I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot's Revenge by Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia Published by Close to the Bone on October 30 2020
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 139
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: This short, bloody revenge story had some interesting moments, but overall it was just OK for me.
The Easton Falls Massacre grabbed my attention when I saw the cover and read the blurb, which promises a Bigfoot-centric horror story. Plus, how can you ignore the word “massacre” right there in the title? It delivered on this promise—sort of. I’m in a tough position right now because I’ve been reading some truly amazing horror stories lately, so right off the bat, this book had a lot to live up to. This is an extremely short tale that takes place in Washington state at the foot of the Cascade Mountains, and it’s full of terrific atmosphere, even if I had some issues with it.
The story kicks off when our main character Henry Miller heads off into the nearby forest to hunt for bears. Henry recently found out that the love of his life, Kate Johnson, cheated on him and got pregnant. Henry is devastated and hopes hunting will take his mind off his problems. But when he spots a huge grizzly bear and kills it, he soon realizes that there’s something off about the bear. It’s gigantic and has an oddly shaped head, and even worse, there is a horrible smell emanating from the carcass. Henry’s thoughts immediately turn to rumors about a creature called the Dzunukwa, what the locals call Bigfoot. Dzunukwa is just a legend, or is it? Henry thinks he may have just killed one.
Somehow, Henry manages to get the dead creature back to Easton Falls, where he enlists the help of his friend Pete and the town’s butcher to help hide it until they can contact the sheriff. But a local named Kellen Tsosie finds out about the creature and warns Henry that he’s just upset the uneasy accord between the Dzunukwa and humans. Kellen wants to visit the Bigfoot clan and try to reestablish peace before they discover their missing kin and attack. But it’s already too late, as Henry and the residents of Easton Falls are about to find out…
First of all, for those of you hoping for a gory, killer Bigfoot bloodfest, you’ve absolutely come to the right place. The Easton Falls Massacre is full of disgusting, brutal killings and no one—literally no one—is spared the wrath of the Bigfoot. Most of the violence takes place in the second half of the book, and honestly, it was my favorite part of the story. The Bigfoot is mad as hell and it’s not going to rest until it tears through the small town and takes its revenge. I was happy—yes, happy!—to see some of the characters die, since I couldn’t stand them, lol.
The first half of the book, on the other hand, was pretty damn slow. The authors take their time introducing the characters and weirdly enough, setting up a romance subplot that felt a little out of place. We get to experience Henry’s blissful relationship with Kate, their ugly breakup, getting back together after Henry comes back from Iraq, Kate’s surprise pregnancy, Henry’s ill fated proposal of marriage, and the devastation when Kate confesses the baby isn’t Henry’s. This section had me scratching my head and wondering how it all fit in with a Bigfoot massacre, and eventually it makes sense, but it sure was a long road to get there.
As for the characters, I hate to say it, but I didn’t really like any of them, especially Henry. He spends a great deal of time whining about how Kate doesn’t love him anymore and how is he going to go on without her? It got really old after a while, and I was actually waiting for Bigfoot to come along and take care of Henry for me. In fact, many of the characters are unpleasant in one way or another, which honestly didn’t bother me that much because they eventually got what was coming to them, if you know what I mean. I did like Kellen, who is the smartest character in the story. He understands how dangerous the Dzunukwa are and tries to warn everyone, but of course no one listens to him.
And although the massacre story line overshadows the side plots, I did appreciate the way the authors used Henry’s past in the Army as an emotional element. Henry was deployed in Iraq and suffered devastating loss during that time, and those memories come back to haunt him at various points in the story. It made me loath Henry just a little less to see this human side of his personality.
But—I ended up siding with Bigfoot in the end. After all, it was Henry’s mistake in the beginning of the story that led to the massacre in the first place. Although the ending was suitably gory and yes, a bit over-the-top, I’m not sure I liked the way things wrapped up, although it was an interesting direction for the authors to take, I have to admit. Ultimately, I’m glad I read The Easton Falls Massacre, even if it won’t end up as a favorite this year.
Big thanks to the authors for providing a review copy.
I may read this one anyway. I don’t always have to have characters I like, just ones I at least sorta understand . . . well, and Bigfoot. Gotta read Bigfoot stories!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…Normal Dreams vs. A Horror Writer’s Nightmares
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you read it:-)
I sided with the Bigfoot too! 🙂
Yes!
If you were rooting for Bigfoot those characters must have been very obnoxious indeed! 😀
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE CONCRETE BLONDE (Harry Bosch #3), by Michael Connelly
Ha ha, they were! I actually felt sorry for Bigfoot…
Is this becoming a thing? I read Max Brooks’ Devolution earlier this year and that one was also about bigfoot tearing through a small town in a bloody rampage, lol. I was sort of mixed on that too.
I didn’t read that one but maybe Bigfoot is getting his time in the spotlight, lol.
“I was actually waiting for Bigfoot to come along and take care of Henry for me”. I don’t know if I should feel amused or horrified to read this. 😀 You’re right, you have been reading such good books lately. Sorry to know this did not hold your interest. Good review, Tammy.
Debjani recently posted…The Ancestor by Lee Matthew Goldberg – Review | Blog Tour
Trust me, Henry deserved it;-)
Great honest review. I’ve read this one too recently and although I loved it, I was also rooting for the big foot.
I’m glad you loved it, Yvonne. I’m sort of the odd man out, since most readers had a good time with it.
Aw man, sorry to hear about the pacing and the characters. Excellent honest review as always! 😀
Lashaan Balasingam recently posted…The Boys (2019—) Season 2 TV Series Review
Thanks Lashaan:-)
Well, you got the chance to root for Bigfoot. I guess that’s something, at least. 🙂 It really does make it so much easier to forgive other issues if there are characters that really draw you in. But without that… it’s more of a challenge. I’m reading a book right now that’s a split narrative, one in the past, one closer to present, different characters in each. I’m fascinated by the characters from the past, but I don’t care one bit about those near the present, so I’m finding I like half the book and really don’t care much for the other half.
That happens to me sometimes too. When there are two different POVs and I end up loving one and not loving the other, I just want to get back to the first one!
I enjoyed this one. And I’m one of those who doesn’t have to connect with characters. With horror, I usually imagine how each one will meet their maker. LOL
Laura Thomas recently posted…Now I See You by Shannon Work
I’ve been craving Bigfoot stories – is that weird? Maybe I’ll grab this one!
Bigfoot! Sorry you didn’t love this more. It doesn’t sound like one in my wheelhouse but maybe there’s a reader out there for it!
I had the same reaction to this book. Good review.
I think I will definitely give this one a miss. Shame it didn’t work better for you.
Lynn 😀