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    Creature
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    Creature
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    Creature
    Ebook380 pages7 hours

    Creature

    By Hunter Shea

    4.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    ‘It’s much more than most creature features, it has heart and thought, and a superb, head-on horror conclusion. The best Hunter Shea I’ve read so far and by more than a little.’ - Eddie Generous (Unnerving Magazine) 


    The monsters live inside of Kate Woodson. Chronic pain and a host of autoimmune diseases have robbed her of a normal, happy life. Her husband Andrew’s surprise of their dream Maine lake cottage for the summer is the gift of a lifetime. It’s beautiful, remote, idyllic, a place to heal. 

    But they are not alone. Something is in the woods, screeching in the darkness, banging on the house, leaving animals for dead. 

    Just like her body, Kate’s cottage becomes her prison. She and Andrew must fight to survive the creature that lurks in the dead of night.  


    FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherFLAME TREE PRESS
    Release dateSep 6, 2018
    ISBN9781787580244
    Author

    Hunter Shea

    Hunter Shea is the product of a misspent childhood watching scary movies, reading forbidden books and wishing Bigfoot was real. He’s the author of over 17 books, including 'The Jersey Devil' and 'We Are Always Watching'. Hunter’s novels can even be found on display at the International Cryptozoology Museum.

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    Reviews for Creature

    4.5/5

    30 ratings4 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Over the years, Hunter Shea has become one of my favorite horror novelists. He consistently delivers stories that are character-driven, well-crafted, and always with a memorable evil monster of some kind. In "Creature", Shea provides readers with something a little different. Physical and mental illness take center stage in this novel before the "creature" ever appears. This novel seems to bare more of Shea's soul as an author as he slowly introduces his readers to the painful lives of Andrew and Kate Woodson. Andrew, in an attempt to help take his wife's mind off her chronic pain issues with an autoimmune disorder, rents a vacation cabin in the forests of Maine. As the week progresses, it's not relief or relaxation that the couple experience, but rather fear. Something is out there! It's watching them and measuring it's time before it decides to appear. As Shea moves the plot along, the story quickly tightens into a claustrophobic nightmare from which the couple can't escape. This book becomes impossible to put down as the action ratchets ever higher. Shea's fans will be pleased and newcomers to his writing will be impressed.
    • 5/5
      Creature by Hunter Shea is a fantastically creepy read that kept me awake far into the night. Kate is under siege by her own body. Afflicted by lupus and another disorder that causes dangerously loose joints, she spends the majority of her time in excruciating pain. Pain and medicine cause extreme fatigue, resulting in Kate sleeping at the drop of a hat except for the bouts of night-time insomnia). Making matters worse, if she's not careful her joints pop out, amplifying the pain until they can be popped back in place. After a particularly horrid treatment regimen, Kate's husband Andrew books a cottage in the Maine woods for a three month vacation hoping a change of pace will help her. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't improve Kate's health. Indeed, her 'bad feels’ are joined by 'microwave feels’, where her body feels like it's burning up inside. Add to this the creeping stress of loud noises in the night. When Kate’s brother Ryker comes to visit the creepy activity escalates. A creature is stalking the cabin, a beastie born of pain, and anger. A creature with a unique link to Kate. I've had the pleasure of reading several of Shea’s books thus far. Most fall into the 'cheesy’ light horror that I love. Creature was a different kettle of fish altogether. I empathised with Kate so much. I suffer from an autoimmune condition myself, and grokked the fatigue, the insidious ever-present pain leaching joy out of life, the plethora of pills to be taken daily. Shea did a marvelous job of getting across just what it's like to suffer from conditions like these. Likewise, Andrew’s inner conflict and frustration was written with depth and truth. It can be difficult faced with a loved one who suffers from a chronic debilitating illness that can only be managed, not cured. The creature itself was interesting. Or rather, the circumstances of its creation. I felt it was akin to a tulpa or an egregore, albeit one accidentally created by an unconscious metaphysical Frankenstein. Without clearly delineated instructions regarding protection, the creature acted on its instincts. It could also be personified Shadow aspects, distilled from Kate’s illnesses and her feelings around them, and her inability to function normally. Either way, the creature, and the book itself, is a great metaphor for exactly how monstrous these types of illnesses can be, how they can consume a person, and their caregivers alike. Highly recommended.***Many thanks to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
    • 4/5
      This is unlike any other horror book I've read. Kate's illness, and its consequences, alone make for disquieting reading, with the author's real world knowledge adding an extra deep poignancy. When, where and how things make an unexpected turn is unclear, you just get the creeping sense of wrongness, menace, until it's obvious the situation is a full-blown nightmare.There's no holding back with this book, not with the heavy dose of truth, nor with the fiction. It hits hard.Many thanks to Flame Tree Press for the ARC. My review is my honest opinion.
    • 5/5
      After reading the first couple of pages, I had to double check to make sure this book was really written by Hunter Shea, unchallenged master of the 'Creature Feature' (at least in my opinion). The first half of the novel (also unusual, as a lot of his works are novella length) really caught my breath. Though nothing really happened in terms of monsters action, the writing was just so great!I love it when an author manages to capture my attention like that, writing about (seemingly) nothing spectacular but still making it special. I learned to love that kind of writing when reading my first horror books, which happened to be the early Stephen King works. King always takes his time (and lots of it, often it takes two thirds of a book) before actually letting anything significant happen (again, in terms of action). So I was thrilled to see another of my favorite authors doing it just as well.So when the monster finally revealed its face and the fighting began, it felt like slipping back into familiar and much appreciated creature territory while at the same time I was a bit disappointed to leave the more quiet path that lead there. The ending also felt ambivalent, as it brought peace and pain in equal measure.A very personal, challenging and surprisingly different story from one of my favorite horror authors. Highest recommendation!(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)