errantdreams's review
3.0
I enjoy the whole ‘horror in a rural setting’ genre. It tends to be moody and immersive and can take some interesting turns. Ditto on possession. Unfortunately, I kind of felt like Hamill painted himself into a corner and didn’t have a great ending planned out. The ending feels out of place and out of genre and is hard to follow.
Don’t get me wrong–Spores was a quick, fun horror/SF read, which is exactly what I was looking for when I read it. However, some of Hamill’s work is absolutely brilliant, so I wish this had added up to more. Still, you can bet that the next time he puts out a book I’ll be reading it!
Consider my rating a 3.5. Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2018/08/spores-ike-hamill/
Spoiler
Skip to the next paragraph to avoid spoilers. The ‘alien consciousness’ that the characters deal with is awfully close to omniscient. It explains this away as the natural outcome of having a great deal of knowledge, but never adequately explains how it comes by its detailed understanding of the world and the characters. Because of that, its knowledge feels like a deus ex machina–and honestly, I think that without that crutch, the author could have found a better ending.Don’t get me wrong–Spores was a quick, fun horror/SF read, which is exactly what I was looking for when I read it. However, some of Hamill’s work is absolutely brilliant, so I wish this had added up to more. Still, you can bet that the next time he puts out a book I’ll be reading it!
Consider my rating a 3.5. Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2018/08/spores-ike-hamill/
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