Devil in the Green

Systema Paradoxa #5

by James Chambers, Jason Whitley (Illustrator)

Summer on Long Island—hot, humid, idyllic... and terrifying?

When fledgling photojournalist Ben Keep lands a freelance assignment to document the rediscovery of supposedly long-lost cryptid remains, he partners with biologist Annetta Maikels for the story—but the strange bones only open the door to deeper mysteries and dark secrets.

As Ben and Annetta continue to investigate, evidence of more than one living, breathing cryptid surfaces in what wildlands remain between the summer hotspots of Eastern Long Island, leaving them wondering...

Will they solve this decades' old mystery, or become one more vanishing chapter in the ongoing tale?

120 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2021

About the author

James Chambers writes tales of horror, crime, fantasy, and science fiction. He is the author of The Engines of Sacrifice, a collection of four Lovecraftian-inspired novellas published in 2011 by Dark Regions Press which Publisher’s Weekly described as “…chillingly evocative….” He is also the author of the short fiction collection Resurrection House (Dark Regions Press, 2009). Most recently, Dark Quest Books published The Dead Bear Witness and Tears of Blood, volume one and two in his Corpse Fauna novella series. Volume three, The Dead in Their Masses, will be published in late 2013. In August 2005 Die Monster Die Books published his first short story collection, The Midnight Hour: Saint Lawn Hill and Other Tales, created in collaboration with illustrator Jason Whitley.

His short stories have been published in the anthologies Bad-Ass Faeries, Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad, Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory, Bad Cop No Donut, Barbarians at the Jumpgate, Breach the Hull, By Other Means, Crypto-Critters (Volume 1 and Volume 2), Dark Furies, The Dead Walk, The Dead Walk Again, Deep Cuts, The Domino Lady: Sex as a Weapon, Dragon’s Lure, The Green Hornet Chronicles, Hardboiled Cthulhu, Hear Them Roar, Hellfire Lounge, In An Iron Cage, Lost Worlds of Space and Time (Volume 1), Mermaids 13, New Blood, No Longer Dreams, Sick: An Anthology of Illness, So It Begins, To Hell in a Fast Car, Walrus Tales, Weird Trails, and Warfear; the chapbook Mooncat Jack; and the magazines Bare Bone, Cthulhu Sex, and Allen K’s Inhuman.

His tale “A Wandering Blackness,” one of two published in Lin Carter’s Doctor Anton Zarnak, Occult Detective, received an honorable mention in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, Sixteenth Annual Collection.

He has also written numerous comic books including Leonard Nimoy’s Primortals, the critically acclaimed “The Revenant” in Shadow House, and most recently a Midnight Hour story for the comics anthology Negative Burn.

He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and the current chairperson of its membership committee.

He lives in New York.

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t you just love finding a book that appears to be comprised of random things you’re personally fascinated with that the author seems to have somehow cherry picked right out of the curves of your brain and made into an engaging and entertaining story. This was definitely the case here.
Cryptozoology…check. With not one but whaaa…multiple beasties…check.
Shadow government psyops…check.
Mysterious creatures…check.
Wild but fascinating conspiracy theories...check.
Taut suspense…check.
Dark and eerie atmosphere…check.
Throw in some genuinely likeable characters and an ambiance inducing found footage style, believe it or not, here are the facts and I’m outta here first person presentation and this short novel or novella was just a perfect quick one sit read for the evening. This is exactly the right before bed reading for me and no, somehow it never affects my dreams. Frankly, this would have made for some fun dreams or tasty nightmares.
So yeah, this was great. There was one creature I wished was developed more or we'd get to know more about, but other than that...Smartly imagined, well written and wildly (mean it) entertaining. What a great introduction to a new to me author. One I would definitely read more from given a chance. This book seems to be one of a series, but it reads perfectly as a standalone. Genre fans will want for nothing with this book. Among other things it’s just a really fun creature feature, crafted well enough to avoid devolving into guts and gore. Original, clever and eerie. Love it. Way to make Long Island terrifying, James Chambers. Color me a fan. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
Ben Keep is given the opportunity to write a stringer article of a report relating to the Montauk Monster, a supposed Long Island cryptid that was made famous by a couple of photographs on the internet. He embarks with biologist Annetta Maikels (who has a thing for cryptids) on a journey to a house that doesn't seem to exist, inhabited by a strange old couple of taxidermists who claim to have proof of the Monster's existence. Little does Keep know that this is just the first strange encounter he'll experience in the Pine Barrens.
Part of the Systema Paradoxa series of books centering around cryptids, this one is for fans of all things cryptozoology: the Montauk Monster, Bigfoot, Men in Black, lost time, and the like. It unfolds like several X-Files coming together as a journalist becomes entrenched in more than he ever expected.
It's a short, fun, exciting ride, and while bringing several cryptid-ish stories together things do get a little over the top cray-cray towards the end. But if you enjoy cryptids and The -X-Files and Sci-Fi/horror that isn't too heavy, you should enjoy this.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short novel. Had an old style feel to it, with a modern bent. Great characters, great pacing, great story. Even a new creature to look up and read about, the Montauk Monster. #DevilintheGreen #NetGalley

[Renea S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging. Quick read.

[julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great characters, great pacing, likeable characters and a fun read. I'll look towards finding the rest in the series.

[John Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild, fun, fast read with all the monsters. A reporter and a scientist investigate stories about the Montauk Monster and get caught up in a vast conspiracy. Well written and a lot of fun.