Mutation by Roy Hunt.
Crane operator Mark Coles is hard at work near the pristine lake of Lough Ree, when something evil escapes into the water.  A large greenish-black singular body, roughly the size of a dead cow’s hide; a hideous mutation.  
I really enjoyed this book. Great story. 4*.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book falls in a very specific category for me. The "fluff" category. I don't mean that in a bad way, many great authors fall into this category, the most comparable being Michael Crichton. This is a science thriller with a decent amount of research done. However, due to the nature of these types of books the story and characters are a little flat. But overall it was a fun read, as this style should be.

The story is about a bacteria created to allow for greener production, it breaks things down. However, it breaks down more than what it was designed for, or the designers weren't discerning enough in this department. We learn this out the gate with an unfortunate worker accident. But then the bacteria gets loose. True to this style, we have a series of people coming together trying to stop this deadly mistake now that it's entered the water. This book had some thrilling moments, but was rather par for the course, no twists or big ideas. Though, I have to give credit, I've thought back to this book nearly every time I've seen something referencing making bacteria or worms or what not to break down plastics. The characters were rather flat, and felt copy pasted from each other. I never felt terribly invested in the, nor worried too much after them. This would be the biggest let down, as a thriller means I have to feel thrill when things are happening to the characters. The book is paced well, and ends expectedly.

I would say a perfectly fine, fun book. Just don't expect to be blown away or much more that "Crichton-lite" or even "Benchly-lite".

I really tried to get into this book, giving it several restarts. Sorry, it was a DNF for me at 21%. The storyline moved too slow, like a movie that would be interesting it if hadn't been played in slow motion. Really interesting idea though!

his is the story of what happens when a slick of biologically engineered pollution from a local textile factory reaches a beautiful lake deep in the Irish countryside. For this is no ordinary slick of pollution - this slick feeds not just on denim, but on both human and animal flesh - horribly, and with extreme prejudice!
Mark Coles, a local crane operator and his wife Catherine make friends with Derek and Martha, another local couple alongside a foreman from the factory, go gung-ho and take to the lake in their attempt to rid the world of this new and vicious peril. Meanwhile, other residents and boaters are getting picked off. Will these intrepid heroes be successful and can it be certain there are no saboteurs from within?
The heroes are of a rather conventional, almost chauvinistic mode. The men face great danger whilst the women cater for them from the confines of the galley although admittedly, Online of them uses her PHD background to enlighten the others about what may be going on.
There is no lack of schlock in this slick of slime, detritus and untold horrors, as far as this monster in the lake goes. The way it is said to inflitrate all hidden places of the human body do seem to be designed to make the skin crawl!
So this makes a highly entertaining horror story, very much in the Frankenstein mould - there is the mad scientist, the monster as well as galvanising lightning.
The writer makes it clear, however, that this is a monster with a very real scientific basis. The notes at the end make it abundantly clear the writer did his homework on this area of biological technology. It may well be possible to create special bacteria capable of breaking down anything from factory waste, as is the case here, to more serious kinds of contamination. In these times, it sounds too good to be true - and it possibly is. For there is no telling what the potential dangers of introducing such a bacterium into fragile eco systems evolved over millennia might be.
So this makes for an entertaining read in its way, though as a novel, this is still somewhat lightweight reading.

Mutation is about science lab created bacteria that finds and eliminates pollutants from water. The only problem is that it kills everything else in the water too. It is a well researched, thrilling, horror novel with the most original monster that I have read about.

The story was very thrilling with both monster and man adding to the tension. Killer bacteria released in a lake can really do a lot of damage, and I found myself routing very hard for the the protagonists. It was definitely fast-paced, and full of excitement.

If you are a fan of fast-paced monster stories you should consider checking this one out.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Thankyou to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and the author, Roy Hunt, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Mutation in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
It was very clear from the outset that the author has done his research before writing this novel. I thought the storyline was well written and it kept my interest, A good debut novel. 3.5 stars.

Originally released under the title, Dark Waters, Mutation is Roy Hunt’s debut novel. With this in mind, I’ve tried not to be as critical as I would with a more seasoned author, and the rating I have given reflects this.

A textile company in the Irish county of Roscommon is trying to mitigate the ecological damage caused by its processes, and turns to genetically engineered bacteria to solve its problem. However, messing with nature is never advisable, and a timely accident sees the bacteria escape into the vast waters of Lough Ree. The body count starts to rise, and it soon becomes clear that the bacteria have mutated into a creature far more dangerous that could have been imagined.

It becomes clear through the novel that the author really did his research before he put pen to paper, but he seems to be regurgitating the research rather than writing about it in a way that fit the story, which makes for a jarring narrative. The characters fade into the background, and it’s sometimes difficult to remember who is who.

