Strangers beware.
Here there be monsters.
And not the type that reside under the bed.
Ancient voo doo in a small Georgia town comes up against modern day sadists? psychos? assholes? tyrants? and murderers who control the town.
I'm not quite sure I understand all the logistics, but shouldn't Darlene be dead?
And tin cans don't have on and off lids - not sure how that was working out.
And what about the animals?
The leaders fate was very satisfactory. Fuckwad..
A husband and wife…
A pair of petty criminals…
A young man…
And a perverse serial killer…
It’s Halloween night, and the Lodgepole motel is seeing more action than it has in years. The owner can feel trouble coming as she checks in each of the guests. None of them can shake the feeling of déjà vu as they meet, and start to get to know each other. They’ll soon find out they are all linked by events that happened earlier that night – each link/event being more fukked up & twisted than the last!
Full review posted HERE.
I've heard the name Brett McBean throughout various horror channels for some time. His novels all sounded interesting to me, and as a fellow Aussie, I was determined to give him a shot.
The short story is I'm very glad I did.
The slightly longer story goes like this.
McBean quickly proved himself to be a talented wordsmith in his latest novel, The Invasion. Not surprisingly given the title, this is the story of a home invasion that takes place in suburban Australia, with the tired revelers at a small Christmas party set upon by a group of predators whose agenda is at first unknown. It's the kind of tale which usually lends itself to a 100 minute feature film. but McBean here successfully adapts this sub-genre of film to book, and - especially for the first half - ratchets up the tension in an incredible way.
McBean's character work - at least among the protagonists - is especially strong. From the home's owner, a successful author with major marriage issues, to her gay younger brother and his long-term partner, McBean manages to breathe life into these characters, so that by the time horrible things befall them, the reader is caught and invested in their fortunes. He also goes to great lengths to make the house in which the events take place a character all of its own. This was both a strength and a weakness for mine, as early passages detailing each room of the house fit in well, but as the narrative progressed, there were a few too many occasions where everything ground to a halt for those same passages to take place.
A further slight disappointment for me was the pacing suffering a notable lag in the third-quarter of the book. Thankfully, however, McBean course corrects perfectly with an ending that bumped my score up a half-star.
Finally, the less said about the home invaders, the better, as a strength of the novel is gradually learning why they are doing what they are doing. And really, that's where The Invasion shines. Because who, after all, has not started at a bump in the night? Or wondered whether that was the squeak of the side door opening? Who hasn't asked themselves what they would do if someone came into their home uninvited in the dead of night?
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to hunt down some more novels from McBean.
3.5 (Rounded up to 4) Diminished Smart Phone Batteries for The Invasion.
I am happy to say that I have a gorgeous signed/remarqued Thunderstorm edition of this one and this is one of the coolest looking Thunderstorm books I own and also happens to be a kick-ass story.
I will admit that The Invasion started my spiral into full-blown Brett McBean addiction. As I look at all of the beautiful signed/limited edition McBean's I have amassed on my bookshelf over the last few months, I will also admit that it was worth it. In a genre where fear rules, Brett McBean may very well be king. Sorry, Stephen.
As you have probably already intuited, it's a book about a home invasion. My first thought was "how original," right? And then I read it. If you haven't already lost your hope for humanity, please check it at the door and make sure your cell phone is fully charged. This is a book that makes me both cringe and wonder who is sicker-- McBean for writing this or me for liking it? If you like to complain about our stereotypical "Millennials" just wait until you meet McBean's cult of killers and their not lack but non-existence of empathy for whatever toys happen to be in the box they choose to play with; in this case it is Debra and her unsuspecting Christmas dinner party whose stuffing and gears are about to become the main course.
Hi, my name is Andi and I have a problem. There are still some McBean books I have been unable to locate on this side of the world. All I have to say is buy this book. And maybe also someone get our favorite Aussie to the US please.
© 2016 by Andi Rawson of Andreya's Asylum
The Invasion, by Brett McBean, is a startlingly bleak home invasion story, but one that is wonderfully written. The opening paragraph alone delivers the goods and the promise of what's to come.
"There is something ominous about a front porch light glowing in the daytime. It speaks of a place left in limbo, of lives interrupted and of simple, everyday tasks forgotten. It signifies that for this house, night has yet to end."
Damn if that didn't suck me in right from the get-go!
The night is certainly long for the family tucked behind the once-believed secure walls of the Carmela house. Deb, a romance novelist, has just finished hosting Christmas dinner for her brother, his boyfriend, her niece, and literary agent. After the guests have tucked themselves into bed, they are brusquely awoken by strangers in the home, who then tie them up and taunt them before things escalate further. And then Mr. Fear arrives...
Although The Invasion is a straight-up home invasion horror, this is not a merely a burglary interrupted but a story of psychopathy and cultish belonging. For the invaders, it isn't about robbery so much as it's sheer entertainment for them, their enjoyment fueled by their victim's fright.
At times, McBean's work is downright savage, and he doesn't shy away from the cruelty of his crazy invaders, who get off on filming their horrendous crimes. The character work is nicely executed (no pun intended), and by the final pages I was really feeling for Deb, and her friends and family, and the devastation that's been unleashed upon them. McBean uses their shared history as both friends and family to give us insight into their past relationships with one another, and with the Carmela house itself. Although the focus is squarely on the humans within, the house itself provides the narrative with its shape and structure as each chapter takes us on a tour of the large residence.
The Invasion is a chilling story, and while it is violent it never delves into overdrawn sequences of torture porn. McBean relies on his characters and atmosphere to bring the biggest scares, along with the frightening threat of home invasion that many readers will bring to the reading all by themselves.
[Note: An advanced copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review.]
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