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Wurm
By the laws of nature, it shouldn't be alive.
For the sake of mankind, it shouldn't be resurrected from the ocean floor.
For the love of God, it shouldn't be worshipped.
Unless you want to survive … WURM
The infection is spreading. The cult is reborn. The horror is alive and well and ready to transform humanity forever. Wurm is here …
For the sake of mankind, it shouldn't be resurrected from the ocean floor.
For the love of God, it shouldn't be worshipped.
Unless you want to survive … WURM
The infection is spreading. The cult is reborn. The horror is alive and well and ready to transform humanity forever. Wurm is here …
332 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
3 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 17, 2023
Decent read by Costello, but too many plot holes and too much like an Alien knockoff to be really great. Our main protagonist, Dr. Michael Cross, starts the novel as the director of the NY aquarium; a big step down from his research post at Woods Hole a few years back. Recently divorced, Michael shares custody of his 12 yo daughter Jo with his ex, a journalist/reporter.
The prologue features a research team taking ROVs into a trench in the Gulf of Mexico. In recent years, the odd, almost alien life around the 'smokers' there has stirred interest in many quarters, from scientific to commercial. One of the ROVs manages to bring up yet another species from a deep trench, some type of worm, but shortly thereafter all contact with the ship is lost.
Michael lost his job at Woods Hole because he warned that life forms from around the 'smokers' are so alien in nature that they may be a bio hazard, and should be treated accordingly. The directors at Woods Hole, however, were not pleased and gave him the boot. When Michael gets a call from his old boss, telling him about the ill fated research expedition, it seems his worries were justified after all...
I will not go too much into the plot here to avoid spoilers. Pretty early on we learn that the worm brought up is not only still alive, it is very hungry, and uses humans for hosts (along with just about anything else living). While all this is going on, we have an odd ex-religious con man making his way to NYC; he is in some form of communication with what can only be the worm meta mind or something (shades of Lovecraftian Elder Gods?), but Costello never really explains this or explores it in detail. If Costello just stuck with the Alien-like parasitic worm, this could have been a good romp. Adding in some strange alien intelligence like the worm meta mind just did not really work for me. Lots of good foo when things get going, but the drama between Michael and his Ex (and Jo) was also overblown. So, this was fun, but nothing very memorable. 2.5 stars, rounding up for GR!
The prologue features a research team taking ROVs into a trench in the Gulf of Mexico. In recent years, the odd, almost alien life around the 'smokers' there has stirred interest in many quarters, from scientific to commercial. One of the ROVs manages to bring up yet another species from a deep trench, some type of worm, but shortly thereafter all contact with the ship is lost.
Michael lost his job at Woods Hole because he warned that life forms from around the 'smokers' are so alien in nature that they may be a bio hazard, and should be treated accordingly. The directors at Woods Hole, however, were not pleased and gave him the boot. When Michael gets a call from his old boss, telling him about the ill fated research expedition, it seems his worries were justified after all...
I will not go too much into the plot here to avoid spoilers. Pretty early on we learn that the worm brought up is not only still alive, it is very hungry, and uses humans for hosts (along with just about anything else living). While all this is going on, we have an odd ex-religious con man making his way to NYC; he is in some form of communication with what can only be the worm meta mind or something (shades of Lovecraftian Elder Gods?), but Costello never really explains this or explores it in detail. If Costello just stuck with the Alien-like parasitic worm, this could have been a good romp. Adding in some strange alien intelligence like the worm meta mind just did not really work for me. Lots of good foo when things get going, but the drama between Michael and his Ex (and Jo) was also overblown. So, this was fun, but nothing very memorable. 2.5 stars, rounding up for GR!
February 8, 2016
An okay book, not that much horror, honestly. Reminded me of Michael Crichton writing after a head trauma more than anything. Jumped around multiple plot threads throughout.
Normally I have much more to say about a book I've finished, but this one? It was neither here nor there.
Not as fun or trashy as it could have - should have - been.
Normally I have much more to say about a book I've finished, but this one? It was neither here nor there.
Not as fun or trashy as it could have - should have - been.
March 14, 2015
Matthew J. Costello! He consulted on Titanic! He was a Bram Stoker Award finalist for his 1992 novel Homecoming! He writes children’s television! He writes videogames! He wrote an original prequel for Peter Jackson’s King Kong! And in 1991, between banging out the novelizations for Child’s Play 2 and Child’s Play 3 he published one of the funnest, dumbest, goopiest riffs on Alien I’ve ever read.
