I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Swarm by Andy Marino Published by Redhook on November 5 2024
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 512
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: The Birds and Alien but with giant cicadas, The Swarm is not for the faint of heart and should be read indoors with all the windows firmly closed.
If you’re not a bug person, you might want to think twice before picking up The Swarm. On the other hand, if you’re a fan of scary, end-of-the-world stories and you can handle some very graphic, bug/body horror scenarios, then you’re probably the right reader for this book. I’m terrified by most bugs, although since I’ve never encountered a cicada, I wasn’t bothered by the premise of a cicada uprising—at first. But wow, this book ended up scaring me to death! Andy Marino knows how to bring the tension to his bug apocalypse horror story, and I guarantee you’ll think twice about getting anywhere near a swarm of flying insects after reading it.
We follow several groups of characters in alternating chapters. First we meet Detectives Vicky Paterson and Kenny Grimes, who are investigating the odd case of a dead woman with her fingernails, hair and teeth removed. Vicky is puzzled by the lack of insect activity at the crime scene. The body should be crawling with maggots and flies, but there isn’t a single insect anywhere near the body. Although there is a very loud humming sound that seems out of place…
Will and Alicia are private investigators who have been hired to find a young woman named Violet, who supposedly ran off to join a cult. They have tracked her to a secluded warehouse, where Will witnesses a strange scene that appears to be ritualistic. Afterwards, Alicia notices Will is acting strange, muttering things about “the true bug” and “the Order of Hemiptera.”
Anton Hajek owns a company called Lacuna which boasts a revolutionary way of communicating and transferring information, but when his New York City highrise building is attacked by swarms of giant cicadas, he realizes his life is about to change.
Finally, we meet Rebecca Perez, a forensic entomologist who is teaching a college course when her building is attacked by the swarm.
All over the world, swarms of cicadas are emerging from the ground, even in places where they don’t usually live. The cicadas are larger than normal, and they’re attacking humans. As people start to die, panic sets in. Vicky’s daughter was attacked, and Vicky will do anything to save her. Will seems to have a connection to the swarm, but what does that mean for Alicia? Rebecca is a scientist and only believes in facts, but she’s never seen anything like this before. And Anton is afraid he may have set the apocalypse in motion.
The horror in The Swarm is on point. Andy Marino has tapped into a fear that many people have—bugs—and turned it into the worst apocalypse ever. I won’t go into too much detail, but let’s just say there are parts in the story that reminded me of Alien and leave it at that. I loved his descriptions of people being trapped in buildings as the swarms of giant cicadas try to get in. And yes, they do indeed manage to find their way inside through vents and cracks. And heaven forbid you’re outside when the swarm emerges, because there’s nowhere to go that’s safe.
I was also surprised by the way the author developed the lifecycle of this horrible cicada. If I counted right, there were three main stages of growth, and in each one the bugs get bigger. I was especially horrified by the “nymph” stage (and I googled “cicada nymph” and I sort of wish I hadn’t!). Take a look at a photo of a nymph and imagine it the size of cat, and you’ll get an idea of what everyone is up against. Yuck!
This is an ambitious story that mostly works, but I do have a couple of issues. First, it’s just too long. With so many point of view characters, and very long chapters between each one, it was easy to forget what a particular group was doing before the story switched to another POV. Marino spends a lot of time on character development and backstory, which is fine, but some of it could have been trimmed for a more streamlined reading experience.
There are several theories about why the cicadas are acting the way they are, which sort of muddied the waters for me. One storyline involves a cult of worshippers who “become one” with the bugs (icky and gross), and the author goes back eighty years or so to try to explain it. I honestly could have done without the whole cult angle, since the killer cicadas themselves were scary enough. The other idea involves Anton—who had the least page time of any of the characters—and while it was an interesting theory, it didn’t make that much sense.
My favorite character was Rebecca, not only because she is a scientist and sees the swarm from a different perspective, but I loved that her dead sister Mari “talks” to her as she’s trying to figure out how to save herself and her students. I kind of wish the author would write a book about Rebecca and Mari, I really loved their dynamic.