Despite this, Mutation is a decent enough premise, and is still worth a look at.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this Kindle version from Netgalley & BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

Like the rolling hills of Ireland, this book had it's ups and downs.

Let's start with the Up side first. This book has a really awesome idea for a creature. Seriously. Gold stars for that. I would have never known about bacteria in factories used to eat up stuff like dyes. Pretty cool and very creepy when you stop to really think about that. Plus, the theme of science going wrong is a true classic in the horror field. The creature really creates an interesting, creepy atmosphere.

Now the downside... oh boy. Ok, so my biggest problem is that this story gets super repetitive. Like, the main character starts talking to his wife about what he thinks is going on and what this creature is. He works it all out. Well he tells this same theory to everyone he meets. That is fine. The problem is that we didn't get an edited version of this retelling. You know how it is normally, a person retells something and the author normally just says something like " After Tom was done telling Sue his theory....." or something like that, you know? Like, you don't have to sit through the same exact conversation multiple times. But we hear a lot of things multiple times and they weren't really varied in how they were phrased. So... that was very frustrating.

Another problem I had with the book, is that the writing just felt a little choppy. It's hard to explain, but I'll try... So, It felt like the transitions from sentence to sentence was a little rough. Example- First sentence has someone cooking food for dinner. The following sentence has the other character eating the dinner that was just being cooked. I don't know... It just felt like it was a little choppy in the delivery and that sometimes I felt like it was missing a segue sentence in between 2 other sentences. It wasn't terrible, but it felt like the writing just needed a little bit more fine tuning.

Mutation had a couple of problems that made it a little hard to read. The idea of the plot really stood out as creative and unique and was the best part of the book. It wasn't a terrible book, but could have used a little bit of tightening up on some of the writing.

A thrilling book.about how bacteria effects our lives especially the unsuspecting.
A man with no.scruples,trys and succeeds in stealing a great discovery by a Company based in Ireland.
A crane operater,his wife & several others try to stop him.In
doing so they endanger their lives,another couple & others,as well.as unexplained deaths.
I did like the thrill parts of the book,but didn't care for a lot of the Scientific info so it took me a little longer than normal to read,as I found myself putting it aside,to read something more to my liking.
All in all,a good book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for the opportunity to Read & give my very own honest opinion of "Mutation"



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No Sharks, But You Still Need a Bigger Boat

I love stories of ordinary people in places I'd love to visit. Put them on the water in boats, and I'm even happier. Especially if there are monsters in the water!

This book is an update of the classic scifi/horror story about a scientific wonder, created to help, but turned horribly wrong. The main characters are very likable, drawing me anxiously into the story as the suspense kept building. Mr. Hunt has developed his writing style for this genre well through the publication of many notably scary additions to it. Check out his list!

In this particular book, there's a Crichton-esque basis in fact to the premise, which makes it a book that will likely haunt you long after you've closed the cover. However, there are two other elements that made the story even more successful in keeping me interested: Irish paranormal folklore; and the sad truth that human beings can outdo the horror of “monsters” any day.

This was a pretty interesting story about killer bacteria that starts hunting people. The monster was pretty interesting and the science behind it was pretty solid. I didn't care much for the human characters mind you and as such didn't really care if they lived or died. Not sure if it was just the kindle version but the formatting was all over the place.

That said I still enjoyed the story and was invested enough to keep reading to find out what was going to happen and how they were going to defeat the creature.

Terror can come at any time, even during a routine day's work.

Crane operator Mark Coles is hard at work near the pristine lake of Lough Ree, when something evil escapes into the water. A large greenish-black singular body, roughly the size of a dead cow’s hide; a hideous mutation.

After he witnesses it kill, he knows he must act fast: It's May, and tourist season has just begun.

Meanwhile, unaware of the deadly danger he is in, and driven by grief at the loss of his wife of sixty years, eighty-three year old Marcus Fee is on the lake, intent on committing suicide. Until the sight of a burning cruiser stops him...

I like stories like these, involving an uncontrolled force of nature that could one day actually happen.
Mark Coles is a strong and interesting character and some of the people he meets along the way to stopping this mutation, are well thought out and likeable if a little two dimensional.
The plot was decent, with a medium paced storyline and enough action to keep the reader interested.
One thing I did find slightly annoying and pointless though was the apparition, it never truly explained it’s presence and seemed to take a little of the shine off the Mutation.
Well,worth a read though.

Mutation by Roy Hunt was received direct from the publisher. I am a new reader of this author but will certainly seek out his other works. Books about genetic engineering and creatures this produces, be it large creatures from nightmares or microscopic organisms, are generally difficult to read and understand. Not this one, it is a creature novel through and through. If you or someone you buy gifts for likes Ireland, water based creatures or biotech stories, give this reprint a read.

