MONSTRE: Volume One

This book had some good things going for it, but some things didn't work for me either. I gave up on it once because the first quarter of it was one character after another developed to the point that I almost cared about them, and then they were killed off. It started to feel like gratuitous gory death for the sake of added horror. The fact that I really wasn't invested in their stories yet made me feel like I was wasting my time. Another thing, a couple of times, in the midst of pretty intense action, the author went into a lot of exposition, which I ended up skimming through to get back to the story. There were places that were so detail heavy that I didn't enjoy them, however, I didn't consider that as a rating negative since many readers of this genre like the details. Probably just me. I know it's book one of a series, but the ending was kind of jarring and abrupt. By the end, I was fully invested in several of the character's stories. The monster details were really good... I loved the way they sensed the world around them. That was pretty genius, especially the way the clicking was introduced in the story. There were times, early in the story, that I was truly scared. A pretty good debut.

Great story telling from the first page. So many authors whose theme centers on apocalyptic conditions, honestly just don’t write well enough to keep my attention. This book is well written with a plot that is realistic and so scary. My only criticism is that Vol. 1 ended with two cliff hangers! I’m hoping for the next book in the series to debut like yesterday.

Easily one of the best books I read so far in 2020-2021. Amazing detail and a heck of a story. I love end of the world stories and this one seems actually plausible. Most of the details are correct. One mistake that stands out is Army rangers are not armored or mechanized, they are elite light Infantry. Other than that small mistake, I loved this book. I am now following this author and will but part 2. I look forward to that release.

It’s coming. And you can’t stop it.With “Monstre”, debut author Duncan Swan pens an end-of-the-world, the-monsters-are-coming thriller infused with an engineer’s perspective by way of a summer blockbuster’s scope.The scientists at CERN have had an “oops” and the Hadron supercollider there has brought forth some nasty creatures swimming in a noxious black cloud which is slowly making its way to the United States. American citizens see the horror unfolding in Europe and some seek a final way out while some cling to the hope they can stay ahead of the cloud until the world figures out how to eradicate it. “Monstre” focuses on the immediate aftermath of the accident as well as jumping ahead to several months later by alternating timelines in the story as seen through the eyes of a group of survivors. The story is told through the accounts of no less than 8 different characters, which does make it a little difficult to keep who is who straight at times. But Swan deftly navigates the aftermath and builds the story effectively as we begin to slowly understand what is going on.The story revolving around the immediate days following the CERN explosion has a definite Aliens/Pitch Black/Starship Troopers vibe, all monsters, marines, and battle suits while the timeline beginning 89 days after the accident seems more akin to The Road/Walking Dead/Mad Max with redneck maniacs and desolation in a doomed world. My tastes preferred the humanity of the impending arrival of the cloud and the lengths to which people go to survive as opposed to the tech heavy battle scenes, but truthfully both narratives deliver the goods.I did have an issue early on keeping characters straight—each short chapter is titled with a character’s name as a way to follow their story; however as I tend to read only several chapters at a time before putting the book down it made coming back to the story and recalling who was doing what a little tedious. It took a good 3/4 of the book before I had a solid sense of who was who and what they last did in their previous chapter as the timeline jumping necessitated rereads of the last several pages before moving on. I would have rather had longer chapters, finishing each one completely before jumping to the next character’s perspective.That said, Swan manages to keep the pages turning and adding to the plot with several characters’ stories tying into others (in the same time frame). And while some of the characters seemed a little formulaic, the action and scope of the novel allowed me not to focus too much on that as the cliffhangers and events took center stage throughout.This is “book 1” in the tale, indicating there is more to come. We get some theories and possible explanations as to what has happened at CERN as well as some foreshadowing of what is yet to be.Will the marines be able to defeat the creatures?Will the world be able to eliminate the cloud before it overtakes the rest of the world?Will the government find out exactly what happened and formulate an effective response?Who will live and who will die?The book leaves off on a couple of shocking cliffhangers without really answering any of these questions. It’s clear Swan is going to build this world carefully and thoroughly. In a story such as this one, we need answers. And we need hope. We get very little of this early on, and it’s likely to get a whole lot darker before we get any real answers.Monstre is your good old kaiju infested, testosterone filled, impending apocalypse scenario as seen through flawed and recognizable characters. I’m hoping Swan can stick the landing and wrap it all up with a monster of an ending. It’s definitely entertaining throughout, especially if the influences I’ve referenced are your thing. We should get more creatures, heartbreak, and death in the next installment, which can’t come soon enough!4 out of 5 Ripley-esque stars.

interesting book especially for a first attempt. Much of it reads like a typical apocalyptic tale with all the nasty guys, the vulnerable women and children and of course the fine details of this handgun and that long gun. Still there are parts that are very intense and work well but they are only parts of an overall whole that's super nasty and brutish and very very dark. I guess part 2 will be more of the same - not sure if Im going to be mentally ready to do this again.

