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Cryptids #3
Rose (Cryptids3
Civilization has fallen. The public revelation that shapechangers are real, secretly living among ordinary people, has brought down the government and spread complete chaos.
Shaw and Captain Case, both mutated by the monstrous Wendigo, must face the conspiracy of werewolves that successfully ended humanity’s dominance.
Ex-detective Lenny and cryptid-hunter Dandy struggle to survive as America collapses around them. In this horrific new world, vicious armed gangs prey on the weak and helpless.
There is no future, no hope.
But there is Rose. The hybrid child of human and cryptid, she is the only chance of bringing together all the warring species. If she can survive…
Shaw and Captain Case, both mutated by the monstrous Wendigo, must face the conspiracy of werewolves that successfully ended humanity’s dominance.
Ex-detective Lenny and cryptid-hunter Dandy struggle to survive as America collapses around them. In this horrific new world, vicious armed gangs prey on the weak and helpless.
There is no future, no hope.
But there is Rose. The hybrid child of human and cryptid, she is the only chance of bringing together all the warring species. If she can survive…
- GenresHorror
Unknown Binding
First published October 12, 2023
21 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
David Haynes
27 books213 followersWhen 12 year-old David Haynes picked up a battered copy of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, he never looked back.
Writing in the grand tradition of the horror paperback originals of his misspent youth, Haynes populates his spine-chilling novels with ancient evils and small-town terrors, mutant monstrosities and knife-wielding psychopaths, and is dedicated to disproving the depressing observation that “...they don’t write ‘em like they used to.”
David Haynes is the author of sixteen horror novels and three collections of macabre short fiction, and lives in England with his wife and dog - that he wasn’t allowed to call Cujo.
Writing in the grand tradition of the horror paperback originals of his misspent youth, Haynes populates his spine-chilling novels with ancient evils and small-town terrors, mutant monstrosities and knife-wielding psychopaths, and is dedicated to disproving the depressing observation that “...they don’t write ‘em like they used to.”
David Haynes is the author of sixteen horror novels and three collections of macabre short fiction, and lives in England with his wife and dog - that he wasn’t allowed to call Cujo.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 18, 2023
Cryptid Action!
Small backstory:
Shaw is back along with his dog (Girl) as they are wrapped within an upheaval of cryptid chaos as there are hunters tracking down everyone that is not "human" and killing them. There is no where left to hide, but Shaw is not the only one dealing with the hunters as Lenny (the ex-cop) and Dandy (the cryptid hunter) are having to deal with the way of the world as well.
Through it all they try to protect Rose (the child is part human and part cryptid) but she has special abilities that could help bring peace to the everyone though it will take everyone down into the pits of hell to try and keep her alive as the hunters do not care about the lives of the cryptids and before it is all said and done there will be a magnitude firefight to end all cryptid life!
That is about all I can give on a small taste so if you want to know more than you will need to read this trilogy of books!
Thoughts:
This last book in the trilogy opens up with lots of "fur and fang" action as the story opens up more about the child Rose. The pace stays fast as well as there seems to be an endless onslaught of cryptid fighting in this book. By the end of the book I was exhausted as there was so much action that it wore me out just reading it! lol
I will have to say that these books are not stand alone - you must read them in order to understand what is happening with these characters as everything is connected that goes back to book number one.
This was a great wrap up to this trilogy and looking forward to reading more books by this author as I have read quite a few already and wanting to see what else he has in store in the future. Giving this book four Wild Wendigo stars!
Small backstory:
Shaw is back along with his dog (Girl) as they are wrapped within an upheaval of cryptid chaos as there are hunters tracking down everyone that is not "human" and killing them. There is no where left to hide, but Shaw is not the only one dealing with the hunters as Lenny (the ex-cop) and Dandy (the cryptid hunter) are having to deal with the way of the world as well.
Through it all they try to protect Rose (the child is part human and part cryptid) but she has special abilities that could help bring peace to the everyone though it will take everyone down into the pits of hell to try and keep her alive as the hunters do not care about the lives of the cryptids and before it is all said and done there will be a magnitude firefight to end all cryptid life!
