I'm a huge fan of Max Brooks, ever since he first released World War Z. I really wasn't into zombie or horror books at the time, but he opened a whole new world for me, so when Devolution came up I had to grab it right away.

I'm so glad he stuck to the epistolary format in World War Z, because he does it so well. I feel like I really get to know the characters through their stories and care about them.

Devolution hooked me from the first page to the last. It was one of those books where I stayed up late just to read it, then after closing it stayed up even later thinking about it. It is a relatively short book, but the slow burn is so well done and builds throughout the book to its final conclusion that you feel like you are stuck on a ride that you don't want to get off of. Every piece, the diary, the articles, the interviews, the quotes all gradually take a speculative creature to a terrifying monster that had me looking twice at the woods at night.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for granting my wish to read Max Brooks’ upcoming novel. I couldn’t wait to read it because I had loved World War Z so much. I don’t think Devolution quite lived up to that, but it was a fun read nonetheless. I enjoyed the narrative style, which was journal entries interspersed with expert interviews. That reminded me of World War Z’s approach, although I think focusing mainly on one character here might have made it less interesting to me. Overall, a fun thriller and definitely a new take on the zombie-type story, but with no zombies!

From the very first page, YES! This book is about a group of people who live near Mt Rainier, and what happens when some Bigfoots (Bigfeets?) decide to attack. Yes, you did read that right. And maybe it sounds a little crazy, but god almighty, it is wonderful. It's creepy. First this group of people are living peacefully, but they are also sequestered from most of the rest of civilization. Then they become trapped by nature, and from there the story takes off. Even though I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a believer in Bigfoot, the story DEFINITELY creeped me out at times. Which I loved, because who doesn't enjoy a good, scary thriller? The story continues as this group is harassed, stalked, and maybe even more. It's told in an epistolary format (one of my favorite ways a story is told), and I can not WAIT for this book to be out to the general public. It's amazing and I want to tell everyone to read it.

Anyway, the damn thing doesn't come out until May (the 12th), but put this one on your TBR, cause it needs to be read!

5/5 Stars

Max Brooks takes the legend out of Bigfoot and turns the creature into a plausible, terrifying reality for the small band of characters in Devolution. He poses the question, if Bigfoot was real, what would that mean for our civilized selves? I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be in the characters' shoes, and it was horrifying. His characters are wonderfully relatable.

The science behind his depiction of a very-near-future high-tech community is spot on accurate with its drones , solar panels, autonomous cars, and reliance on Wi-Fi, and it quickly becomes clear how dangerous such dependence could be in a catastrophe. (He inspired me to go shopping for survival essentials!)

He sprinkles in interesting facts about primates -- our nearest animal relatives -- and other species, grounding his plot in reality. I will never feel the same about chimpanzees. And I won't forget this story anytime soon.

World War Z is one of my favorite novels, so Iwas excited to read this. It did not disappoint. Like World War Z, it has a quasi-documentary style. Instead of interviews with numerous survivors, this work centers on one person—Kate, who is keeping a journal at the instruction of her therapist. The journal entries are interspersed with interviews and writings from other sources. The journal entries give a sense of Kate’s growing unease and the terror she and her neighbors come to feel as they are cut off from civilization and realize that they are being hunted by a group of predators.

If you are familiar with this author's oral history of the Zombie War, then you will be interested to hear his firsthand account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre. Even though it is fiction, Max Brooks does an excellence job of thinking through what would actually happen if you were cut off from civilization because of a volcano erupting and the ensuing social chaos preventing your rescue, all with intelligent, feral creatures right outside your door.

An eruption of Mount Ranier leads to chaos in the Pacific Northwest, and to Greenloop, a small community of "smart homes" in the wilderness near Ranier park, being completely cut off from society. And then, things start getting weird. Strange sighting of...something...in the woods, with a terrible smell and terrifying howls. Mountain lions being torn limb from limb. And footprints that look human, but way too big to be believed.

Like World War Z, Brooks tells his story through a non-traditional narrative, this time diary entries, interviews and news reports (though these are the most literary and narrative diary entries I've ever read). Thoroughly engaging and terrifying, a fun horror ride.

First of all, I would expect nothing less from Max Brooks.

This is the story of a small community that has chosen to live off the grid, but when an unexpected natural disaster occurs, the community finds themselves pitted against a tribe of Sasquatch. This story is told through a series of journal entries and interviews.

I wasn't particularly fond of any of the characters, but I was enamored with the action which is precisely why I read Max Brooks. He writes with a scientific flare that is easy to stay engaged with.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Everyone is excited for this one, I think! And for good reason- Max Brooks is awesome. I am really happy to let everyone know that this book is great. It is fast-paced and exciting. It has wonderful characters and feels real, much like WWZ felt real. I love that it’s about Bigfoot. That was such a fun angle. There is a dark humor to this novel, along with just a general darkness that adds a really nice grittiness to all of it.

I loved World War Z so I was very excited to see a new title by Max Brooks. I was not disappointed. Similar to WWZ the story is told through journal entries and interviews. The planned community of Greenloop has everything a techie could desire while being nestled in the forest near Mt. Rainier. The houses are ultra high tech, groceries are delivered by drone. The big cites are close enough to visit for fun but far enough away that the residents feel really in touch with nature. Then Mt. Rainier blows up, they become cut off from the outside world and suddenly nature gets in touch with them. This book explores the struggles between man and beast while also highlighting the dangerous way we rely on technology and "good feelings" I wish I could quote from it because there a whole pages I would share with friends. If you like Bigfoot, scary stories or newsreel like fiction this book is for you! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced reading copy.