Recommended for anybody who likes thrillers, horror, and character-driven stories. Monstre will grab you and won't let go, and you'll be dying to know what's next.

Brutal! Right from the get go. Probably the most horrifying apocalyptic story I've ever read. And I hope to gosh that something like this would never be possible. Even the good guys in this story are brutal. I can't believe this is Duncans first book. And it's killing me to wait for next winter for the 2nd one. Highly recommended!An aside Mr. Swan...Glocks don't have a manual safety, just a trigger safety.

I knew messing around with super colliders was going to end the world. Seriously though, Mr. Swan has written an intriguing story. I had half the book to go this morning, just finished before bedtime. Hope I can sleep, because the end has me wanting the next book now.

I really wanted to love this book. I loved the author's presentation, the artwork, the concept, the tone. But the story itself was a letdown. Without too many spoilers, the book follows two main sets of people in two timelines. The absolute biggest problem with the book is these two timelines have no narrative relevance to each other. They are both in the same 'world', seeing similar events 90 days apart, but one has absolutely no effect on, or connection to, the other in the span of this book.The worst part of this is that neither story has really any kind of resolution. The ending has one minor twist, but otherwise, the stories just stop. There is no resolution, no satisfaction. I suspect the resolution and satisfaction are in book 2, but... then why not write each story on its own? It's entirely discordant to keep hopping back between what are essentially two different books and then not end either of them. Very disappointing.There is also a third character set, that initially seems very interesting. but again they have ZERO contact with either of the other two stories, and then they all just abruptly died. And.... I got nothing from that plotline. It was too short for me to really care about them. Too long to just be a chance for exposition. It was really weird. That entire arc could be cut.Also, the author doesn't seem to be familiar with Europe, which is a shame, because one of the half books is based in France. This France feels a lot like the USA. When the main 'incident' happens, suddenly the country is full of the military, and the sky is full of combat jets and helicopters. Europe is pretty demilitarised. The French don't have like loads of troops just sitting around waiting for an emergency. And more fighter jets pour overhead in one scene than France has in its entire arsenal. The level and speed of military response is just completely nonsensical for a modern European country. It simply doesn't exist. 3 days after the incident, there is a Royal Navy fleet and a British tank force in southern France. This is just silly. This isn't how things work in Europe. That would take weeks, if not a month. European countries, understandably, don't have large taskforces on standby to invade each other at a moments notice.There are other things, like the description of how the houses are built/designed, which was American, not French. And at one point a Character looking for a vehicle in rural France stumbles into Kansas and finds an old American pickup truck in a barn. Seriously, like he was the wicked witch of the west or something. There aren't old-timey barns full of American pickup trucks just lying around in France. Also way too many of the french people have guns...Its small details, but really the small details matter. The feel of that story is that it was written for the American suburbs, not France.The positive side of the book is that the prose and dialogue well written. The main characters from the two storylines are well fleshed out and engaging, the monsters are scary, the events are cool, the concept is new. The author is all over the technical writing and concept and world-building, but his stories and detailing just arent there yet. I will read book 2, because I am invested in the characters, but my overall feeling is disappointment. This was a missed oppurtunity.

Saw this book and thought I would give it a go as I liked the sound of the story it was brilliant one of the best end of the world books I've read and I read a lot can't believe it's the author's first book really fast paced with a great cast of characters loved it

I typically read books a chapter or two a day and put them down. I found it quite difficult to put this book down though. I finished it in two nights, flat. The themes are right up my alley however. If the hook caught your attention, definately give this book a try. Word of warning however, the author does not pull punches when it comes to grit and gore.Overall a great first release, I'm patiently waiting for the second volume!

5 stars. An unbelievably tense story filled with adrenaline and terror like never before! To be clear: this book is brutal. People die - and are dying - in terrible ways, all the while with we, the readers, sit on the edge of our seats and witness their nightmarish demise as it seems the human race is doomed. But if you're a dystopian fiction and military sci-fi afficianado like me, you'll absolutely love it! Swan does an amazing job, where his characterizations and plotting are marvellous. He has created a story that envelops us with a genuine primal fear of the dark while we sit back and watch what happens to them, either immediately or with enough foreshadowing to keep us from peeking between our hands as we cover our faces in terrified anticipation! Delicious! Can't wait for part 2!!