So how does one end a story about a cicada apocalypse? Marino does it perfectly with an epilogue that takes place several months after the explosive conclusion and explains what happened to the cicadas and those characters who survived. I thought it was the perfect ending, with a dash of hope after a rather bloody and (at times) depressing saga.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
This sounds like nightmarish stuff, especially the bug cult(!!!) You’re definitely braver than me, giving this one a try 😀
Pages and Tea recently posted…Book Review: The Fog by James Herbert
Ha ha I didn’t know what I was getting into…
Ugh, bugs!! And the cult part seems a bit overkill with everything else going on, but I am glad you enjoyed this one!!
The bugs were scary enough for sure…
If I were a person who doesn’t mind bugs, you would have sold me on this one…Unfortunately, I’m afraid that a book like this would bug me to no end (ha! see what I did here? ;)).
Roberta R. recently posted…Melissa Caruso: “The Last Hour Between Worlds” (ARC Review)
LOL I was also “bugged” quite a bit;-)
I don’t mind bugs so I’m all in for this one. Great review!
Thanks Barb, I think you would have fun with this!
OK, there is NO WAY I would read this! I’m glad you enjoyed it, but insects are a hard no for me!
LOL I totally get it!
Bugs can definitely freak me out…which makes them kind of perfect for a horror story like this.
Lark@LarkWrites recently posted…The Next Everest by Jim Davidson
I agree, bugs are the perfect subject for a horror story:-)
I googled cicada nymph and yeah now I’m gonna have nightmares for months. Is it obvious I’m not a bug person? This book truly sounds horrifying to me.
LOL that’s what happened to me!
This honestly sounds intriguing to me, but I don’t know if I’m willing to set aside the fact the cicadas are harmless bugs haha. Except in a horror book I suppose! Not thrilled to know some aspects are like Alien, though…I just cannot with alien movies, especially if they bust out of you. *shudders*
Yep, that’s the Alien part I’m talking about, lol.
Eeeeeewwwww lol
Well you made it through and it sounds like a good read. I do find myself being a little impatient with overly long books – well, not if they’re really gripping and keep me on track, but sometimes, it’s just needless filler that muddies the water and makes me want to stop reading. Well done pressing on with this one though, it does sound like something I’d like.
Lynn 😀
I’m glad I read it, even with some of the slow parts:-)
My curiosity makes me a little tempted to try it, but since cicadas tend to swarm my area of the country once every decade or something like that, I might stay away from this instead. During the last swarm, I found one stuck to my elbow while I was pumping gas. Naturally, I freaked out.
OMG I’m so glad I don’t live around cicadas after reading this book, lol.
Lol… It sounds as if this one does for cicadas what Mexican Gothic did for mushrooms! A great review, Tammy:)).
Good comparison:-) Thanks Sarah, not sure I want to read anymore bug books anytime soon, lol.
awesome review! But wow, if it’s scaring YOU to death…!!!
I talked about it to my husband and he’s interested, lol!!
We had zillions of the cicadas (not the giant ones!!), and so we did a lot of research on them. Yes, I know what a nymph looks like, yuk! It’s cool that the author uses the life cycle in his story
Thanks Emma! I would be so curious to hear what your husband thinks if he reads it!
I was made into a bug person after taking an entomology class in collage. I know cicada are loud when they come out of the ground to mate. To me Locates are much more scarier. Their a swarm of large crickets that can eat whole fields of crops. Then again that might be what people would expect from a horror book about bugs.
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Interesting. I think the author did a lot of research about cicadas, even though a lot of it wasn’t real.
Sounds like this could be fun. It’s a very surreal experience the first time you encounter one of the large cicada broods, so many insects that just driving down the road creates a messy trail as the tires crush so many insects. Most years though we just hear lots of them in the trees and see individuals or small groups. I remember finding one I thought was dead so I picked it up just to have it buzz to life and fly right into my face. They are a big insect, granted not quite as big as in the book, but bigger than most bugs. I actually really enjoy them. 🙂
I’m not sure I could survive a real encounter with cicadas, lol!
This for be was a surprisingly quick read! I started yesterday and am almost done. I love bug themed horror, I guess!
I’m kind of curious about this one after reading your review but also worried it would be too much for me as you’re certainly much better acquainted with horror than I am. The detective angle sounds intriguing and has left me curious as has the end of the world aspect but I think the gore level would probably be too high for me. Maybe one day though lol
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