Book Review - Devolution by Max Brooks

Title: Devolution
Author: Max Brooks
Genre: Horror
Published: 2020
 
Description: As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finale settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre passed unnoticed, unexamined… until now.
 
But the journals of resident Kat Holland receovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, captures a tale too harrowing to be forgotten.
 
Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and inevitably, of savagery ad death. Yet it is also far more than that. Because if what Kate Holland saw was real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

Review: Following the iconic “World War Z” (which I have not read), Max Brooks returns with “Devolution”. This time he swaps the zombies for a legend that’s just as terrifying: Bigfoot. Brooks opts for a pseudo-documentary style, which creates a realistic and oppressive atmosphere. Although the book is definitely worth reading, it also has a few drawbacks that prevent it from being quite a masterpiece.
 
The story follows the residents of Greenloop, a state-of-the-art, eco-friendly, and completely self-sufficient residential community in the forests of Washington State. When the nearby Mount Rainier erupts, the high-tech village becomes completely cut off from the outside worlds. The residents, accustomed to luxury and technology, are completely unprepared for the approaching winter. Their situation deteriorates dramatically when a hungry, aggressive tribe of Bigfoot-like creatures is driven from their habitat by the natural disaster and chooses Greenloop as their new hunting ground. What follows is a bloody struggle for survival, told largely through the recovered diary of resident Kate Holland.
 
Brooks excels at slowly building tension. The transition from a naïve, ecological utopia to a brutal struggle for survival is fascinating and psychologically well-developed. The details about how the creatures hunt and communicate feel scientifically grounded and terrifyingly realistic. The final third of the book is a nail-biting page-turner that you won’t be able to put down.
 
The biggest problem is the pace in the first half. Brooks spends a great deal of time on interviews, background information, and character development. Although this contributes to world-building, it simply takes too long before anything interesting happens. You really have to push through and eventually will see it’s worth your time.
 
“Devolution” is a strong, clever horror story with a fantastic climax. It is very violent, trigger warnings for violence and gore. But importunely the story takes a little too long to get going.
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5