By Max Brooks
This book is about Bigfoot. That should be enough, but if not, it is by the same author who did World War Z, and is a horror show of what Bigfoot probably would do if he/she exists. (I am reserving judgement either way, much like Nessie and UFO’s, both sides of existence camps seem to have a lot of evidence on their side.) Brooks plops Bigfoot’s debut in a future where Mt. Rainier has erupted, cutting off different parts of the country from others with lethal lava flows (trying saying that three times fast) and the National Guard has to quiet riots and orchestrate rebuilding, rescue, and route supplies.
Related question: why do no books turn a sharp, have to keep reading corner before midnight? Sure, one could argue most people aren’t reading at midnight and don’t encounter this problem, but I am not those people and was therefore awake until 3am wrapping this one up. And was a little spooked. With a flashlight. And checking locks on doors and breathing of my children, and wondering what kind of knives are in my knife block and where I could find bamboo. (Read the book – all will be revealed).
But I devolve…(see what I did there?) Where was I? Oh, this book made me think a lot about the pending/potential Yellowstone eruption and how society will react to that. Also, Brooks points out the innate fallacy in people who want to be “one with nature” but have zero survival skills or instincts to actually live in nature. I also like all the different iterations of what a mother would do for her child/tribe. Darwin’s survival of the fittest is apparent. Finally, the theme of a person’s character being defined during times of crisis, emergency, or extreme hardship develops beautifully throughout the tale.
Mostly, I think the book is about how we as a society are not as evolved as we think ourselves, and how close we are to returning to our recent neanderthal past. Also, those who will be most the successful in those situations are those who can revert to caveman mentality the quickest. It is full of gore, strategy, tragedy, and warning.
Pros & Cons & Potential Spoilers
Pros
- Super strong female characters, of both the yeti and human variety
- Story arc is well done, the suspense building and paying off to the point where I had to keep stopping myself from reading random words, sentences, and paragraphs ahead (again, 3. A. M…)
- Good exploration of what bigfoot would really be like if he/she exists, including potential origins, culture, and motivations
Cons
- People you like die as much as people you don’t. Again, that’s life
- No concrete ending, but many good options
- Difficult to read in the dark with everyone else asleep (also a pro if I’m being honest)