Monstre

This book was a solid four stars. A very impressive debut with an interesting plot, I found it maybe a little light on action 'under the cloud' but hopefully volume two will remedy that and I look forward to reading it. The characters are all believable with flaws and weaknesses and there is definitely promise for the rest of the series.

This was a captivating and refreshing read. The story is truly terrifying in some aspects because of the impact it has on the characters and the speed in which everything occurs. Most books of this type move slowly and explain everything about what is happening. Swan leaves a lot of mystery even up to the end and creates this story that moves so quickly you don't feel the need to find answers until it slows down. He provides just enough details to help keep the reader focused while not revealing too much at the same time. Overall, I really loved this book. I can't wait to read the next part. The only real conflict I had was the super unique ideas would have been so much stronger without really common ideas added in as well. It felt like Stranger Things was just casually infused with the story and it could have been stronger with some different approaches to the unknown.

Deep beneath the Switzerland/France border sits the Large Hadron Collider, built in the quest for answers to some of theoretical physics’ most elusive questions. It was supposed to be safe, but when a malfunctioning experiment explodes, all a rag-tag group of scientists can do is flee the facility and try to make it to safety. From the ruins of CERN, a black cloud begins to spread, marching slowly across the countryside, blocking out the sky, and bringing only death in its wake.

Monstre is told from the perspective of several characters over two mixed timelines. In France, we follow the immediate aftermath of the explosion, and the frantic battle to halt the advance of the cloud as it spreads inexorably across the continent, sowing the seeds of destruction as it goes. Three months later, we join a small group in the USA desperately trying to make their way to the West coast and the rumoured safe haven of a nuclear bunker, followed by the cloud as it encroaches from the east.

I was hooked from the first chapter, and the pages just flew by. Swan deftly combines the post-apocalypse ‘study-of-humanity’ genre with a rip-roaring military action and pulls it off perfectly. His characters are fully imagined and believable, and he writes with the ease and attention of a veteran writer, which is quite incredible when you discover that this is his debut novel. I will most definitely be searching out the next instalment.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book draws you in and then stomps on your heart. It is a well written end of the world book with believable characters that you get to know and want to root for right away. Don't get too attached though, because there is a high death count (you know being the end of the world and all).

This was a cool end of the world scenario! A mysterious black cloud that appears when something goes wrong at a research facility. It blots out all light and brings death underneath. It is a very dark book though and there are no good things really, despite the efforts of many good people. I found my head going to a dark place after and needed to read something light and frivolous to feel normal again. This book also ends on a very big cliffhanger! Be warned! However, it was well written and I think this author did a good job.

Monstre is not your typical Creature Feature. The writing is amazing. I was hooked from the first page. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book, like I enjoyed this one.

[The blurb goes here]

What I liked:
A fresh new story.
Not being able to put this book down.
Amazing characters. Both protagonists and antagonists alike.
Amazing writing.
Amazing setting.
Not knowing what to expect next. The author hints at nothing, there are no "Oh, this is surely going to happen next" moments. It was one surprise after another.
I can't praise this book enough.

What I didn't like:
Having to wait a year for the next installment! Don't worry, I'll live.

I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity of providing me with an advance copy of this book!

A debut of this quality is extremely hard to find. Duncan Swan tells us a story that revolves around us as humanity at its core. Through different timelines, we see how we address issues that face us as a species. Post-apocalyptic scenery takes over the pages and we are transported into a new world.

What truly drew me into this, is that it is not an action-heavy novel. While there are most certainly scenes that will tick the boxes for those looking for such a read, I personally preferred that Swan took his time with the story - this does not equate to stagnant writing, mind you.

A well deserved four stars!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this mind numbing book

where to start...

a massive explosion
a black cloud emerges...but whats inside that cloud....

a few make out and run...

this story jumps all over the place and at intervals you meet different people who are experiencing their own nightmares because of the black cloud extinguishing the sunlight and it brings not only darkness but a form of winter and something else...

i dont think i took a breath with what happens to the survivors...its was a times gruesome and horrific...and man at every disaster takes advantaged of the weak and helpless..imagine the living dead..that will give you an idea of what to expect and no this is on zombie book

will be keeping an eye out for more of this authors work

So, what to say about Monstre - it's not what I was expecting, however, that's in a good way...whenever I hear of global Armageddon at the moment it makes me think Pandemic. Who needs to hear more about Armageddon when we're living through what seems strange times? Well, this isn't a pandemic book, rather it's a sci-fi/horror twist that bounces between present day and the future for a quick, riveting read. Characters are interesting, story is fast paced and I look forward to the next one - let's just hope 2020 doesn't end up like the world in this book though...