That is about all I can give on a small taste so if you want to know more than you will need to read this trilogy of books!
Thoughts:
This last book in the trilogy opens up with lots of "fur and fang" action as the story opens up more about the child Rose. The pace stays fast as well as there seems to be an endless onslaught of cryptid fighting in this book. By the end of the book I was exhausted as there was so much action that it wore me out just reading it! lol
I will have to say that these books are not stand alone - you must read them in order to understand what is happening with these characters as everything is connected that goes back to book number one.
This was a great wrap up to this trilogy and looking forward to reading more books by this author as I have read quite a few already and wanting to see what else he has in store in the future. Giving this book four Wild Wendigo stars!
December 11, 2024
Furious fleabags fight for freedom.
This book, the third in the trilogy, is a bit like watching WWE but we're at the end of the season and it's Battle Of The Champions.
Here I was, avidly reading with my little reading devices (eyeballs) pleading for mercy and a break, when I thought, "Hang on! I recognise this plot." This is David Haynes' go at replicating Stephen King's The Stand, only King did it all in one behemoth, shoulder-popping volume. If it wasn't, it's very bloody similar: The character-development, with one good and one evil player rising to the top, followed by the build-up to a big finale, with a biblical ending. Yep, it's all there.
So if you liked The Stand, you'll like this. I was a bit disappointed as I thought the ending could have been a bit more biblical than it was.
This book, the third in the trilogy, is a bit like watching WWE but we're at the end of the season and it's Battle Of The Champions.
Here I was, avidly reading with my little reading devices (eyeballs) pleading for mercy and a break, when I thought, "Hang on! I recognise this plot." This is David Haynes' go at replicating Stephen King's The Stand, only King did it all in one behemoth, shoulder-popping volume. If it wasn't, it's very bloody similar: The character-development, with one good and one evil player rising to the top, followed by the build-up to a big finale, with a biblical ending. Yep, it's all there.
So if you liked The Stand, you'll like this. I was a bit disappointed as I thought the ending could have been a bit more biblical than it was.
August 15, 2025
I love this series.
October 17, 2022
Rose is the child of a cryptid mother and a human father and appears to possess different qualities from both. Civilisation has collapsed and a few of the characters we know from the earlier books are fighting for their existence. David Haynes manages to highlight the difference between being human and possessing the quality we instantly recognise as humanity. It almost becomes a battle for life on an individual level but there are still some who think of others. I’m intrigued to know how this will continue. It’s full of action and excitement right the way through.
March 19, 2023
The third in the Cryptid series, with room for more to come, gives us a world where law and order has broken down as disguised cryptids living among us, mostly in peace, are discovered and ruthlessly hunted down by rogue bands of vigilantes. Meanwhile Rose, the child of a human and cryptid exerts a Mother Abigail-like influence leading to cryptids searching her out as the One who can save them and perhaps the world.
I can't lie, I'd have preferred more of Shaw and Case's story and less of the Rose storyline as I'm not a huge fan of "the chosen one" trope, especially when power is gifted rather than earned. It also usually foreshadows the ultimate ending as there's no point having a chosen one if they don't play a pivotal role in winning the day.
Having said that, as with others in the series, and all his books, this remains a fast paced, gory read. Haynes is such a readable author that anything he brings out, I'll be reading.
I can't lie, I'd have preferred more of Shaw and Case's story and less of the Rose storyline as I'm not a huge fan of "the chosen one" trope, especially when power is gifted rather than earned. It also usually foreshadows the ultimate ending as there's no point having a chosen one if they don't play a pivotal role in winning the day.
Having said that, as with others in the series, and all his books, this remains a fast paced, gory read. Haynes is such a readable author that anything he brings out, I'll be reading.
December 3, 2024
Streams of blood flowed down the highways and byways of America. It was as hideous as it was uncontrollable.
