Researchers discover an unlikely shipwreck, from 1940, containing a sarcophagus which they secret away to the picturesque seaside town of Deal to study themselves. Before they can begin, government agents remove them from the site and open the sarcophagus themselves, unleashing a regenerative shape shifting creature whose only goal is to kill and consume human flesh.

Some spoilers ahead, but I've tried to keep it mostly vague.

I really enjoyed this book, as the mystery and history of the Lasus is revealed and we witness the carnage it causes. With a third person narration often switching focus, and some POV chapters from the Lasus exploring its mindset and confusion, we gradually learn more about the people involved, the danger unleashed, and the challenge to stop it. There is a decent amount of kills and gore, and exposition doesn’t bog us down or ruin the thrill.

It had a good pace, though slowed a bit in the middle for me with the rinse and repeat of the Lusus finding and killing a victim whilst everyone else is figuring out what to do, but it quickly picked up again and I was actually saddened by the end (not the final chapter, that was predictable as hell). The characters could've had more depth and distinction, and I questioned the researchers motivations at times. There is a sub plot that two of the researchers are ex's but this was pretty undeveloped and unnecessary.

Maybe the cover was purposefully misleading, but I did somewhat expect the creature to be a vampire, the regenerative and thirsty freaks of nature that they are. Instead we have a weapon designed to hunt and kill unexpectedly resurrected in modern day England, now woefully unprepared for such a threat, and a creature navigating bloodlust in a confusing battlefield. The Lusus predominately takes on the form of a dog, but can become anyone - a plot point that could've been explored further. This, and other details of how big a threat the Lusus is were repeatedly not shared with other characters, which I understand with the government/military keeping it on a need to know basis but the researchers should've been spilling the beans left right and centre to warn the town imo. There was some stupidity and characters purposefully keeping themselves in the dark or opposingly gung-ho. The details of the Lusus's backstory are more harrowing the more you think about them, especially given scientific 'research' at the time of its creation, but I don't want to spoil this reveal.

Various methods are proposed to kill the Lusus, but they have never been tried before as the war machine never saw the battlefield. For a creature that can only heal in the presence of oxygen, just as a fire needs oxygen to continue to burn, I feel this needed exploring more such as why they didn't try cutting off its supply and then using another method mentioned on its ashes. I'd be fine if it failed, but it felt like a glaring omission to not at least properly discuss.

Overall, I really enjoyed this a fun creature feature which would make a great film, with humans and creature both hunting down the other. It's a dog eat dog world, after all.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunately I didn’t connect with this book. I pushed through to about 30% and still wasn’t connecting. Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read it.

I’m leaving this at 3 star, because this may not be for me but it could work for someone else.

This book did something super unique and cool, and it was probably my favorite part, which let the monster have a turn with the POV. I thought it was a cool way to show more of the story and liked seeing its view on what was happening, and getting to see why it was acting like that, instead of it just being this beast going around and terrorising these people. I really enjoyed how many POVs there were, especially with how brief some of them were; it made the world feel more complete. I also enjoyed how quick it was; everything happened very fast. The only downside was that the human POV's felt repetitive, and I wasn't interested in the writing.

Thanks to Net Galley and Cranthorp Millner Publishing for a copy of this arc

By no means a bad book just very much felt like a syfy original movie.

Sometimes you really are in the mood for it sometimes not.

I get the impression that the author cares a lot about gender not necessarily
in a bad way just like just like in a noticeable way.

I think I would’ve liked this book better if the cast had been maybe have or the runtime had been longer so some of the deaths might have actually been impactful

All in all and OK book nice and short perfect to pass the time on a vacation or a plane ride

this was a fun and quick read! think jurassic park meets rampage meets WW2. i think it’s technically classified as horror but felt more like sci-fi. super easily consumable and kept me hooked from start to finish!

I liked this book. It was interesting that it had the monsters perspective in it, though I'm not sure it was needed. I loved that women came in to save the day.

Lesson learned, folks: Don’t hang out in your basements. In fact, don’t even think of having basements. Especially not when there’s a bunch of interconnecting tunnels underneath your town that could be used as a refuge by a creature with insatiable hunger. No, of course not.

Now, before anything, I’m going to be completely honest. As an animal lover, this was a painful and heart-wrenching read. I could not stop bawling over the ending. I’m not sure if there is a list of trigger warnings for this book, but just a heads up, as it does mention themes of animal cruelty and deaths.

