In Loch Ness Revenge, twins Natalie and Austin are forced to watch as the famous Loch Ness Monster kills their parents. Decades later, while on her normal excursions to bait the Monster, Natalie finally find them. And there’s more than one. She calls in Austin, and the two of them finally have their chance at revenge.
Why this book?: I had so much fun with Shea’s The Jersey Devil. When this one went on sale, I jumped at the chance to have more fun at the expense of famous cryptids
So bad it was hilarious
In all honesty, that was what I came here looking for. After reading The Jersey Devil (review linked above), I knew that Shea truly had the gift of making ridiculously horrible books that were just too funny to hate. I have a feeling that they might have been written seriously, and not for amusement, but in all honesty, I just couldn’t stop laughing.
The twins’ backstory was completely unbelievable, and I found it hard to connect to. That made the twins hard to understand, because even though they were so desperate to get revenge-this book took place two decades after the attack. Austin had moved on, and was living his life. Natalie was just obsessed with catching it. Maybe if it took place sooner after the event, and not so long after, it would have been better.
Just like his previous book, Loch Ness Revenge was a gore-fest. It was less graphic then before, but was still to the point where I had to skip passages. The best description there was was of the monsters themselves, which were fairly graphic and quite . . . . deplorable. But even with that, you don’t really get a sense of knowing what anything looks like. Nothing was described in enough detail to understand what was going on. I found myself confused, especially during action sequences, because everything was moving to fast and Shea was describing too little.
Sketchy writing that doesn’t make sense
As I said before, I was often confused with how things were described. It mostly had to do with the point of view in which this story was told: first person, from Natalie’s view. It kept everything limited just to her view and her opinions, when it would have been nice to see into other point of views in the novel. I would have loved to know more about Ray, but he was just brushed to the side until he became convenient.
We were also stuck with hearing every little one of Natalie’s opinions. I found her rather unlikable and bland, and I just couldn’t connect with her. Henrik would have been an amazing character to know more about, but instead all we got from him was a cheap backstory and his arsenal of bombs.
I also felt like there was something under the surface that should have been addressed. Henrik was introduced to Natalie through Austin. Although there were no relationships in this book, it really felt like there was something (as in a relationship) between Austin and Henrik. Legit, I could come up with multiple passages where it would support there being something between them. I felt that Shea really lost diversity if he had chosen to write that in.
Final Rating: ★★½☆☆☆
Overall?
I came into this book knowing I would get cheap dialogue, gore, and hilarity at the expense of horror. That’s exactly what I got. I was disappointed with how little the characters were developed, though, and how the good characters were pushed to the side: Ray, Mrs. Carr, even that random Firth guy!
Would I Recommend?
If you’re looking for a B-rate horror equal to those cheap SyFy movies (Sharknado, anyone?) then yes. This book is gorey, but in a hilarious sort of way. Don’t go into Hunter Shea’s books expecting true horror. Go in, like I did with this one, looking for a pick-me-up.
Additional Information:
Published: November 1, 2016
Publisher: Severed Press
Page Count: 149
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: via Goodreads
Deep in the murky waters of Loch Ness, the creature known as Nessie has returned. Twins Natalie and Austin McQueen watched in horror as their parents were devoured by the world’s most infamous lake monster. Two decades later, it’s their turn to hunt the legend. But what lurks in the Loch is not what they expected. Nessie is devouring everything in and around the Loch, and it’s not alone. Hell has come to the Scottish Highlands. In a fierce battle between man and monster, the world may never be the same.