Well, if anyone were to ask me what I've been doing for the better part of the last week, my answer would be pretty simple: I've essentially been sequestered in my living room, tearing my way through David Haynes"Cryptids" series like a Wendigo that had just woken up from a 10-year nap and needed a snack! Remember the Wendigo? Yeah, his influence continues to burn throughout these tales! Anyway, all three of these books - culminating with the subtly titled "Rose" - have been unmitigated thrill-rides where my only regret is that I'm now finished with no "next chapter" waiting. These books will take their place at very least on my own "mental shelves" with a number of my favorite series from the past, including but not limited to Justin Cronin's "The Passage" books or Blake Crouch's "Wayward Pines" classics. And whereas I'm still digesting the ending of "Rose", there should certainly be no argument that all of these books saw more than just a fundamental change in humanity and all life on our planet. And yeah, the word "our" has a much different definition by the time all is said and done.
The bloodshed would never stop until the bodies of man and monster covered the earth.
As before, the transition and the continuity from book to book were seamless, even if significant time continues to rumble past. Yet as before, most if not all of our key players - and again, the new ones we meet in this chapter - have experienced either a metamorphosis or other kind of evolutionary change. All of which naturally proves to be more needed - and definitely more powerful than suspected - by the end. At the start of "Rose", of course, the United States and even the very world find themselves in a state of absolute and total chaos, violence, and carnage… or as it's put so succinctly at one point: "The world has gone to shit." The plan of the new "Great Pack" interlopers has destroyed any trace of civil society and turned man not only against cryptids but even more brutally against his fellow man. Even the President of the United States - revealed on live TV to be himself some type of changeling - is visciously executed as the hate festered by what I began to think of as the "Wolf Reich" - We are at the apex, not humans! - grows ever more deadly. Soon, every player we've met along the way is in severe danger and running towards… something. Something new. Perhaps even something wonderful. That is if anyone lives to see it…
Humans are blind to everything except their own power. They never saw us coming.
I will say that even though quite a great deal of this story is very brutal - especially seeing how Sonia strikes out at those that defy her or how the despicable King rules over his faux kingdom of despicables - that I was surprised that Haynes didn't push it even farther. For example, I was a bit shocked at just how quickly the werewolves' organization fell short of their own personal targets, even if they were at least extremely successful in changing man into his basest form. Shaw plays a big part here explaininig to us how their behaviors are not what define his kind - even as he sees himself changing into something that no longer qualifies as "wolf". And speaking of changes, what becomes of Captain Case of the US Rangers throughout - where it is essential to keep in mind who and what he was when we met at the beginning of all this - is shocking on its on in so many utterly terrifying ways. And the fact that he seems to shrug it off as being merely an expected eventuality gave me a severe case of the chills up to even the very last page!
He snarled again, his maw covered in flies and maggots. They almost dripped from his face.
I think I'll end my review - along with what is a very deserved rating - still pondering on that ending. And I don't think it's a spoiler to say that no one should be expecting that EVERYTHING is completely (partially?) explained by the time the screen fades to black (it would be so cool if our Kindle Readers did that! Are you listening Amazon?). I mean, the country lies in ruins, there is no government, there is no law and what we're left with is…? And of course we now know there are many, many more intelligent beings that we need to learn to get along with if we want to have not only peace but to merely survive. Where does this world go from here? Is this the beginning of a completely New World Order across the globe? Or even just in what I think they said was Maine? All I can say is that I think I'll be thinking about the endless "What If's" and such for a while yet to come. Who knows, I may need a few more days locked away and propped up on my comfy reading chair within easy walking distance of the kitchen to work through it all. But damn, what a fun ride getting to this point!
Something tells me there’s a future out there. For all of us.
Oh one more thing: the dog lives. OK, yeah, that's a bit of a spoiler but still, I know for a fact how much that one factor means to a lot of folks. So no excuses, read these books!
