Bigfoot War (2010)

Posted by anythinghorror on 2011-05-25 · 14 Comments 

You know I’m not embarrassed to call myself out when I recognize that I may have messed something up or missed something.  Well here I am, openly admitting that with BIGFOOT WAR, this is the first novel that I’ve read by Eric S. Brown, author of fifteen published books.  Brown, here, takes a very basic premise (about a violent Bigfoot clan living in the North Carolina wilds that decides to wage a war on humans) and writes a fast-paced, violent, gory and very visual novel that grabs you from the opening pages and shakes the shit out of you before ripping out your still-beating heart.  Yeah I know; that’s a bit dramatic, but I really dig this novel!!

BIGFOOT WAR starts out 15 years ago.  We’re following around young Jeff Taylor as he and his younger brother Scott are helping his dad track down something that’s been slaughtering the cattle on the farm.  Things go terribly wrong and the group is attacked by a Bigfoot.  But this isn’t the “bigfoot” you read about on the internet that shy’s away from human beings and lives like a recluse.  Oh hell no!!  As Brown himself explains in his “Author’s Introduction”:

The sasquatches in this book are tribal, more intelligent than cryptozoology believes them to be, and certainly much more violent and vengeful.  My version of Bigfoot is also larger, stronger, faster, and has a level of muscle density that in some cases defies the laws of biology in regards to body mass.

This isn’t officially from the novel, but it’s definitely in the right ball park!!

In other words, think about a nine to ten foot tall solid mass of muscle that is damn near unstoppable with razor sharp claws and can run up to speeds of 40 miles per hour.  Yeah, exactly!!

After that fateful night 15 years ago Jeff Taylor, who now has a few tours of duty under his belt in the Army, returns to the town of Babble Creek, North Carolina to hunt down and kill the creature that slaughtered his family all those years ago.  Brown gives us a list of characters from around the town who suddenly find themselves in a war with a nearly unbeatable enemy.  There’s Tom, Babble Creek High School’s football coach; Becca May, the town’s sheriff; Lauren, the town’s pathologist; Powell, Warren, Gab, and Brent, Becca’s deputies; and Justin, the best tracker and hunter in Babble Creek.  But make no mistake, the entire town’s population (which numbers a little over 800 people) are all involved in this war.  No one is safe and everyone is a potential victim.

Brown’s writing style is extremely fast-paced and he doesn’t slow down the action and violence with a bunch of sub-plots and side love stories.  BIGFOOT WAR is all meat with no wimpy side salad or baked potato, and it grabs you from the opening line (“The stink was terrible”) and doesn’t let go until the war is over; “over” here being a very subjective term.  Brown leaves the ending open for a sequel that would greatly expand the scope of the war, and I for one hope he eventually comes back to BIGFOOT WAR!!

Author Eric S. Brown.

The human characters are well-written and we get some background info on all the main players.  And just when you think you’ve nailed down who the “hero” is gonna be … BAM they get killed in a very violent and gory way.  No character here is safe as the rampaging bigfoots (I have no idea what the plural of “Bigfoot” is!!  Bigfeets??) tear through the cast as well as the entire town.  But of course the main player here is the Bigfoot clan who declare war on human beings after Jeff Taylor and his crew kill the “shaman,” or spiritual leader of the Bigfoot tribe.  But keep in mind that this Bigfoot Shaman stood about nine to ten feet tall and had such muscle mass that most bullets just bounced off of it.  Plus this “holy Bigfoot” tore apart a few characters before being taken down himself.  I really loved not knowing who the last human standing would be; it really keeps you on your toes and makes it more shocking when characters who you think might be the main protagonist ends up getting brutally slaughtered.

Remember this oldie but goodie Bigfoot oic??

Brown also has a very visual style of writing that makes it so you can really see the violence play out like a film in your head.  These Bigfoots are fucking brutal, violent, and kill and destroy everything and everyone in their path.  BIGFOOT WAR begs to be turned into a script and turned into a very gory and violent exploitation flick.  This is a hugely entertaining read and I’m now an instant Eric S. Brown fan.  BIGFOOT WAR is available on amazon.com and also available in eBook format (click here).  Check this one out, you’re gonna thank me.  Below I’ve included the book trailer; check it out and tell me this novel doesn’t beg to be turned into a grindhouse/exploitation-like film!!

My Summary:

Author:  Eric S. Brown

Plot:  4 out of 5 stars

Gore:  8 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  what do you think??

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

Here’s the book trailer:

And I couldn’t resist … remember when The Six Millions Dollar Man fought Bigfoot?  Well check it out!!

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