Posted in Book Reviews
The Silence by Tim Lebbon
I love a good end of the world novel. I love a good horror novel. I really love monsters. Throw them all together in a blender. Hit the high octane button and you have The Silence. Right now I would read anything Tim Lebbon writes. He has been on a roll for me. I don’t think anyone is pushing the creepy meter quite as effectively as he is.
Coming off of writing one of my favorite zombie novels with Coldbrook, Lebbon turns in one of my favorite apocalypse stories. When the discovery of a cave system releases some nasty monsters into our ecosystem they sweep across Europe and Asia killing everything in their path.
The story follows Ally and her family as they flee across the U.K. seeking a safe place from the flying bundles of death. Early on the world realizes sound is deadly. Any noise attracts the vesps (the flying carnivorous death machines). For Ally who has lost her hearing years earlier in a deadly car crash the world of silence is nothing new but she must help her family adjust before they become a meal for the flying plague.
The story moves at a brisk pace and is full of horror and creepiness. In the end what makes the story a winner for me is Ally. I love her and her family. Their love for each other and their desire to make sure they survive this new quiet world keeps me invested in the story all the way through. Lebbon doesn’t waste a word. He weaves them together beautifully. It has been a long time since a book both creeped me out and made me tear up (The tears came in one of the most horrifying and human moments of the book. It happened in the car. That’s all I am giving you. I don’t want to ruin the moment).
If you like your horror mixed with a large dose of love and humanity than this book is for you. If you have never read Tim Lebbon before, this is a good place to start. After you love this book go out and buy Coldbrook, you won’t regret it.