After a group of researches brought ashore a sunken warship and its mysterious cargo, the small coastal town of Deal and its residents found themselves hunted by an unstoppable, bloodthirsty animal. Not even the quick arrival of the military could prevent the carnage that soon ensued.

Despite the slow start, the book picks up quickly afterwards, and maintains this pace until towards the end. I particularly enjoyed the shifting of perspectives throughout the chapters, allowing us a glimpse into the lives and minds of all our characters—whether protagonist, prey, or predator.

The Lusus Naturae, despite being a violent creature programmed to devour flesh and blood, being able to see the events from its perspective humanized it for me—which explains why I got so emotional towards the end. Anyhow, this was such a well written creature feature. I went into this novel expecting vampires, or any sort of ancient, supernatural creature that was born from pure evil. Turns out that is was neither of those, and yet I still enjoyed it just the same, if not more.

My sincere thanks to Chris Coppel, Cranthorpe Millner Publishers, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not typically a fan of classic monsters; vampires and werewolves. But this was not a classic werewolf. This was a man-made genetically mutated monster. He wasn’t on a lunar cycle, he could change at will. I also had a lot of empathy for the Lusus. He was only doing what he was created to do; hunt and eat humans.

Lots of good action and twists I wasn’t expecting in this book. I loved the feminist angle and the powerful women characters.

I’ll continue to read more of Chris Coppel.

dude. i don't even know what was going on, we had to stop. as a horror fanatic, i have to give credit where it's due but this book? it was really getting to me with the writing. not something i'd ever recommend, but i won't pry it out of someone's hands if they enjoy horror. that's pretty much it.

This was a creature feature that combined historical and monstrous elements in a modern day setting.

Taking place over a short period of time, a team of researchers finds a stone sarcophagus hidden within a sunken WWII trawler. After bringing it ashore, the small seaside town of Deal is put under military lockdown when it is opened. Now, a beast has emerged from its stone tomb to sate its bloody appetite.

This is just the beginning and the story goes into detail on the terror the locals experience as they become food for a being higher up on the food chain.

While I really liked the overall plot, I just got irritated with the ignorance of the characters and their willingness to ignore facts and common sense. At one point, Jay is telling MI6 this isn’t just a canine, as it’s viciously killed people and showed some sentience. Then later on in the story he literally voices out loud  “Does anyone else think that all of this is just a little over the top for a dog attack?”

Similar actions and statements just irked me so much and kind of ruined the characters for the rest of the book for me. I definitely enjoyed the ending though, I wasn’t expecting the final scene at all.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

The story is set in a small town called Deal in the United Kingdom, resting along the coastline between England and France. Wreckage of a old WWII ship reveals a strange sarcophagus resting on it's grave. A team of archeologist bring it ashore, unaware of the horror inside the ancient tomb.

I would describe this more as a thriller with a paranormal element as opposed to a full horror. There was a lot of telling than showing, which took away from the suspense and fear that you'd want from a typical horror novel.
This came a lot from the inner monologue of the beast that is stalking and killing the residents of deal. I did enjoy the monologue, and the new mythos it gave to an idea of a wolf-human (werewolf-esque) being. But, it did take a some of the tense feeling away from moments as it spoke about what it was doing or going to do. I would have wanted the thoughts maybe a little less to have more fear of the deaths coming in the story.

The introduction of a new character and killing them off nearly instantly did become repetative. It never slowed the fast-paced story down, but it did begin to lessen the urgency when it became more predictable each time it happened.

I did enjoy the banter between the three leads, and the relationship they grew to have, but I did feel that the female characters were quite underdeveloped compared to our male lead. I wish they would have gotten a little more time in the light like Jay.

Overall, I did like the story and would definitely recommend to someone who would want a more paranormal thriller read than a horror read.

Wow, just….. what did I read!? It has all the promising features like, vampire setting even though it was not. That’s what makes me fell in to this trap 😏🤣

So Deal is a small, seaside town in England. Jay is a scientist and his research colleagues are there to study the Lady Lovibond; A shipwreck. During the extraction of the wreckage from the sands, they discover another shipwreck which is a newer one. They discover a stone sarcophagus and bring it ashore. That’s when the carnage begins.

I was excited to read this right, like because this is an arc I read this blind. I found some similarities which is in Dracula by Bram Stocker and the Dracula Vs. Sherlock Holmes books. Anyhow it was not what I thought and it was a bit slow for me.

But after the evil got released I found the pacing to be great. I loved the inclusion of the creature's perspective. There were some excellent plot twists. It was a fun horror thriller with some historical and sci-fi elements.