Really enjoyed this! Both storylines (Europe and the US) were woven together nicely. Good mix of military scenes and ragtag groups of survivors trying their best. I can't wait for the next volume!

A wild ride - like "The Mist" + "Pitch Black" on steroids! What can be worse than being in the pitch dark with large, strong, smart critters that want to eat you? Oh right, not having any light, or food, or gas either? Oh, right, knowing it's coming and you can't stop it and having hoards of humans on the prowl as well.! The author takes an apocalypse scenario and ramps it up with a host of interesting characters and merging plots. Really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to the next installment! Be advised, there is some very explicit violence, which is very well written, makes you feel like you're there, which is bad in a good way ;)

Swan knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat, pillow gripped tightly, wondering whether he will ever let you off of this hell-ride.

There's a vivid sense of place and the author does well to seat this book in the real world--with the research for the CERN collider being second to none--I was left in awe at the amount of detail packed into this haunting book.

I have a penchant for wonderfully clear prose, and this book did its best not to over do it with pure prose and yet still package enough haunting detail to chill your bones.

I thorough enjoyed this read and would recommend.

I was not expecting this. I was expecting a generic “creature-feature” spectacle. I was not expecting a wholly original idea with exceptional pacing, plotting, visuals, writing, intelligence. One highlight of this novel is that written within these pages are some of the best action and horror scenes I’ve ever read. When the shit hits the fan it covers the walls. And I have to say it is glorious. These well-paced and descriptive experiences really had me on the edge of my seat and filled with anxiety. Character development, which is very important to me, is just ok, but I feel with this type of story characters take a backseat. I was just fine with that. Now I do have a couple of big complaints. First, there is a blatant lack of diversity. This book could not be more white, and there is not one strong female character throughout. Second, the narrative drags tremendously through the third quarter. Those complaints aside, this is one of the greatest melding of science fiction and horror I can remember ever reading. It seems as if volume two will be coming out late 2021 and I can safely say I’m looking forward to it.

I will post to Amazon when open to do so.
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I honestly do not know where to start nor do I want to risk giving anything away. Ill start by saying this was a very impressive debut, in fact I still cant believe that it was Swans first novel. Swans writing style and character development was phenomenal. Aside from the writing, the book itself is stunning! I have no issues with E-books but to fully appreciate the dark beauty of this story you have got to grab a copy of physical book.

Monstre is easily one of the best post apocalyptic tales I have ever read. In Monstre, both the best and worst within humanity is exposed, there was no shortage of violence or gore. The story maintains a fast pace while bouncing forward and back in time allowing us to meet multiple characters and experience their varying nightmares as the cloud expands to cover the globe. Even with the verying timelines and multiple narrators the storyline flows smoothly and isnt confusing.

Overall I really enjoyed every minute reading this book. If I am to be completely honest though, the ending pissed me off and I may have thrown my book across the bed in frustration. FAIR WARNING: THIS BOOK IS PART OF A SERIES and book one will leave you hanging. At the end of the day the only real downfall of Monstre is that book two isnt available for a whole year!

I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Monstre by Duncan Swann establishes a terror in the form of a huge dark cloud of radioactive dust that seems to be created by a mysterious nuclear facility meltdown. As the cloud smothers Europe, it slowly heads toward the United States’ east coast, with it brings incomprehensible monstrosities.
A band of survivors traveling towards freedom and away from the deadly storm find rogue enemies blocking their path to freedom. A military troop must combat a strategic and coordinated deadly enemy not yet known to man. These scenarios along with a distrustful madness by deceitful civilians provides a continuous high fueled monster/military action setting throughout the book. Swann combines these and several additional forms of apocalyptic nightmares to establish a highly charged absolute must read. All characters in Monstre should make their peace with death as they continue their path into the unknown, for Duncan Swann has taken a familiar page from George R. R. Martin, meaning the reader will not know who will survive and what will be left of them.
It’s been a long time since I was totally involved and immersed into a work of literature as was the case with this debut novel. This book is the real deal my fellow readers, one of the top books I have read in 2020. The even better news is it’s volume one. 5 out of 5 stars hands down. Buy this book.