Well, if anyone were to ask me what I've been doing for the better part of the last week, my answer would be pretty simple: I've essentially been sequestered in my living room, tearing my way through David Haynes"Cryptids" series like a Wendigo that had just woken up from a 10-year nap and needed a snack! Remember the Wendigo? Yeah, his influence continues to burn throughout these tales! Anyway, all three of these books - culminating with the subtly titled "Rose" - have been unmitigated thrill-rides where my only regret is that I'm now finished with no "next chapter" waiting. These books will take their place at very least on my own "mental shelves" with a number of my favorite series from the past, including but not limited to Justin Cronin's "The Passage" books or Blake Crouch's "Wayward Pines" classics. And whereas I'm still digesting the ending of "Rose", there should certainly be no argument that all of these books saw more than just a fundamental change in humanity and all life on our planet. And yeah, the word "our" has a much different definition by the time all is said and done.
The bloodshed would never stop until the bodies of man and monster covered the earth.
As before, the transition and the continuity from book to book were seamless, even if significant time continues to rumble past. Yet as before, most if not all of our key players - and again, the new ones we meet in this chapter - have experienced either a metamorphosis or other kind of evolutionary change. All of which naturally proves to be more needed - and definitely more powerful than suspected - by the end. At the start of "Rose", of course, the United States and even the very world find themselves in a state of absolute and total chaos, violence, and carnage… or as it's put so succinctly at one point: "The world has gone to shit." The plan of the new "Great Pack" interlopers has destroyed any trace of civil society and turned man not only against cryptids but even more brutally against his fellow man. Even the President of the United States - revealed on live TV to be himself some type of changeling - is visciously executed as the hate festered by what I began to think of as the "Wolf Reich" - We are at the apex, not humans! - grows ever more deadly. Soon, every player we've met along the way is in severe danger and running towards… something. Something new. Perhaps even something wonderful. That is if anyone lives to see it…
Humans are blind to everything except their own power. They never saw us coming.
I will say that even though quite a great deal of this story is very brutal - especially seeing how Sonia strikes out at those that defy her or how the despicable King rules over his faux kingdom of despicables - that I was surprised that Haynes didn't push it even farther. For example, I was a bit shocked at just how quickly the werewolves' organization fell short of their own personal targets, even if they were at least extremely successful in changing man into his basest form. Shaw plays a big part here explaininig to us how their behaviors are not what define his kind - even as he sees himself changing into something that no longer qualifies as "wolf". And speaking of changes, what becomes of Captain Case of the US Rangers throughout - where it is essential to keep in mind who and what he was when we met at the beginning of all this - is shocking on its on in so many utterly terrifying ways. And the fact that he seems to shrug it off as being merely an expected eventuality gave me a severe case of the chills up to even the very last page!
He snarled again, his maw covered in flies and maggots. They almost dripped from his face.
I think I'll end my review - along with what is a very deserved rating - still pondering on that ending. And I don't think it's a spoiler to say that no one should be expecting that EVERYTHING is completely (partially?) explained by the time the screen fades to black (it would be so cool if our Kindle Readers did that! Are you listening Amazon?). I mean, the country lies in ruins, there is no government, there is no law and what we're left with is…? And of course we now know there are many, many more intelligent beings that we need to learn to get along with if we want to have not only peace but to merely survive. Where does this world go from here? Is this the beginning of a completely New World Order across the globe? Or even just in what I think they said was Maine? All I can say is that I think I'll be thinking about the endless "What If's" and such for a while yet to come. Who knows, I may need a few more days locked away and propped up on my comfy reading chair within easy walking distance of the kitchen to work through it all. But damn, what a fun ride getting to this point!
Something tells me there’s a future out there. For all of us.
Oh one more thing: the dog lives. OK, yeah, that's a bit of a spoiler but still, I know for a fact how much that one factor means to a lot of folks. So no excuses, read these books!
July 12, 2025
The final instalment of the trilogy and what an ending it was. Think of a battle royale, but of the mythological kind, with humans mixed into the very bloody and almost biblical events. This book is reminiscent of the first in terms of action and pace, which is by no means a bad thing. The second book, Destroy All Cryptids, was much slower, which worked for it, considering there were new characters introduced. It was nice to get back into the thick of the action though, for the plot to progress, and for the stakes to kick into high gear.
