The majority of books that I read all tend to have an apocalyptic theme to them. Everything from a zombie invasion, funky viruses, mutant bugs and nuclear explosions all seem to fit into the plot of those books. Sparrow Rock features both a nuclear explosion and mutated bugs, but rather than being just another run of the mill end of the world story, the plot for this one has two unexpected twists of both the psychological and conspiracy kind.
Six teenagers, Pete, Jay, Dan, Sue, Tessa, and Jimmie, are looking for a place to party. They end up driving out to “Sparrow Rock” to spend the night hanging out in Sue’s grandfather’s high-tech bomb shelter. Lucky for them, they are there as nuclear bombs are exploding all over the world, wiping out most of mankind. However, those that are dead are the lucky ones. From the ashes of the blast, a new killer has emerged. Mutated bugs of all kinds are crossing the landscape taking over the bodies anything living. The six teenagers must hold up in the shelter and defend the only safe place for them to be. However, the bugs outside are looking for a way in, and the only hope they have of survival is a small radio broadcast coming from somewhere thousands of miles away and a bunch of Hazmat suits.
Nate Kenyon has always been one of those writers who can get the attention of the reader with the psychological tension he puts in all of his stories. His last three books were very well-written, but all had that psychological hold on the reader where you sometimes felt scared to move on with the story. With Sparrow Rock, I did not feel that way until about two hundred pages in. To be honest, Sparrow Rock begins like every other end-of-the-world story, and I thought it was going to end that way, as well. I honestly thought the book was going to be predictable, but I was wrong. Kenyon leads you to believe that you’re reading a generic apocalyptic tale, but in fact, he throws the biggest curve ball at you right in the middle of the story and the plot takes a turn for the better, as we find out the who, what and why of what really happened, and the psychological twist that has been with us throughout the whole book but was hidden right under our very eyes.
Nate Kenyon never ceases to amaze me. He is not your typical horror writer. In the past, I have referred to his style of writing of being very similar to that of Stephen Kings. However, after reading Sparrow Rock, it’s safe to say that Kenyon is a writer all his own. Sparrow Rock is a book that really gets inside your head. It’s something that Kenyon knows how to do. Kenyon is to the novel what Hitchcock is to film. He does not only infuse the psychological tension into his characters but he also does it to his readers. Sparrow Rock is an end-of-the-world book like no other. Trust me when I say don’t put this book down after the first two hundred pages. This book gets really good and is well worth the time and energy to read. You’ll only be cheating yourself if you let this one slip by you.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