Imagine the xenomorph as a giant phallic symbol living in a pineapple under the sea and say it with me in a German accent…Ladies and gentlemen, meet Wurm.
Get wurmy and read the rest of this review.
Imagine the xenomorph as a giant phallic symbol living in a pineapple under the sea and say it with me in a German accent…Ladies and gentlemen, meet Wurm.
Get wurmy and read the rest of this review.
November 4, 2019
This reminded me of a cheesy creature feature matinee that I would fake sick to stay home and watch while eating copious amounts of potato chips, chugging 2-liters of Dr. Pepper and getting wired out of my mind on packages of fun dip. I liked it...
Yeah, sounds like I was talking about when I was a kid, but that was last Tuesday :)
Yeah, sounds like I was talking about when I was a kid, but that was last Tuesday :)
May 26, 2025
So the book wasn't as good as the cover -- that's just par for the course with these types of reads. I liked that the book took place on Cape Cod, it's fun being familiar with the locations. I remember going on school field trips to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution back in the day so those scenes definitely rang nostalgic.
July 16, 2020
Pretty great book
January 4, 2011
So pulpy, so gross, so fun. Don't touch the wurm!
October 16, 2019
First, understand that it seems the published made a mistake with the description as this book's description has nothing to do with this book.
Now...
Here we have an ambitious tale with decent characters that opens several great plot lines. Unfortunately, none of them are sufficiently explained.
Matthew DeWolf gives us a solid audio performance that falls several steps short of stellar. His voices are distinct, though some of his accents are a little off and his female voices leave quite a bit to be desired. His vocal inflections are mostly on point, and though they are subtle his tempo shifts are effective.
The story opens with a prologue that does a great job of setting up ONE of the plot lines in the book.
After this we are introduced to a number of characters very quickly. Some are intriguing, others less so.
Over the course of the book, lots of different storylines are explored in varying levels of depths. In the end they do all tie together, though even having finished it there is little to no explanation as to just how they interrelate.
As other reviewers have noted, there is a lot of influence from various films from the 80s here, some are obvious while others are a little more subtle.
Now, I didn't get the "Alien" vibe that some reviews did, but I expect that is largely a matter of personal taste.
Based on the vague hints dropped throughout, I feel like there should have been a book before this one. There is one character in particular who has a largely undeveloped background but there are enough hints to suggest that he has a very complex history that directly relates to this story.
The prose itself is rather old fashioned, but no more than a reader should expect from a book originally published in 1991. With that in mind, the writing is skillful and error-free.
My major issues with the book are with the lack of explanations. There are at least two different creatures involved here and it's not really clear how they relate, even considering one helps and enables the other.
There's also a strong Cthulhu-eske suggestion here, but that is not really explored either.
In addition to that frustration, we have rapidly shifting POVs without any real indication that the POV is shifting.
All that aside, when we finally get to the end things are reasonably wrapped up and satisfying, though there is still a wide open storyline available for exploration in the second book.
Now...
Here we have an ambitious tale with decent characters that opens several great plot lines. Unfortunately, none of them are sufficiently explained.
Matthew DeWolf gives us a solid audio performance that falls several steps short of stellar. His voices are distinct, though some of his accents are a little off and his female voices leave quite a bit to be desired. His vocal inflections are mostly on point, and though they are subtle his tempo shifts are effective.
The story opens with a prologue that does a great job of setting up ONE of the plot lines in the book.
After this we are introduced to a number of characters very quickly. Some are intriguing, others less so.
Over the course of the book, lots of different storylines are explored in varying levels of depths. In the end they do all tie together, though even having finished it there is little to no explanation as to just how they interrelate.
As other reviewers have noted, there is a lot of influence from various films from the 80s here, some are obvious while others are a little more subtle.
Now, I didn't get the "Alien" vibe that some reviews did, but I expect that is largely a matter of personal taste.
Based on the vague hints dropped throughout, I feel like there should have been a book before this one. There is one character in particular who has a largely undeveloped background but there are enough hints to suggest that he has a very complex history that directly relates to this story.
The prose itself is rather old fashioned, but no more than a reader should expect from a book originally published in 1991. With that in mind, the writing is skillful and error-free.