I received a copy of this novel from net galley in exchange for an honest review.

It has been a long time since I stayed up all night in order to finish a book, and it finally happened again with Monster. I knew I was in for the long haul within the first 5 pages, the momentum kept me going and going and going. By the end I felt like I needed a cup of coffee and a smoke just to decompress after what I had just read.

I am not typically one for this type of story (the more scientific, drama, end of the world kind of story). But this one had me on the edge of my seat needing to know what was going to happen next to the characters I was living vicariously through.

Duncan Swan weaves a story that covers a lot of time, we go from Day 0, the event happening...and then book we are at a completely different place at a different time 89 days in. Yet, through it all I never felt like I got confused or lost track of what was going on as some novels have a tendency to do...this one just flowed for me.
Without blowing it all and causing spoilers I will leave the next reader with this...

Even if you don't think you will enjoy this book...you will...you will get sucked in and at the end you will wish you had more to read already. Whole heartedly looking forward to the next book in the series.

There’s a lot to unpack with Monstre, and I feel I wasn’t prepared for the sheer scope and detail Swan so meticulously included in this epic debut. I have a great interest in apocalyptic fiction, the more in-depth the better, so when I sat down to read the explosive opening I was thoroughly impressed – it was five-star content, easy. What I really connected with was how the diverse cast of characters, as well as the world around them, handled such a catastrophe; the division, desperation and degradation of society, it was all there, raw and unpleasant. Told through alternating timelines – from ground zero to around a hundred days in – it introduced two separate groups of survivors that had their own obstacles to overcome; from Chief Trace Colter and the urgent journey to outrun the coming danger, to Marine Gunner Colter and his struggles to keep his men alive – a tale of father and son, lost to one another. Despite preferring one party a bit more over the other, I was mostly invested in everything Swan dished out. There was this feeling of dread that the Cloud conjured, and it struck me as impactful overall; a gradually ticking clock as the world was swallowed by the dark.

Let’s face it, this type of fiction is mostly made up of varying takes on zombies, which definitely has its own appeal, but it’s always nice to have something else bring Armageddon upon the world. Comparable to The Mist, Swan’s freakish creations that were closely connected to the Cloud were seriously brutal and eerie in design, but they weren’t the only monsters. The story touched on some ugly and tragic subjects relating to murder and abuse, especially when following Trace and his people throughout the harsh wasteland that used to be civilisation. I was completely engrossed in that gritty side of things, devoted to each twist and turn. I simply couldn’t get enough.

However, regardless of all my praise, I do have to nitpick as there was a portion in the last quarter of the book that completely lost my interest, involving the marines and their assignment preparations. I feel it was bogged down by unnecessary technical jargon that went on too long and held little value, bringing everything to an abrupt standstill. As said, I did appreciate the amount of effort that Swan implemented, and I’m sure there are readers that would enjoy the specifics of that scene, but I had to stop myself from skimming, which proved difficult. It didn’t help that after all the extensive detail, there was little to no time to see the tech itself put into action, as cliffhangers immediately followed, bringing the novel to a close. My feelings are rather lukewarm about the conclusion, or lack thereof, as I’m aware there’s a second volume in the works, but it was just a bit disappointing to be so suddenly cut off during high-tension scenes.

In conclusion: An action-packed novel, Monstre didn’t hesitate to thrust horrors to the forefront, some other-worldly, and others closer to home. I loved getting to know the many characters (even though attachment in this kind of book is ill-advised), as well as the chaos Swan’s world devolved into, which wasn’t pretty. Probably one of the more memorable reads I’ll have this year, it certainly set a standard for what I want in apocalyptic horror. Unfortunately, the pacing toward the end lulled a bit; heavy technical language just doesn’t do it for me, and so I would say while it didn’t reach perfection, it was very close. I’ll be looking out for the continuation of this intense story, you can bet on that.

Move over Stephen King, there is a new Master of Horror!!!

If Michael Crichton was still around, even he would feel threatened by Duncan Swan's writing and imagination.

There are a zillion books out there that talk about the end of civilization as we know it, but none like MONSTRE by Duncan Swan. In the apocalyptic genre there are few storylines that can be considered original, yet Duncan Swan has achieved that goal.

I do not want to give away any of the plot, nor do I want to lessen the enjoyment of potential readers. I do however want to ensure that anyone who reads this review understands that I am giving MONSTRE the highest possible rating allowable.

