranean worlds? A simple cover of a man standing on a dock staring out over the water had me hooked. A description that said every 14 months the creature comes out of the water made this a must read.
The story follows Danny Lynch, who has moved to a quaint coastal town with his wife. He wrote a few hit songs and now they have cash rolling in. They find themselves in a routine, no true friends here, most are hours away in the city still. But they like the solace of their new residence.
Every morning Danny goes for a run and a swim. This takes him down to the hugely popular beach near the house, but he ensures he goes first thing in the morning to avoid crowds of people and the heat.
Everything is routine until the morning Danny hears a loud splash and watches a dark figure emerge from the water.
From here Coleman leads us down a great path of gore, folklore and some detective work.
The story is a very fast paced read and I really enjoyed the characters involved. There are a few parts that felt rushed and things happen a bit quickly, but in such a short page count I found myself looking past those things just to enjoy the story.
This is part one and part two is out now. This didn’t detract at all from the story and you’d be more than able to just read part one and call it a day. Coleman does a great job of simultaneously giving this story an intriguing ending but also leading us into a book two.
For me, as I said, I’m always a sucker for a good creature feature and this one delivered.
kindle unlimited, read all the 'Gretel' series except new one due out soonish so had to check this one out. Would put strange but well lots of Coleman's are that.
Every fourteen months it appears on a secluded beach in a small town just before dawn. One morning during his daily run to the beach, Danny Lynch witnesses the strangest and most incredible thing he's ever seen. A dark, man-like figure emerges from the ocean, stands for just a few moments on the beach, and then retreats back to the surf. Danny's perspective on the world changes in an instant, and as the only eyewitness to this event, his mission now is to convince anyone who will listen that what he saw was real. But with only a vague photo and a dubious story, that task is proving almost impossible, and his only hope may be in finding a mysterious woman who was at the beach earlier that morning, and who may hold the terrifying secret that could cost Danny his life.
Also by Christopher Coleman: Gretel (Gretel Book One) Marlene's Revenge (Gretel Book Two) Hansel (Gretel Book Three) The Gretel Series: Books 1-3 Anika Rising (Gretel Book Four)
The Sighting is quick to start but fizzles out a bit for me because of certain factors. An OK book with a good concept.
I like the fact that Danny sees the God and immediately does his research. His character is smart, athletic, and relatively insightful. Good qualities to have. What I don't like is his wavering relationship with his wife and his lazy approach to responsibility.
I like the amount of death, the gore descriptions, the strange creature worship, and Lynn's persistence. This plays over well and feeds the reader.
The writing style is good except for the end where Coleman twice makes the mistake of writing a nice scene (such as someone getting shot or someone being attacked) and then in the next chapter, replays the exact same scene but from the other character's POV. Don't do that. Just write in omniscient POV or move on after the first go.
This is a quick read with a dab of mystery, some death, and crazy people. The ending is typical but what's left unexplained is the allure of the God. Why are people drawn to it? Not sure if I'm going to read the next two books for this series as I don't see how much further this can go, unless there's an origin story.
I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
Christopher Coleman’s tales are frightening and eerie. I enjoyed both stories. Although they closely resemble other tales, each one has its own style and development.
The second tale is also one of survival. A man our for a run sees something very strange. He cannot fully understand exactly what he has seen, but it becomes an obsession with him. He has to figure out what it was. He returns to the scene daily hoping to see it again in order to explain and understand. Eventually, he learns, to his horror, just what it is.
The way Mr. Coleman develops his stories takes us from uncomfortable to terrified as the tension develops. I look forward to more of his tales
Another new author to be excited about! Loved the Gretel series, so I decided to give this series a go! A bit different type of tale than I usually read, as many " sea creature ",Bigfoot", and other mythical or unknown beast tales can fall short. Thankfully, there are the ones that rise above the generic and bring these creatures to life! Into our reality for at least the time of the reading! And if we are really fortunate, much longer. Coleman has accomplished this with the Sighting, quite effortlessly and flowing like the tide. Until it explodes in all it's glory from off the page to take us to a place of mystery and wonder. I loved it! Excited to get to the next in the series! Xx
The Sighting was a great, quick read! The well developed plot and characters made it pretty easy to get caught up in the possibility of animals/creatures yet to be discovered. I don't want to give anything away but this story was a fun, quick read for a Sunday!
**On a side note, there are several small mistakes that editors missed. It wasn't too distracting from the story and may only be noticeable to grammar freaks, like me. Ha! Anyway, perhaps they will be fixed at some point. (I'm available to help!) :-)
This is the kind of book that happens when indie authors/publishers do it right.
