Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks, is a fiction that is written like a nonfiction having a journal, expert interviews, and family interviews. The Legend of Bigfoot is something that I have always been curious about, this book does the research on past Bigfoot sitings and makes a story out of it. I like Bigfoot but I'm not a fanatic (note: though growing up I did name one of my dog's Bigfoot), I think fanatics and believers will get a lot more out of this book than I did. I 'm sad to say I found the first half of this book very boring, with me only connecting with two characters. At the end of this novel in the acknowledgements it was said that this was a failed movie script that got novel, the way it was written a movie would have worked better. The second half is a rip roaring action/survival that does not let up. The story turns into a man verse monster book. The action is fierce and unrelenting. In the end, the unbalance and the limited characters to truly root for, made the intense action too late to totally save this story from just more than an okay from me. Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks is Published on 6-16-20. Thanks to Netflix and Random House Publishing group Ballentine Del Rey.

The Plot: We learn early on there is a village up in the Rainer Mountains totally cut off from civilization thanks to an active volcano. The village was an experiment by tech savy artists and environmentalist, to live off nature and still be connected to tech. The village, Greenloop, is found burned down and torn to shreds with bodies of all but two members of the village who are declared missing with only a journal left behind. The journal explains that Greenloop was a attacked by Sasquatch. The journal, the journal writer's brother, and various experts go over the tale adding insights, and analyze if it is believed to be true or not.

What I Liked: I love the man verse nature verse monster aspect. I wish this was featured through out the novel just not at the back half. The idea for Greenloop society was interesting. I loved the character of Ms. Monstar the tough older lady, artist that has seen war and knows how to survive, teaching the tech people how to go to war was interesting. I also liked the husband of Kate the journal writer that found himself as the village handy man. The brutal action, was a highlight of the book. You have never read about a Sasquatch being so vicious, it was kind of like seeing all the treats that Han gives to people about Chewbacca in Star Wars played out. The first arm rip off is a doozy. I didn't really identify with Kate, the journal writer, but I do love the speculation of her brother, at what happened to her and the closure that he got through it.

What I Disliked: Too many chapters were dedicated to the research of other villages like Greenloop, at first it was interesting but it went on and on. It took too long for the Sasquatch to show up or even get teased. I did feel the ranger had too much information on the Sasquatch legend and mythical creatures in different countries. This book needed to have a conspiracy theorist who runs a Bigfoot watch to break up the science.

Recommendations: I think Sasquatch fans will like this more than I did, so I recommend this to them. This one is a hard one for me the beginning was hard to get through, then the second half was everything I wanted to ever see a Sasquatch do. I will barely recommend this one. I have not been this torn on a review in quite some time. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the Summer. I rated Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks 3 out of 5 stars. I have not read a Max Brooks all the way through, I have read most of the Zombie Survival guide, and love the satirical tone, World War Z has been in my TBR pile for so long. I liked the action in this and will one day read more Max Brooks.

Read It: Bigfoot delivers big scares in Max Brooks’s Devolution

The author of The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z ditches the undead in favor of rampaging Sasquatch in this perfect summer page-turner about the last days of a would-be utopian, off-the-grid village. As he did in WWZ, Brooks stitches together the narrative — and ratchets up the fear factor — with fragmentary documents and various voices to recount the ill-fated encounter between a group of transplanted eco-loving urbanites and a displaced troop of bloodthirsty Bigfoots (Bigfeet?). And the all-star audiobook, featuring the voices of Judy Greer, Nathan Fillion and Jeff Daniels, is ideal for a summer sojourn to a remote locale. Just don’t wander too far off the trail.

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre is available in print, ebook and audio formats from Amazon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.

It sounds exciting right, living amongst the wilds of nature while being tethered to the city’s ease and convenience. You get the verdant beauty without all the needs of living in a forest. Who wouldn’t want that? But what if something huge happens and you are unprepared for it. You are a city person living amongst the beasts. What do you do, how do you survive?

This is what happened to Greenloop community on the skirts of Mt. Ranier when the Bigfoots came to hunt.

