creepy

Rodman Philbrick’s (writing as William R. Dantz) ‘Hunger’ is my latest read of 2025!

I am part of several horror reader circles, and the theme of aquatic terrors has come up. As a fan of movies like ‘Jaws’ and ‘Deep Blue Sea’, it piqued my curiosity. Someone recommended ‘Hunger’, saying it was like ‘Deep Blue Sea.’ It seemed like a no-brainer for a breezy summer read, so I was in. Yet, it took me a few minutes to find a copy. I didn’t know that ‘William R. Dantz’ was Rodman Philbrick’s pen name, or that newer editions bore his real name. But find it I did.

The setup is classic sci-fi horror. Six mutant sharks break out of their caged-in cove and escape to the deep blue sea. (See what I did there?) The lab that created these creatures goes into panic mode, scrambling to reclaim them. Meanwhile, a local couple running a dive boat have been caring for two dolphins that fled from the same lab. It doesn’t take long for the carnage to begin.

I had an absolute blast reading ‘Hunger’. I wanted a fun B-movie horror novel, and that’s what I got – a high-quality B-movie horror novel, at that. The chapters from the sharks’ perspectives are fantastic. Philbrick captures the thought processes of these intelligent, primal animals. There are also some creepy moments, like the photographer exploring a shipwreck. And the chapter ‘What a Father Does’ gave me goosebumps with its moving, emotional quality. That last one caught me off guard.

As I said in my review of Steve Alten’s ‘Meg’, do you judge a book against other books, or do you judge it for what it’s trying to do? This novel is not Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’, nor is it trying to be. It’s a book about a bunch of mutated sharks ripping things up in a gory, spooky mess. And in that regard, it excels.

Are you looking for a fun summer scare? Do you, like me, have a salachian obsession? (That’s ‘shark’ for those of you who didn’t grow up reading/watching anything with a dorsal fin on the cover.)

Well then, look no further than Philbrick’s ‘Hunger’.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆

T. Kingfisher’s ‘What Moves the Dead’ is my latest 2025 read.

This book has been on my radar for a while, often cropping up in online horror circles. Given its short runtime, I decided to give it a go on the train to and from Vienna. It’d breeze by and cleanse my palate after the heavy Margaret Atwood I’d finished a day prior.

The story follows Alex Easton, a retired soldier who receives word that an old friend is dying. They travel to the secluded House of Usher, where nothing seems quite right. The still lake has a matte surface, mushrooms emit foul odours, and the Ushers are no longer who they used to be. ‘What Moves the Dead’ takes inspiration from – or is a retelling of – Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’. But, having not read much of Poe’s work, I can’t comment on how it twists the original.

What I can say is that ‘What Moves the Dead’ is delightful (if I can call it that) – a fast-paced horror romp. As expected from its 150-odd pages, Kingfisher’s tale wastes no time and carries little fat. It’s concise and to the point, understanding well what the reader wants from it. I loved the grotesque visuals of the hares and the unsettling descriptions of Ms Usher.

Sure, I’d have liked a bit more characterisation of Easton and the supporting cast, but this is both a minus and a plus. What the novella lacks in depth, it makes up for in momentum and eerie thrills.

If you’re after a quick, grisly read without the commitment of a full novel, I recommend ‘What Moves the Dead’.

I’m looking forward to reading parts two and three of the trilogy soon.

Tag: creepy

Book Review: ‘Hunger’ by Rodman Philbrick

Book Review: ‘What Moves the Dead’ by T. Kingfisher