Come Back to the Swamp

REVIEW: COME BACK TO THE SWAMP by Laura Morrison

A darling, hopeful, and inspiring story, COME BACK TO THE SWAMP is a story of Cleary Swamp near Detroit, and the amazing adventures of a graduate student in Ecology. Bernice is determined on a Ph.D. track in environmental sciences, and part of her work is to try to eradicate invasive, non-native species. But in the swamp Bernice encounters a wild woman who insists she stop, because she is the swamp. Only a short time passes before the woman announces that Bernice is the swamp' s choice to replace her. Give up everything she's planned? Bernice thinks not, but this wild woman and the swamp definitely possess other, implacable, ideas.

I totally enjoyed this story. Suspension of disbelief was facile and nearly immediate (although not so for Bernice!)

Come back to the Swamp by Laura Morrison, a fun quick read that helps highlight the dangers of invasive species in swamps.

"Come Back to the Swamp" is a great short novel featuring elements of mystery integrated into the botanical diversity of a swamp.

Come Back to the Swamp was a very quick read, closer to a short story than a novella. Despite this, Bernice and Kevin were sympathetic characters, and their development helped drive the story forward. The swamp setting was unique, and one I enjoyed, though the magical link and powers of its caretaker was left somewhat underexplained. Likewise, the story’s antagonist was not given as much motivation or backstory as I would have liked; and the lack of twists or depth in Come Back to the Swamp’s plot did make the story less exciting than it could have been.
That’s not to say that there wasn’t tension. I enjoyed seeing Bernice and Kevin interact, and I liked the dilemma Bernice faced later in the novel as she came to terms with everything that had changed over the course of the story. I wasn’t overly fond of the conclusion of this story, but it was satisfying. I wish that more world building had happened to provide more motivation for Bernice and Rebecca alike, but given the short length of this story it was well constructed and fun. The ridiculous nature of some of the situations faced, the swamp setting and the surprisingly heart-warming moments in this story all reminded me of Molly Harper’s Mystic Bayou series, and I think anyone who enjoyed that series will enjoy this one.

I first read Laura Morrison in the anthology A Midnight Clear. Her story there was fun and funny.

There is some of that humor here, the main character, Bernice, being a young researcher full of irony. Even in the hardest parts of these novella it's hard to keep a straight face.

But the main plot of this story is quite terrifying and upsetting; it all in all makes for a good horror story that works very well.

A short unnerving story about swamp magic and a legacy passed down through chance.

I liked the idea of the swamp magic and how it was passed from one person to the other, but I found the story to be a little lacking in detail, I needed a bit more substance. I wanted to know more about the previous swamp witch, I wanted to feel more for the main characters and I wanted more history about the swamp.

Fans of short, easy to read, suspense books will probably enjoy this.

Come Back to the Swamp by Laura Morrison is one of those novella that you can just imagine on the screen. The story is simple. Bernice, a graduate student is in the swamp trying to help clear out non-native plants when she runs into an old woman who claims she is the swamp. Using superhuman strength and speed, she drives Bernice out of the swamp. This starts a chain of events that really does feel like an episode of the new Creepshow or Twilight Zone TV series.. There are so many classic elements of suspense and horror that there is no denying the skills that Morrison possesses to make this story strong and keep the reader’s interest. There are many ways that this story could have been told in a way that makes it impossible to get into, but in this case, the writing and the pace feel just right. The way that this feels slow and deliberate throughout builds the tension and the ending is satisfying. Overall the entire story is entertaining, and I loved the way that it progressed. There is not much else to say about this novella. I enjoyed the time I spent reading it, and I will be excited if I learned that it is being adapted into a movie or TV show. I will definitely be recommending this to my horror reading friends.

I received this as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.