Let me start by saying that this was the wrong book to read right now. Currently, I am neurotic and anxious, trapped in quarantine, much like the rest of the world. Trees surround my home. I can see Mt. Ranier on a clear day from my front yard. It is either the worst or the best time to pick up a book like Devolution; either way, it was effective at scaring the bejeezus out of me. This story is something. Written in what I am sure is to become the “Max Brooks style” of storytelling. It is told through letters and first-person interviews. Instead of linear storytelling Brooks creates the world of the story brick by brick until you are surrounded by his world and can’t get out.

A group of rich yuppies from the city comes to a premade rural/city community named Greenloop. The food and necessities are shipped in via drone, the homes are smart and powered by solar, people telecommute for work, and every need has been thought of by the architect. Then with a boom and shaking, the sky fills with ash, and Greenloop is cut off from all human contact. This, on the surface, is bad enough. You take characters that do not have a strong bone in their bodies and throw them into a life and death situation and see what happens. Now add in a mysteriously large footprint. Animal bones are surrounding the complex that has been chewed on and licked clean. A strong smell of gamey rot that permeates the air, and instead of just survival, you have so much more to worry about. In the vein of classic fear of invisible monsters, these people are stalked and toyed with.

The lead character is a neurotic woman named Kate. I dislike Kate. I think everyone who reads this book will hate Kate at first. She is an insufferable know-it-all that would be the first to complain to a manager if her chardonnay was the wrong temperature. But when everything goes pear-shaped, Kate changes. This is the best part of the book. Kates’s character progression is beautiful and believable. She is so much more under the surface; all she needed was flesh-eating primates to bring it out. You will love her, you will cheer her, and you will want her to win.

The one complaint I have about the story is that it is a slow burn. SLLLOOOOOWWW. I was waiting for something to happen in the first 60 % of the story, and nothing did. It wasn’t enjoyable until you see why Brooks wrote it that way in the last 40% of the story. It all comes together. Every little bit of info or aside he shoved into the beginning was the building blocks for the last gory and exciting forty percent of the novel. Then all you have is an appreciation for Brooks’s storytelling abilities. Because man, there is craziness, explosions, fights, terror, excitement... so much.

This isn’t World War Z; it is an entirely new thing. The scale is smaller, but the action and characterizations aren’t. It is a big story told on the microscale of a small community. It was so much fun, and you should read it.

Devolution was awesome.

I loved the premise and thought it was very well done, believable, and well researched. I loved the interview style and “found” journal in a made up scenario. It wasn’t quite as good as World War Z and definitely not as horrifying, but still incredibly well done.

I loved the set up – the apocalyptic event, the cut off town, and the way the residents of Greenloop slowly devolved as Bigfoot creatures began to make their way in. It felt so real.

I highly recommend the book to fans of apocalyptic stories, surviving in the wilderness, and fans of Bigfoot mythology. I thought it tied all of those aspects together into something totally fun and creepy

Tense, action packed, attention grabbing, and a very distracting read during this real life pandemic.

Max Brooks picked the best style for this book. The use of journals intermingled with interviews and commentary worked really well. The reader feels as though they are right there with Katie while reading her journals and then as though they are interviewing the other subjects themselves.

Original. exciting, and a great read. Gave me creepy dreams!

What happened to the eco-community of Greenloop after the eruption of Mount Rainier? In this gripping and grounded account, a community comes under attack and must band together to face a novel threat: a tribe of Bigfoot (Bigfoots? Bigfeet? Sasquatches?). Framed as a brother's journey to find out what happened to his sister, her journals tell the tale of a fight for survival requiring a complete rethinking of defensive strategies. Excellent read for those who like biothrillers and cryptid thrillers alike.

I had this fantasy. It involved a little house, with everything I needed to survive. Compost toilet, rain collecting roof, the whole bit. My tiny house would be out in the woods. I pictured birdsong, lounging outside in a hammock and not hearing any human noises. Well, that has changed. My tiny house would ideally now be located in a Costco, or a mall, or just a busy shopping center. Thank you Devolution.
This book takes place in a small community of six houses near Mount Ranier, Washington. These houses are supposed to be self-sufficient, but they work involved in sustaining them is completed by people who come in from the city. The people living there are proud of their way of life, never realizing how vulnerable they really are. After the explosion of Mt. Ranier cuts them off from their food and other resources, the people are attacked by what turns out to be a group of Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) .
What really works in this stoy is the sense of isolation. There are plotholes, (no tools in the whole compound? no one worried about reaching out to the cut-off community?) but all in all the story works. I don't believe in Bigfoot, but won't be hiking in the woods anytime soon, just in case.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in return for my review.

3.5 stars
Overall I enjoyed this novel. I love a good Bigfoot story!! The first half was a tad slow, but the action picked up the second half and I enjoyed the ending.

An exciting, disturbing account of the mysterious (fictional) sasquatch massacre of entire community near Mt. Rainier. Through one resident's journal entries, as well as interviews and other research, the author presents a day by day account of the events leading up to the disaster. A great read, but not for the faint of heart -- this is a horror story, with blood and guts and plenty to turn your stomach. That said, it's compelling and claustrophobic and really well done -- highly recommended.

Okay so I loved both of Max Brook's zombie books, The Zombie Survival Guide, and World War Z. Mostly because with the Guide book it felt a little bit like a parody, and World War Z was a really personal and often moving account of how people deal with a lasting natural disaster. With Devolution it feels more of a cautionary tale of taking technology for granted and not taking nature seriously enough. Granted, this has a clan of Bigfoot terrorizing people who tried to start their utopia in an isolated part of Washington State. It starts with the eruption of mount Rainier, trapping the hapless town in the forest. Then the town realizes that they may not be alone out there.

Just like with World War Z it is told in a first hand, documentary style, using the journal of Katie Holland as the focus of the action. Interspersed with that are a series of interviews talking about the nature of surviving, hubris of humans when it comes to animals, and how the government covered up the incident. This is a weird one, because it does stay on track, but is committed to slowly edge us towards the townspeople's encounter with the Bigfoot. I didn't quite like this aspect because, while it tries to build the dread up - by showing people cracking under pressure, the one realist in the group being brushed aside, and finally the sporadic encounters with the Bigfoot - it just felt slow. Once the Bigfoot really start harassing the town, the pace really starts to pick up. I felt like the build up could have worked if perhaps the encounters started sooner. Also, Brooks was trying too hard to sound like a woman writing in her journal until Katie really started to feel the dread, she just sounded air headed.

Overall, though, Max Brooks does "found footage" style of writing horror well. This is exactly what a found footage horror flick is set up to be like, especially with the mockumentary like vibe. It feels like it should, even if a little slow. But I did love the personalities that came off the pages of Katie's journal (which is why its annoying that someone who is supposed to be a little flighty can describe people in such an engaging way), and her descriptions of the individual Bigfoot by naming them was excellent. The interviews snippets were pretty amazing, too, but they were relied on as more commentary or foreshadowing so it did steal Katie's thunder at times.

Horror fans will enjoy this, and fans of World War Z will enjoy this extended look into one first hand event of the after affects of a natural disaster. This is not a typical style of writing that I know of in horror fiction, so it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is an excellent commentary. Given that this is to be released in June 2020, some of the things he points out in here are eerily prescient. They do parallel a lot of the US experience from the past couple of months, so be prepared.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow! Brooks's Devolution is a wild ride! Written like a non-fiction expose, this tale, of a small, tech-savvy village's interaction with Bigfoot, kept me on the edge of my seat. Told through journal entries and interviews with others, this novel really does feel like a nonfiction book. There are even endnotes! Brooks's tech-savvy world is isolated and must turn to more primitive ways when attacked by the giant apes. It's a terrifying, creepy, and awesome story.

Devolution was an absolutely wild ride of a book, I loved how Max Brooks so perfectly melds the fantastic with horror. However, I feel like this book should come with a disclaimer - “Please note that you may never want to go into the deep woods ever again after reading” Since it does not, now you’ve been warned.

Told through interviews, diary entries, and more, Devolution is a story about a natural disaster and the monsters that come out of the shadows due to the chaos. It’s a story where the reader questions what’s real and what isn’t until that distinction becomes painfully clear. It’s a story about how clear-cut the lines between man and beast are. And what happens when they blur. This is a story that will keep you up at night. This is a story that might leave you with the unsettling feeling that maybe, just maybe, there might be creatures out there that we believe exist only in myths.

Devolution absolutely hooked me from the first page. If the synopsis sounds intriguing to you, I would recommend picking this one up. And I’m really hoping that Max Brooks writes more crytozoological mockumentaries.

*Disclaimer: I received an advance digital review copy of this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

NetGalley ARC

We certainly waited a long time for this follow up to World War Z!

Like WWZ Devolution takes the form of an epistolary novel comprised of Kate Holland's diary and interviews and articles concerning the events surrounding the deaths and disappearances in the remote tech community of Greenloop.

After Mt Rainier erupts the small community (11 people total) of Greenloop is shut off from civilization and boy are they ill prepared. As they were almost entirely dependent on technology to supply them with food and communication, the residents must struggle to survive the coming winter, but also defend themselves from mysterious invaders from deep in the forest.

The book starts very slow, but gets pretty good once it picks up. Kate starts the book as a timid young woman and within a few weeks she is designing weaponry to defend her and her fellow Greenloopers from an unknown, dangerous species. A few of the other characters get added depth, like artist Mostar and Kate's husband Tom. As for the other characters, we see their actions but never really get to know them. This actually makes sense as Kate is never really given the opportunity to get to know her neighbors. The action is cut with interviews with the Ranger leading the search for survivors, excerpts from a cryptozoologist book about "Bigfoot" and information about the events leading up to the volcanic eruption.

As with WWZ, the events of the book are very well thought out. If a small village were to be destroyed by an unknown species, it could very well go like this. I found Kate difficult to relate to at first, but I like how she grew as a character.

5 stars for me!

I have never read World War Z but after reading Devolution I definitely will. This is a perfect summertime escape read. Even if you don’t read horror or sci-fi type books I think you’d still really enjoy this book about man’s (or woman’s) survival against nature.

This is easily on my short list of favorite books of 2020. Even though I received a digital ARC I am planning on buying it, I liked it that much. If you want an action packed, highly original survival tale involving Sasquatch and how to survive a natural disaster, then read this book this summer you will not regret it.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC I received**

I've enjoyed Max Brooks' other works such as World War Z but this one did not click with me so well. The journal passages in particular were not very interesting and I found it hard to keep coming back to the book. Would definitely be interested in reading more from him but this just wasn't for me.

4.5 stars for a compelling narrative structure and suspense. Would have enjoyed even more "sources" used throughout, as in World War Z.

I read World War Z and was drawn in by its use of multiple "primary" sources, so I was eager to read this one, set closer to my home in Washington State.

A high tech but remote community is cut off from the rest of the world when Mount Rainier erupts (as some point in the near future), and then attacked by a group of Sasquatch.. Told primarily through the diary of a newcomer to the community, with a few supplementary interviews, the story is engrossing. Initially I got pulled out of it as the narrator would constantly call the mountain Rainier, whereas we just call it the mountain. And there were some awkward references to the local interstates, which we'll excuse because the narrator just moved up from LA. I was a little surprised that this reclusive, granola-ish community would call the mountain Rainier and not Tahoma, which would be an acknowledgement of its Native name. But these are small quibbles.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a little bit survival, a little bit self discovery, and a good amount of tension throughout. It was a pretty entertaining read.

As I'm reading it, however, it's hitting in ways that it might not if we weren't currently in the middle of a pandemic and in a week full of marches against police brutality. The book references social order breaking down in Seattle and, well, it felt a little close to home when it might usually feel like fantasy.

I received an ARC from the publisher for review NetGalley.

Huge thanks to Netgalley for a chance to read an advanced copy of this.

I loved Max Brooks previous work, particularly World War Z, so I was incredibly excited to see this book pop up. It was in no way a disappointment. Written in the same style of journal entries combined with after the fact interviews, Devolution follows the events in the town of Greenloop, Washington after Mt. Rainer erupts and other creatures emerge in the aftermath. Most of the book is a journal from Kate Holland, written in the first person, so its a much more focused narrative than World War Z, but this works very well with the story.

When the eruption cuts them off from the world, Kate and the other denizens of Greenloop must quickly shift from a tech heavy life based around automated houses and drone deliveries into long term subsistence survival mode. Things are further complicated when it becomes apparent that the men and women of Greenloop are being hunted by Sasquatches.

The book divides neatly into 2 halves, with the first being a standard survival story as Kate and company adapt to their post eruption world and work on figuring out how to survive the approaching winter. The tone is tense and anxiety inducing, but not overly dark. You get to know the characters and see them at their best and worst. Its a slow build. You feel something coming, but you aren't sure what or from where.

The second half of the book sees that early tension explode. The Sasquatches arrive in visceral, horrific, terrifying moments, and then fade away, leaving the survivors to deal with the aftermath. The second half is very much a community under siege, building up to a final confrontation, and you feel every bit of stress and exhaustion that denizens of Greenloop go thorough.

Overall, this was an excellent read. Its fast paced enough to keep you engaged, but not so fast that you don't get to fully feel all of the events. The writing is engaging and evocative. It feels real and there are tons of tiny details that contribute to the world building.

An excellent read and highly recommended. Max Brooks still has it.

Remember World War Z? Well, the author behind that novel, Max Brooks is back, and this time he's writing all about Sasquatches. Devolution is his latest works, and fans will be pleased with what they find here.

Mount Rainier has erupted and brought with it untold destruction and devastation. Lives were lost, roads were destroyed, and people were trapped. This tale is going to focus on those that were trapped.

There is little worse than being trapped in an isolated town with a hoard of hungry Sasquatches on the way. At least, not according to Kate's journal, a tale of struggle and battle for every day. This is not a tale of the friendly Big Foot, that is certain.

“At first, I still suspected a hoax. I'm old enough to remember the notorious “Hitler's Dairies.” However, as I finished the last page, I couldn't help but believe her story. I still do.”

Warnings: Devolution contains graphic detailing about death, injuries, and a combination of the two. There is also animal death that occurs within these pages.

Devolution is easily one of the most intense and graphic novels I've read this year. I feel like that's saying something. Given how World War Z went, I knew that this wasn't going to be a tale of friendly and happy Big Foots (Big Feet?) roaming the land. Still, I wasn't prepared for what happened within these pages.

This is a novel told in two perspectives. The first is by a journalist, who is writing about the research he has done on the matter surrounding a journal. The latter, unsurprisingly, is that very journal. But to be clear, the focus is entirely on Kate's (the author of the journal) story.

Fans of Brooks' other works will be happy about the formatting, as it did hold true here. Though it held firmly to one storyline and followed it through to the end. So that is something else that fans will surely be happy about, myself included.

Devolution was graphic and harrowing. Brooks did not make any attempt to shy away from just how bad a conflict between humans and Sasquatches could be. Especially when those humans were unarmed and unprepared.

I really enjoyed this read, though I can arguably see why others didn't or wouldn't. Not being a believer or crazy about Sasquatch lore, I didn't have much of a foundation to compare to. So I don't know how others will receive those elements.

One thing I will say about this novel that Brooks probably couldn't have planned for: the reception of it during a pandemic. I read the entire thing while in social isolation, and it hit SO hard because of it. The anxiety of being trapped, of not knowing what's going on, and even the concern about access to food. It's all there, and it feels more real than ever.

I can't believe that after all this waiting, Devolution is finally here. It was absolutely worth diving into, even if I have to wait for whatever Max Brooks comes out with next.

I’m kind of biased when it comes to my appreciation of Max Brooks and his works. World War Z’s format continues on with this fine Sasquatch novel. Almost reads like nonfiction and really draws the reader in thru the last several chapters of action and ultimate fate of the Greentop people. I really enjoyed this story and consider it to be highly recommended.