When protagonist Danny Lynch sees a monster on the beach, he is understandably weirded out by the sighting, and is subsequently left trying to wrap his mind around it. Ultimately, his investigation leads him in too deep, in ways that he and readers alike don't see coming.
"The Sighting" is intriguing, mysterious, and downright creepy. For such a short book and an easy read, the characters are very well-developed, and I can't wait to read more of this unusual tale.
This book did keep me reading—only to be VERY disappointed by the ending.
The story starts strong, with me liking the main character. Then we meet an utterly loony woman, whose actions grow increasingly erratic.
The web that a good writer weaves, in this book, stretches and stretches until it finally rips apart, flapping and empty. Actions cease to have credible motivation. By the very end, I felt as though I had been tricked into a mere late night bonfire story: creepy just to be creepy, lacking any believability or meaning.
A short but intense read about a man's encounter with a man-shaped monster, rising out of the sea at dawn one day.
It was ok, quite well-written, but the plot lacked something. I just didn't get the protagonist's reaction to the loss of one of the other characters, and I didn't get why the nasty lady - Lynn - had deified the monster to such an extent. It was implied that the monster was somehow controlling or influencing her, but how, if it only appeared one every 14 months? Didn't make sense to me. 3.5 stars.
A novella, this suspenseful horror grabs your attention quickly. It’s scary, but nor in the “ give you nightmares” category. More so because it borders on being conceivable. If you consider Bigfoot or the Loch Ness creature being a possibility, then this storyline will give you one more thing to haunt the shadows of your mind. I knew Danny would end up with another sighting, but the conclusion caught me by surprise. A great read for a quick book fix! All my reviews are always voluntarily written
I absolutely loved this book! I read it in a day. It is well written, Christopher Coleman makes you believe his horrifying tales of suspense could really happen. I could see a follow up book, but it is a complete tale on its own. The sighting draws you in and keeps you interested all the way through. I think it is really cool that there is a story within a story, and you find out about what has happened in the past as well as the present.
This would have been a decent 1960s-70s monster movie that played in drive-in theaters with 2 other equally awful films. Decent being a relative term. A decent monster movie is roughly equivalent to a really bad normal movie. Anyway, this book features a sea monster, or "God" who comes out of the sea every 14 months to feed on unsuspecting victims supplied by a helper on-shore. A jogger happens on the monster one morning on one of his pre-dawn jogs to the ocean. Horrors ensue.
I feel like the main issue was the mystery disappeared top quickly for me. Then it was more about characters and their fates.
What was sighted, who the woman was etc. - it was all revealed early and I started to lose interest a bit as I read it for the mystery of these.. And stuff started happening to characters before you even properly established their personalities, so I was just bothered reading those parts.
While the premise of the " Loch Ness " monster is almost too pat, the author brings in just enough suspense and builds enough interest in the true nature of the "God" or "Monster" if you prefer, the real point of interest is the "following" of each character in the "sacrificial rites for the God"... It is both frightening and yet "right" seemingly... That is the truly truly he
I really wasnt in the Christmas mood this year and when I read this book I was so happy that I wasnt. I was able to sit and get into this book from the very first chapter. The only messed up thing is is that I live near the beach and do enjoy it on occasion. I can tell you right now....I'm more of a pool person now.
Original, entertaining and scary, this is a good book, except that the end feels rushed. I also would have enjoyed a little bit more info on the creature. I know that in horror, the unknown is scarier than what we can see, but it's a little frustrating.
Nevertheless, it scared me, the plot is intriguing, and it trapped me from the very beginning, therefore the four stars.
If you enjoy swimming in the ocean, I wouldn't read this story. The characters are well written with just enough information to understand how they've gotten to this point in their lives. The suspense keeps you reading until you finish the last page. At the end you are wondering...would I end up the same way? Very enjoyable.
I did like this horror/mystery novel. The writing is well done and the premise is very interesting. Even though one can predict to a certain extent the basis of the horror (done purposely by the author), it was still intriguing. I would recommend this somewhat short novel for an interesting read.
The sighting is a good story with a clear pace, a sea creature and some thoughtful gory description. It's worth a read but does suffer a little from too many horror cliches that make the story quite predictable for even casual horror fans. But if you don't mind knowing where you're going, you'll still enjoy getting there.
I really enjoyed the story, short as it is. It's a light horror, perfect for rainy nights.
The head-hopping was a bit confusing, and I'm left wanting more from both the narrative and the plot. The character arc is solid, however, and I'm so glad it went negative. And Coleman's pacing set the omnious mood quite well.
Ok book. Kind of interesting premise but there are major holes. There's also alot of super convenient coincidences. A number of chapters towards the end explore the same scene from 2 differ t perspectives, whish is interesting but super redundant when they're going over the same dialog and actions you literally just read word for word.