Much like the second book, though, there are A LOT of editing errors that really took me out of the story at times, which is a real shame, given how invested I was.
I enjoyed the book for the most part and felt mostly satisfied by the end, but I can't help feeling like it might have been a little rushed. Not everything is explained (not everything needs to be, but still), and one character in particular has an ending that's fairly ambiguous and left hanging.
Overall, I enjoyed the journey, but the ending could've been fleshed out a little bit more in my opinion, and the characters I'd grown attached to given much more closure.
Much like the second book, though, there are A LOT of editing errors that really took me out of the story at times, which is a real shame, given how invested I was.
I enjoyed the book for the most part and felt mostly satisfied by the end, but I can't help feeling like it might have been a little rushed. Not everything is explained (not everything needs to be, but still), and one character in particular has an ending that's fairly ambiguous and left hanging.
Overall, I enjoyed the journey, but the ending could've been fleshed out a little bit more in my opinion, and the characters I'd grown attached to given much more closure.
January 22, 2025
All 3 books in this one review
So I read this whole series. I loved them all and I don't have a favorite, I loved and hated Case and Borm for obvious reasons, they both didn't necessarily redeem themselves but proved that they weren't the same as they were in the beginning. I would have to say that the world, at least North America as it is right now, could learn something from this book and its characters...don't judge a book by its cover and good old fashion selflessness. We could definitely due with someone like Rose right now! Sorry no spoilers, you'll just have to take my advice, if you love cryptids and a book where the bad guys get their just desserts, pick this series up!
So I read this whole series. I loved them all and I don't have a favorite, I loved and hated Case and Borm for obvious reasons, they both didn't necessarily redeem themselves but proved that they weren't the same as they were in the beginning. I would have to say that the world, at least North America as it is right now, could learn something from this book and its characters...don't judge a book by its cover and good old fashion selflessness. We could definitely due with someone like Rose right now! Sorry no spoilers, you'll just have to take my advice, if you love cryptids and a book where the bad guys get their just desserts, pick this series up!
March 31, 2025
I need to say that this book could use a copy edit. There are some inconsistencies that take me out of the moment here and there. That aside, Rose is a gory and fun end to David Haynes' Cryptid trilogy. When all of the heroes, villains, and complicated gray area characters gather together for a final battle of good vs. evil, the horror is real, the excitement is exhausting, and the story is fast paced. The whole trilogy, despite its flaws, ends up being one great creature feature.
November 9, 2022
I wanted to like this, i really did but it just didnt hit the mark for me. I loved the previous two books but this one kinda fell flat. I felt the story was dragging from about halfway onwards. Plenty of action and gore but i just felt the story itself was a bit too "obvious". There were no surprise twists or shocks, you can pretty much see what will happen. And it does.
March 2, 2024
nail biting horror
I love creature features and this series didn’t disappoint me. I was engrossed even when grossed out. Dug this series and this book so my v
I love creature features and this series didn’t disappoint me. I was engrossed even when grossed out. Dug this series and this book so my v
May 27, 2025
The weakest of the series, yet still a compelling story.
The gang is back, but this time, the world knows all about them—and the monsters lurking within it. What follows is a chaotic descent into a Mad Max/ 30 Days of Night-style apocalypse. Amid the turmoil, hope might lie in the hands of a little girl named Rose.
As the final chapter in the trilogy, this book delivers a satisfying conclusion. The first two entries pulled me deep into the story, and I couldn’t wait to see how it all ended. While it didn’t quite match the strength of its predecessors, it still provided a gripping and worthy finale.
The gang is back, but this time, the world knows all about them—and the monsters lurking within it. What follows is a chaotic descent into a Mad Max/ 30 Days of Night-style apocalypse. Amid the turmoil, hope might lie in the hands of a little girl named Rose.
As the final chapter in the trilogy, this book delivers a satisfying conclusion. The first two entries pulled me deep into the story, and I couldn’t wait to see how it all ended. While it didn’t quite match the strength of its predecessors, it still provided a gripping and worthy finale.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews