I really recommend to anyone this book by Harry Adam Knight. Not only is it a real page turner, but it is probably one of the most horrifying novels I ever read. It has a lot of potential to be a movie. I have not seen PROTEUS, but from what I'm hearing so far, it's very different from the source material. If any of you are interested, you can easily get a copy from Amazon.
shareI got it too and its hilariously bad. Carnosaur is even funnier. Both books by HAK - which is not a real name!
I thought it was funny in some parts. Yeah, the author's initials are intentional, very tongue-in-cheek. SLIMER's not bad, really. It has an interesting monster, notable characters, a gruelling atmosphere and despite being pulp, it does provide some disturbing questions.
share
It's an absolutely terrifying book- even the cover scared me as a kid!
I read the novel about a year or so ago. It's a mixed bag really. As previously stated, it's pure pulp from beginning to end. There's a sex scene every other chapter, and they're all tastelessly written. The characters are VERY dislikeable. However, the setting allows the author to build a surprisingly potent atmosphere. One scene (Spoilers!) stands out in my mind as being deeply freaky, that being when one character watches a woman walk down a series of hallways on a surveillance monitor and realizes she doesn't have a face (something about faceless people DEEPLY frightens me for some reason). The monster was pretty damn cool too (very reminiscent of the 1989 flick "Leviathan"). Overall it is pure pulp, but it was passably entertaining pulp, with a few scenes that still stands out in my mind pretty well. KInda reminds me of the Resident Evil tie-in game novels: Entertainingly pulpy time killers.
shareI didn't think Charlie was like the creature from LEVIATHAN. The monster in that movie was interesting (I like the idea of a shape-shifter having the victims' faces on its back, kind of creepy), but aside from the shape-shifting features, they're two different characters. Charlie in the novel had some element of character. I like the idea that those who were absorbed were able to control the creature. That was something I never saw in a movie before.
shareOh yeah, I forgot about that little plot bit there, were people would "surface" every now and then and repress Charlie's control. I was also amused by the scene where they find the creature "stoned" on the floor in a bathroom!
The "Leviathan" comparision I was making was more about their physical attributes more than anything else. The way the creature's various incarnations are described, particularly during the big showdown in the helicopter at the end, is very similar to what we saw in Leviathan. Kinda like a nightmare hybrid of undersea critters, very Lovecraftian. I'm almost tempted to dig the book out and give it another read, lol.
Yeah, that washroom scene was just hilarious. I never expected that. I'd love see that done on film. lol
It's kind of interesting that you mentioned Lovecraft, because when Charlie made his first appearance, the description gave me a strong impression of a Lovecraftian monster like Cthulhu. That scene was really friggin creepy.
I'd be interested to see this story be adapted again, but with more money for the creature effects and a better handle of the suspense/atmosphere element.
share