Mutilated livestock, massacred lovers, and a horde of giant centipedes on the loose.
When mutant centipedes kill a lonely septuagenarian’s dog, he joins forces with a plucky female reporter to uncover the truth behind the putrid creatures and their connection to the recently opened local quarry.
Ignored by the community, our unlikely duo joins up with a shady environmental activist and soon find themselves in a race against time and hundreds of tiny legs in order to stop the menace before it devours the entire village and beyond.
A very, very solid creature feature. I love when horror authors try different concepts, i.e. giant, killer centipedes. And it's weaved in with the classic cover-up backdrop and a very small group of ragtag protagonists. Lots of action, some good character development, some humor, a fantastic antagonist, and a good pace. All the things that you could hope to have in a book like this, it had. I don't have any critiques on this. Crazy, right? Nothing needed additional work or tweaking and it was really just an enjoyable outing to start my Thursday. I believe that Marek Z Turner is new to the game, so I want to formally welcome him into the group. Definitely someone to keep your eye on, because if his initial writing skills are at this level, it's only going to get better as he continues his literary journey. And I wish him nothing but the best of luck!
Killerpedeis yet another one of those creature features from Severed Press that doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. Just straight up killer centipedes eating and killing everyone. Really, it’s as simple as that.
And while I love a complex and rich story as mix as the next reader, I’m still a sucker for trashy, pulpy, quickly written and cheaply produced books in this sub genre of horror. Severed Press may never be up to Zebra standards (or lack thereof) but they’re getting close and are quickly becoming a favorite publisher for when I need a story that’s gonna be mindlessly entertaining.
Okay, so, after reading Warm, Dark Places are Best by Mike Duke earlier this year, the prologue of Killerpede bothered me a little bit.
I mean, how many books involving insectile violation do I have to read before Amazon decides I'm an entomophile and starts suggesting I read those bizarro "I made out with a mantis...and liked it" kind of novels?
That being said, I started reading this thing on my lunch break at work today, and finished reading it at home about 10pm today. So, it must have had something going for it.
That something was the fact that it was unapologetically about gaint-ish mutant centipedes. Well, it tried to be about an old man wanting to revenge his dog's death and a "plucky female reporter" looking to make a name for herself. And they did show up every other chapter. While every OTHER chapter introduced a new character to be eaten, usually by the end of the chapter.
And, two of those Characters were named Billy and Georgie, and their last name was Derry, and if that wasn't a purposeful nod to IT (which this novel doesn't in the least bit mimic) then it was the worlds most blinding coincidence.
Meanwhile, despite feeding most of a town to giant insects, there wasn't a lot of gore. At least not what I consider a lot of gore (and I'm not big into extreme horror or splatterpunk so my gore meter may rank higher or lower than yours)
There was a couple of attempts to involve a plot. I felt it in my bones, but they never came to fruition. Points for trying though.
So, what we have here is another syfy movie in novel form and I am here for it. I give it 3 stars. Would have been 4 if that plot had ever come into play. (seriously, I need a prequel to find out what that one guy was doing in that once place in the first place. I need answers!)
A very descriptive and vivid creature feature. I won't say fun, because nobody in this book is having that, but it was a fast paced and gripping, creepy adventure. Just a couple of main characters for the most part, and I liked them both. A third character that comes into it is not quite so fleshed out and his purpose is kind of left up to your imagination a bit (unless I missed something). I have learned 2 things from this book (at least). 1. Wear super thick underwear and keep it pulled up. If some creature comes knocking at my back door, it's not getting in. 2. Learn to scream with my mouth shut.
If you like b-movie creature features, you're going to LOVE this. I especially enjoyed the atypical partnership of the two main characters, and the small town vibe that runs throughout. I really enjoyed this and look forward to more from the author
Killerpede reads exactly how you image a movie with the same title would play. Simple, engaging B-movie magic. A fantastic pick to give me some reading momentum for the new year.
This is exactly as titled. Wonderfully fun and filled with raunchy goodness. Pros: +right from the start you know what you’re getting +much raunchier than anticipated but in a fun way like a Troma film
Cons: - dog dies
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Mutated centipedes are on the rampage in a small English village. Brutal killings breed unlikely alliances as the embattled villagers have one more fight on their hands.
A well written, contemporary update on the classic killer insects running amok story. Venal MPs, late stage capitalists, journalists, and environmental protesters, will anyone escape the legs and mandibles of the unstoppable centipedes?
A must for fans of Shaun Hutson, Guy N Smith and early James Herbert.