A review by jdkauthor
The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot's Revenge by Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia
4.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“It couldn’t be the Dzunukwa, or the Bakwas. Sasquatch weren’t real, or Bigfoot, or the million other names people called creatures like that. It had to be a mutant, a one-off. Some sort of birth defect. Because Bigfoot did not exist.”
– Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia, The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge
I feel like I should probably start this review with an admission; I love cryptids. I love, love, love them. I will greedily devour any piece of media regarding them: books, documentaries, movies – I just absolutely love it all. The subject has been something of a personal hobby of mine for an awful long time now.
So with that in mind, The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge (2020) from Holly and Ryan Garcia, a novel about a Bigfoot encounter in small-town America, already had a slight advantage going in. Though, it also needs mentioning that I had already experienced Max Brooks’ stellar story of survival, Devolution (2020), earlier this year. Similarly focusing on a man versus Bigfoot narrative, Brooks’ astonishing book had set a lofty bar for stories concerning the lovable (or not so, in these two examples) hairy ape.
I’ll be honest – going into this story, I was a little worried that the incredibly high standard set by Brooks would be a burden. But actually, I was pleasantly surprised by how good this story was, and how much it stood up in its own right. Whilst Brooks’ interpretation of Bigfoot was more scientific, depicting them as animalistic primates driven by primal urges, the Garcia’s offer a more tribal and societal version of the hairy beasts. This distinction, alongside the more human qualities they chose to instil in their apes, completely drew me in.
The characters are terrific, and really well-written. Henry Miller makes for an interesting protagonist, and his relationships and interactions with the other characters feel natural and realistic. The back and forth between Henry and his friend Pete Stewart was great, as was the contentious rivalry between himself and fellow hunting enthusiast Robert Williams. I really loved how the authors set the scene as well – it was very easy to put myself in those deep forests, shadowed by the Cascades mountain range, to feel the temperamental weather of the Pacific Northwest, and to soak in the atmosphere of Easton Falls, a classic all-American town through and through.
At around a hundred pages, this is a brisk experience – I would have perhaps preferred a little more delving into the town itself, and into the people that call it home. I felt like some of the plot points regarding Henry and his (recently ex) partner Kate’s relationship sort of fizzled out, when they could have been developed further, for more emotional resonance. I’d also have been keen to see more from characters like Kellen Tsosie, who was really intriguing. His and his family’s role as peacekeeper between the town and the tribe of Bigfoot is definitely something that could have been expanded further.
I wouldn’t say the plot reinvented the wheel either, but nor did I think it particularly needed to. As a straightforward, sometimes thrilling, and consistently entertaining narrative, there was so much to love here. It is worth noting as well that this story is subtitled ‘Book One’, so if the Garcia’s plan to return to this world, I’ll be more than happy to revisit Easton Falls and its townsfolk. I’d also be eager to learn more about their version of everyone’s favourite elusive primate. The fact that it left me very hungry for more is only ever a good thing, in my opinion.
VERDICT: The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge does what it says on the metaphorical tin: it weaves a simple but endlessly entertaining story of furry vengeance (nothing to do with the awful 2010 ‘comedy’ film of that name, thankfully), with an engaging cast of characters, excellent scene descriptions, and several enjoyable set pieces. It’s a short experience – I’d have happily read more about the town and its residents, prior to things going to hell – but is thoroughly engaging, and easy reading, to coast through over a spare day or two. I would definitely be up for reading more from this pair of authors in the future.
All things considered, it’s a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from this reviewer.
Book Information
Title(s): The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge, The Easton Falls Massacre
Author(s): Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia
Publisher(s): Close to the Bone
Original Publication Date: 30th October 2020
Page Count: 99 Pages
Format Read: Digital
Advance Review Copy (Y/N): N
Website(s): https://www.hollyraegarcia.com/
https://www.ryanprenticegarcia.com/
https://www.close2thebone.co.uk/wp/
“It couldn’t be the Dzunukwa, or the Bakwas. Sasquatch weren’t real, or Bigfoot, or the million other names people called creatures like that. It had to be a mutant, a one-off. Some sort of birth defect. Because Bigfoot did not exist.”
– Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia, The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge
I feel like I should probably start this review with an admission; I love cryptids. I love, love, love them. I will greedily devour any piece of media regarding them: books, documentaries, movies – I just absolutely love it all. The subject has been something of a personal hobby of mine for an awful long time now.
So with that in mind, The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge (2020) from Holly and Ryan Garcia, a novel about a Bigfoot encounter in small-town America, already had a slight advantage going in. Though, it also needs mentioning that I had already experienced Max Brooks’ stellar story of survival, Devolution (2020), earlier this year. Similarly focusing on a man versus Bigfoot narrative, Brooks’ astonishing book had set a lofty bar for stories concerning the lovable (or not so, in these two examples) hairy ape.
I’ll be honest – going into this story, I was a little worried that the incredibly high standard set by Brooks would be a burden. But actually, I was pleasantly surprised by how good this story was, and how much it stood up in its own right. Whilst Brooks’ interpretation of Bigfoot was more scientific, depicting them as animalistic primates driven by primal urges, the Garcia’s offer a more tribal and societal version of the hairy beasts. This distinction, alongside the more human qualities they chose to instil in their apes, completely drew me in.
The characters are terrific, and really well-written. Henry Miller makes for an interesting protagonist, and his relationships and interactions with the other characters feel natural and realistic. The back and forth between Henry and his friend Pete Stewart was great, as was the contentious rivalry between himself and fellow hunting enthusiast Robert Williams. I really loved how the authors set the scene as well – it was very easy to put myself in those deep forests, shadowed by the Cascades mountain range, to feel the temperamental weather of the Pacific Northwest, and to soak in the atmosphere of Easton Falls, a classic all-American town through and through.
At around a hundred pages, this is a brisk experience – I would have perhaps preferred a little more delving into the town itself, and into the people that call it home. I felt like some of the plot points regarding Henry and his (recently ex) partner Kate’s relationship sort of fizzled out, when they could have been developed further, for more emotional resonance. I’d also have been keen to see more from characters like Kellen Tsosie, who was really intriguing. His and his family’s role as peacekeeper between the town and the tribe of Bigfoot is definitely something that could have been expanded further.
I wouldn’t say the plot reinvented the wheel either, but nor did I think it particularly needed to. As a straightforward, sometimes thrilling, and consistently entertaining narrative, there was so much to love here. It is worth noting as well that this story is subtitled ‘Book One’, so if the Garcia’s plan to return to this world, I’ll be more than happy to revisit Easton Falls and its townsfolk. I’d also be eager to learn more about their version of everyone’s favourite elusive primate. The fact that it left me very hungry for more is only ever a good thing, in my opinion.
VERDICT: The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge does what it says on the metaphorical tin: it weaves a simple but endlessly entertaining story of furry vengeance (nothing to do with the awful 2010 ‘comedy’ film of that name, thankfully), with an engaging cast of characters, excellent scene descriptions, and several enjoyable set pieces. It’s a short experience – I’d have happily read more about the town and its residents, prior to things going to hell – but is thoroughly engaging, and easy reading, to coast through over a spare day or two. I would definitely be up for reading more from this pair of authors in the future.
All things considered, it’s a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from this reviewer.
Book Information
Title(s): The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge, The Easton Falls Massacre
Author(s): Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia
Publisher(s): Close to the Bone
Original Publication Date: 30th October 2020
Page Count: 99 Pages
Format Read: Digital
Advance Review Copy (Y/N): N
Website(s): https://www.hollyraegarcia.com/
https://www.ryanprenticegarcia.com/
https://www.close2thebone.co.uk/wp/