My major issues with the book are with the lack of explanations. There are at least two different creatures involved here and it's not really clear how they relate, even considering one helps and enables the other.
There's also a strong Cthulhu-eske suggestion here, but that is not really explored either.
In addition to that frustration, we have rapidly shifting POVs without any real indication that the POV is shifting.
All that aside, when we finally get to the end things are reasonably wrapped up and satisfying, though there is still a wide open storyline available for exploration in the second book.
October 24, 2019
I really wanted to enjoy this book but it lost me really quickly. It was campy and strange but not in an endearing way. It seemed disjointed and tried really hard to generate tension when there was none to be had. There was promise for a while. The idea of this underlying premise is why I am no fan of the deep sea... that and too many other ocean-related horrors. If I had read this when it first came out I may have enjoyed it more. As it goes, I don't think it stands up to time and the masses of other sci-fi, biohorror out there.
This audio book was given to me at my request for my free and unbiased review.
This audio book was given to me at my request for my free and unbiased review.
October 28, 2014
I have enjoyed every book I've read by Matthew J Costello up until this one. I think the problem is that the book he wrote just before this one, "Midsummer" was very similar and was also way better. This one didn't do it for me. I admire the sheer audacity of the over the top shlock horror here, but it didn't really work as a well put together novel. Basically, there is some vintage late 80s, early 90s over the top shocks, but it isn't put together very well. I recommend "Midsummer" instead.
June 25, 2020
Creepy gory and captivating. I enjoyed every moment of this twisted tale. The worms are coming and they can be anyone and everywhere.
February 16, 2025
I liked it, kept me going through his writing. Instilled fear and at the same time, interest in the oncoming pages. But, the ending, a clear attempt at a sequel that wasn't delivered sold my rating.
February 21, 2020
Excellent old time creepy monster story.Samples of a worm from a deep sea exploration identify a new worm that lives around the black smokers.Is it safe to bring such a thing to land?Precautions have never been taken and we're about to find out what happens when no one listens to a scientists recommendations. Matthew DeWolf was a very good narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
November 4, 2019
[Disclaimer: I'm starting to get genuinely concerned by how many books I have now read concerning worms]
This was a decent entry to the many wormy books I have read. The narration was done well, a few falters here and there that had not been edited out but generally good.
The story itself is quite a slow burner, which leads me to think that Costello has deliberately made it long-winded in the hope that SyFy will pick it up and adapt it (and let's face it, I would definitely watch it if they did).
There were a lot of characters and varying POVs which got confusing with the audio. The action took ages to happen as well. I spent far too long hoping for some gore and nastiness. When it did happen though, I was not left disappointed, but honestly it took far too long to reach that point.
Overall, a fun read but could have done with editing out all the boring bits and backstories and just concentrated on the fun and the gore, cause that iss all anyone really wants when they read a title like this (if they say otherwise, they're lying).
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request via Audioboom and have voluntarily left this review.
This was a decent entry to the many wormy books I have read. The narration was done well, a few falters here and there that had not been edited out but generally good.
The story itself is quite a slow burner, which leads me to think that Costello has deliberately made it long-winded in the hope that SyFy will pick it up and adapt it (and let's face it, I would definitely watch it if they did).
There were a lot of characters and varying POVs which got confusing with the audio. The action took ages to happen as well. I spent far too long hoping for some gore and nastiness. When it did happen though, I was not left disappointed, but honestly it took far too long to reach that point.
Overall, a fun read but could have done with editing out all the boring bits and backstories and just concentrated on the fun and the gore, cause that iss all anyone really wants when they read a title like this (if they say otherwise, they're lying).
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request via Audioboom and have voluntarily left this review.
October 24, 2019
The oceanic research ship Achilles is exploring volcanic vents and the creatures that live there, deep on the ocean floor. What they discover is much more exciting than they ever imagined. It’s also something that’s been buried deep on the ocean floor for millennia and is very dangerous. The Achilles brought it up from the depths. The effects of this discovery range from mass hypnosis, to mass hysteria, to violence and death. The tale becomes quite complex, so many characters, so many POVs, and I wonder if it is all necessary. Eventually, we get to the good parts, but it took so long to get there. Three.point.five. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
April 19, 2009
Very good piece of horrow fiction. This will frighten you.
June 23, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this literary piece and had the pleasure of working on it with Crossroads Press. A must read!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews