Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

 

Reviewed by Morgan

 

I am not a big fan of horror; I don’t like clowns, gore for the sake of gore, or zombies. To me, those topics aren’t exciting, and I have never found a story that does enough explaining or world-building to make it believable to me. The books I did try to read always left me with more questions about how everything worked rather than terrifying me. 

It wasn’t until I listened to Max Brooks talk about ideas, writing, and problem-solving on several different podcasts that I became interested in his work and somewhat scared of zombies. Listening to these podcasts, I learned that Max Brooks is dyslexic and that he found his love of reading through audio books, which explains why Max Brooks is known for his full-cast, exceptionally good audio books.

In his newest book, Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre, Max Brooks explores the relationship between humans, technology, and nature. Greenloop, a futuristic, “green-home”, utopian community is cut-off from the outside world by a volcanic eruption from the nearby Mount Rainier. Cut-off is meant literally here. How do humans survive in a community that relies solely on technology to do basic functions, and now, has no electricity? What happens when Sasquatch comes? 

A story about Sasquatch sounds cheesy. It is 100% terrifying and exciting. Max Brooks answers the what, when, where, and why questions that are necessary for any horror story to be convincing to an audience. Devolution is told through journal entries and interviews conducted by a journalist that is trying to uncover what exactly happened to the Greenloop community.  

I listened to the audio book through Tennessee READs and was blown away by the performances. The book is incredible, the audio book draws you in and you feel the emotions, anxiousness, and fear that the characters have. 

I even let out a little scream when the Sasquatch was first spotted, and no, that doesn’t ruin anything or spoil the book.

 

Morgan works in our Children's Department.  This is her first review for our Bookblog; we hope it is the first of many.