4 stars

This story happens to be a lot scarier because of the fact it could happen, with humans playing God by creating a genetic mutation of bacteria to destroy pollutants in the denim jeans manufacturing process and because of a freak accident which helps it escape from the confines of its pool and it leeches into a natural lake where it continues to grow and start taking more human lives, Its not a bad story but it does drag on a bit so I did find myself jumping a few pages at a time.

On a day in May in Ireland at the Lough Ree in Roscommo, Marcus Gee is planning suicide with a gun and a bottle of whiskey. He's eighty three and lonely and sick. He sees smoke on the water and decides to investigate. A while before, scientists in Cuba are working on a way to clean bodies of water with a genetically altered bacteria. They don't understand that it is becoming else. Back in Ireland, Mark Coles is a crane operator who is called to lift an aerator from a mill in the middle of a storm. As he is lifting it, lightning hits the water. The bacteria which looks like an oil slick, violently reacts and escapes into the water of Lough Ree. It kills and eats several people that have come to fish or sit by the water. Greedy corporations, tough locals and a genetically produced monster combine to make this one of the scariest horror stories written. Scary because we know that this kind of engineering is possible and and can be used for the wrong thing. Well written with many references included. I received this book from Net Galley and BooksGoSocial for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.

What a cracker of a debut novel. Mark Coles is a self-employed crane driver setting out on what he thinks will be just another working day. A haunted night’s sleep and shocking weather don’t deter him from the importance of getting the job done. On the job he sees the shape of something ominous escape from his toolbox and attempts to track it down before something major occurs. Teaming up with an engineer called Derek he discovers they are dealing with genetically modified bacteria which has far reaching implications for the environment.
It was a joy to get to know each character and discover how they would cope. I enjoyed the figure which appeared on the water when they most needed help and the folklore of the area. Also the reference list at the end was an interesting surprise.
Pollution, industrial, nuclear and so on, have become such massive problems. The theory of using bacteria to break down some substances seemed a great idea and this story is not unbelievable in real life. Also it is funny the things you notice in the news when reading something like this. A New Scientist magazine (24/8/18) contained an article on bacteria holding the key to universal donor blood. Researchers recently discovered that enzymes in the gut can be used to turn type A blood into type O, then used in transfusions for any blood group. Fictional or true discoveries with far reaching implications which arent always good ones.
This book has great scene setting, atmosphere and an ending involving a grisly discovery leaving me nervous and dreading the outcome.
My final few words: Environment, madness and a killer. What more could a reader ask for.
You won’t want to wear denim after finishing this one! This certainly is frighteningly believable reading.
A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review. Full marks to the author.

I really enjoyed the underlining theme/message of genetic engineering. It is scary to think that something like this could ACTUALLY happen. I really enjoy horror and I especially like it when it takes from actual events or current events. It makes it believable...which makes it scare the crap out of me.

I thought this was a well-written book. With bacteria numbering among our everyday monsters, we probably should think twice about manipulating or changing them. At our peril! This book has good characterization and is plot-driven. Encompassing horror!

The extensive bibliography at the back of the book both reflects the amount of research that Roy Hunt has undertaken and also poises in the reader's mind how near to reality (if not somewhere hidden away already realised) is the central prognosis of the book that genetically modified bacteria produced for commercial purposes can mutate with deadly consequences into an entity. The book begins on the real Lough Ree in Roscommon central Ireland on a May day in 1997 where Marcus Fee is preparing to commit suicide but just before he commits his final act he sees flames and black smoke on the loch and steers his craft towards this.

The story then goes back via Havana the previous year and then 5 days earlier to to the nearby textile plant on the loch's edge where the central character crane operator Mark Coles is lifting an aerator when a sudden violent storm with thunder and lightening commences. With an obvious reference to Mary Shelly the lightening causes a reaction with the contents of what Mark is lifting leading to the formed creation (monster, mutation) escaping into the nearby waters of Loch Ree which will have fatal consequences for anyone coming into contact with it.

As the story continues and the body count increases we get to discover exactly what has been going on and how corporate greed and lack of environmental control in some countries is enabling such dangerous abominations the possibility to come into existence. Once the story gets going and the main action on the loch takes place with the baddie unmasked it certainly becomes quite gripping and there is also an added supernatural element that is added in keeping with the folklore and myths of this isolated waterway. The ending certainly leaves open the possibility of a sequel in another location and leaves the reader strongly supportive of the need for environmental vigilance and protection.

An environmental horror with a few gruesome deaths along the way, this certainly had me entertained. The cover sets the tone of the book and is quite graphic and enticing too.