The Conqueror Worms | Brian Keene | A differnt take on the end of us...

The Conqueror Worms | Brian Keene | Keene does it again

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The Conqueror Worms

	The Conqueror Worms Brian Keene Leisure Books, 2006 - 326 pages average customer review:based on 49 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A differnt take on the end of us...

I have been a fan of Keene's work for a while and really liked his zombie books. As an avid fan of end of the world style fiction I was still a bit put off by the cover and promise of killer worms. Nevertheless, I was stuck in a small town during the holidays with little reading options, and the local bookstore had this. Long story short, I decided to pick it up. Once I got started I really loved this book. The premise is handled well and never becomes silly. I also found the divergence to the side characters and their journey well used by the author to show us his nightmare version of earth. Finally, the characters were much better and less stock hero than the folks in The Rising/City of the Dead books. Overall this is a pretty tight little action packed apocalypse book. And as a side note I don't remeber the ridiculous scene from the cover were giant worms attack buildings.

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Keene does it again

I am an avid Keene fan. His zombie books are fun and original, and this story didn't disappoint either.

It has been raining for 42 days and nights, and most of the world is now under water. No one is sure what has brought about this apocalyptic event and to the author's credit, he leaves that conclusion to the individual reader. This is a story about the end of civilization as we know it and the last survivors. It is not a happy tale, but it is an exciting one.

Teddy Garnett, an elderly widower and his best friend; Carl Seaton, are trying to wait out the rain and survive the giant worms that are plaguing Punkin Center, West Virginia. They are up on the side of a mountain, looking down at an ocean of water which covers the surrounding towns. Teddy is dying for a dip of snuff, but there is none to be found. He is horrified when he witnesses a bird being eaten one day by a huge worm that jettisons up out of the ground and snatches the Robin out of mid-air. He is soon joined by Earl, the town nut case, and a group of folks that have traveled by helicopter from the north eastern coast.

The book is unusual in that it tells Teddy and Carl's story, then when the helicopter crashes, it switches and tells the tale of what has taken place elsewhere in the U.S. It is a nice touch and very powerful, in my opinion. The thought of slimy, writhing, smelly worms is alone enough to make most of us want to hurl, but just imagine those worms becoming the hunters and mankind, the hunted.

This book takes it's time developing the characters, as well as, the story itself. Keene is a master at creating characters you can identify and sympathize with. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys horror with a plot and not just a bloodfest.

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A Winner

I am new to Brian Keene but have been making up for it reading anything I can get my hands on.

This book was a fun read although the the characters were going through a world running wild. I loved the main character but didn't know I would so much when the story started. I have never read a book where the main character is over 80 years old! As you read, you never EVER know what to expect next.

Highly Recommended reading.

GOOD PULPY FUN!

Brian Keene is not writing literature, his writing is good pulpy fun. Keene's success in telling a story is based upon his ability to create characters that you care about. I think this is an area where so many horror writers fail. The plot could take us in any direction at this point because we care about these people and we are even interested in the minutiae of their daily lives. Keene exposes us to the surreal very early in the novel and it captivates our attention immediately. The other facet of Keene that makes his writing enjoyable, is the fact that he creates a pretty detailed mythos behind every novel. In fact, if you are reading one of his novels, there is a good chance that it began as a short story in the early stages oh his career. Abominations: 17 Spine-tingling Tales of Murderous Monsters and Horrific Creatures

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Large things that crawl in the mud

I love discovering a new author, at least one that is new to me, Brian Keene, a well known name in the horror world was just that. Being a two-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award for "Jobs in Hell." in 2001, and again in 2003 for his well received zombie tale "The Rising." Then a 2004 Shocker Award (Non-Fiction) for "Sympathy For the Devil." His list of works is staggering. I'm going to stop here for a long second and go into my consulting mode and do some arithmetic, 15 novels, 10 short story collections, 3 non fiction collections, 140 Novellas, Novelettes and Short Stories, and the list goes on...I think you get the idea, a massive amount of work.
His background or at least his occupations before becoming a full time writer gives him plenty of first hand accounts of characters to dip in and pull from his stories.
His novel "The Conqueror Worms," takes place in West Virginia. Interestingly most of his novels are about that region of the country. Born in 1967 and growing up in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia, it's not surprising this is the hunting ground for his horror.
The rain won't stop, I mean it goes on forever. Keene introduces us to a world of large things that crawl in the mud coming to the surface only to feed and terrorize us. This West Virginia story of two old timers attacked by monstrous earthworms is very descriptive. The story is told through the first hand account of Teddy Garnett and his friend Carl Seaton as they struggle to live each day. They are joined by survivors from a helicopter crash, and this small band meet the monster of all monsters, worms that rise from beneath their house destroying it and taking lives. Creative concept, next time it rains you will look at earthworms differently. You might want to think twice before squashing one of those juicy night crawlers just in case its mother shows up.

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