Chris Coppel’s *Lusus Naturae* is a thrilling foray into horror, seamlessly blending the picturesque charm of a quaint Kent seaside town with the grotesque unknown. Set against the backdrop of Deal’s colorful, cobbled streets, the narrative lures readers into a false sense of security, only to subvert their expectations with a chilling tale of primal fear and survival.

From the outset, Coppel paints a vivid picture of Deal. His detailed descriptions of the brightly colored houses and bustling streets create an inviting scene that is almost idyllic. However, this idyllic setting quickly escalates into a nightmare as the story unfolds. When an otherworldly entity descends upon the unsuspecting townsfolk, the contrast between the town’s serene façade and the horrific events that follow becomes one of the book's most striking elements.

Coppel’s characterization is particularly noteworthy. He crafts compelling and relatable characters whose lives are irrevocably altered by the arrival of this malevolent force. Their struggles and fears resonate deeply, making the stakes feel all the more tangible. As the narrative progresses, the tension mounts, drawing readers into a gripping tale that examines not only the horrors of an external threat but also the darker impulses that lurk within humanity itself.

What sets *Lusus Naturae* apart is Coppel’s masterful pacing. He deftly balances moments of chilling suspense with bursts of adrenaline-fueled action, ensuring that readers remain on the edge of their seats. The eerie atmosphere he cultivates, combined with sudden twists and macabre revelations, keeps the pages turning, leaving readers hungry for the next turning point in the story.

Moreover, Coppel explores profound themes of survival, fear, and the fragility of human existence in the face of incomprehensible evil. As the townspeople grapple with their reality, readers are prompted to reflect on their own fears and the lengths they would go to protect their loved ones. The transition from a tranquil summer to a horrifying struggle for survival is expertly depicted, creating a visceral experience that lingers long after the last page is turned.

In conclusion, *Lusus Naturae* is a captivating horror novel that combines vivid imagery with deep psychological insights. Chris Coppel has crafted a story that not only terrifies but also invites contemplation of the human condition. For fans of the genr

I dnfed but this was a complete me thing. Based on the cover, I thought it was vampires not werewolves

I had high hopes for this but unfortunately the writing just isn't for me. The concept itself is great; it's a Creature Feature set in a small English coastal town where tourist attractions are drawing people in in their droves but the subsequent Big Bad's killing spree causes a lockdown and communications blackout. I love the glimpses into the monster's rampage but for the rest of the POVs the writing feels very mechanical, repetitive and bland and I struggled to get invested in the main trio. I felt like I was reading a screenplay or an action novel rather than a horror story.

A monster is released when a sarcophagus is brought from a wrecked ship. Not knowing what the monster is, investigators have their hands full with brutal attacks and keeping the matter quiet.

LUSUS NATURAE by Chris Coppel is a great creature feature set in the charming, tourist filled seaside town of Deal, England. While Jay and his research crew are planning the extraction of a historic shipwreck, they find a much newer shipwreck that leads them on an unexpected investigation where they discover a mysterious stone sarcophagus. The team quickly realizes that they’ve found and brought an ancient evil to the sleepy little town.

While the beginning of the book felt a bit slow and packed with details, I found the marine archaeology elements fascinating. The unique perspective of the creature, through its inner dialogue, was definitely the highlight for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. I would love to experience it as an audiobook with a multi-cast of narrators.

One of the most unique horror novels I've read in ages! This one had it all. That eerie claustrophobic atmosphere, fascinating backstory, well fleshed out characters and non stop horror and action. Loved it and will actively seek out more from this author!

I received this book on Netgalley in exchange for a honnest review.

First of all it's more thriller than horror per se. The pace is really really fast, the story happening only over a few days.

It's not a bad story, and it is clearly visible that researches have been made. But that's maybe the issue for me, kind of. Too much dumpinfo, the first 30 pages or so are just that and I struggle to go past this. Long description of thing that don't really give depth to the story and then light description and faster pace on parts that should have been more developed for the sake of the "plot".

I also have some problem to stick with the story and the protagonists because the stylistic is a bit poor and the writing kind of uneven. It's not badly written - I don't like that expression in review 😅 - but it's a bit too low in term of stylistic for my own tastes. I had difficulty to keep my intention on the narrative instead of the grammar and stylistics.

Not my cup of tea. But tastes and colors ....

A good read! Set in a small town where evil is bought back! Small-town horror mixed with some sci-fi elements. Not usually what I read, but did enjoy!