In scope, this book takes on a mammoth task. After all, it is about the end of all human life on the planet. 

The story begins in Europe and at the end of Book One, readers realize that what began half a world away has now come to North America and threatens to wipe out everything and everyone we hold dear.

If you are a fan of horror, this is a MUST READ. If you are a fan of science fiction, this is a MUST READ. If you are a fan of apocalyptic fiction, you do not want to miss this book. If you are a fan of great dramatic fiction, you just can't afford to miss this novel. If you love character driven, multifaceted, fast paced stories that grab your attention and are so engrossing that you can immerse yourself for hours at a time, and yet still not want to stop reading, MONSTRE is the book for you.

At 388 pages, this first book in what promises to be an amazing series, is long enough to ensure that readers get their money's worth and then some.

Duncan Swan has crafted a winner of a book. If he does not win multiple awards for MONSTRE I would be very surprised. 

I rate MONSTRE as 5+++ OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book. The only good thing about having to wait is that it will give me a chance to read MONSTRE again.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this heart-pounding read.

With a satisfyingly thick and bloody 478 pgs, Monstre starts with a bang and doesn't slow down. As a fan of apocalyptic horror, I'm always on the look out for an original storyline. This didn't disappoint. Part creature feature part disaster event, the plotline is made up of loosely connected stories that together, give you a larger picture of what is going on in the world. If you hate cliffhangers, beware because you will seriously hate this book. As for me I enjoyed it.

Thank you Andrea Thatcher at Smith Publicity for gifting me with an Advance Reader's Copy of this intriguing book.

I shared the cover with release date on my story with Instagram and Facebook as well as this book review on Twitter, my personal Facebook page, Books of Horror readers group and Page Turners Readers Group (on Facebook), AprilsBookishLife Instagram and Goodreads pages.

Thanks, Netgalley for the early review e-book
MONSTRE: Volume One is the debut novel--and first in an apocalyptic horror series--by Duncan Swan. We start in Switzerland, in a CERN research facility, where something goes horribly wrong. It begins with a dark cloud that spreads across countries.

I absolutely loved this book. I’ve been wanting to read a horror novel for quite a long now and this book successfully completed my need. It filled my head with horrible nightmares. I loved how well written it was. Duncan Swan described every single line of this book in such an amazing way.

I can not wait for Volume Two to be released so I can dive back in.

Monstre is the debut apocalyptic novel from Duncan Swan and what a brazen debut it is. It begins with a bang—literally—in a nuclear research facility underground in Meyrin, Switzerland where scientists are searching for the "god" particle in a Large Hadron Collider. Something goes exceedingly wrong and the facility is destroyed in a series of energy spikes and explosions and a billowing black cloud begins deliberately smothering the world.

"...somehow their work had created a bomb, or a black hole, or something that behaved a little like both."

The novel then transitions point of view between seven main characters from various backgrounds and two continents over the course of the book—all either caught under the black cloud making its way across the world or attempting to outrun it. Monstre also jumps time points, often. The reader finds themselves at day 1 one moment and day 91 the next. Regardless of what character or moment you might find yourself in, there's no lack of action. In fact, this novel grabs you by throat from the very beginning and doesn't let go.

Monstre is smart. It grips you from the get-go, gets you invested in its characters, and then crushes all their hopes and dreams while you watch in wide-eyed disbelief. It's a claustrophobic, palm-sweating doomed nightmare. It's genre-defying as well, twisting science fiction and horror seamlessly throughout. While you might be tempted to call it post-apocalyptic horror for simplicity's sake, Monstre is so much more. Enmeshed with military warfare, this bleak and desperate end of days tale delivers survivors, predators, and seekers eeking another second of existence against all odds in this terrifying new world of monster and man.

If you are worried that an intelligent horror novel may not be engaging enough, there is no worry here. You shouldn't get too attached to any of Monstre's cast because no character is shielded from awful, horrible brutality. The gore is never-ending, ripping and tearing, splashing and running red. Death just might be preferable to what the characters endure from beast and human alike. Just when you think it will end and you will finally see some shred of perseverance, it does... The book, that is. Monstre makes no secret of the fact that it is a continuing series so if cliffhangers frustrate you prepare to throw your copy across the room. This is one debut you don't want to miss.

From the wreckage of a research facility in Switzerland, a freak accident has unleashed a toxic impenetrable cloud that is slowly smothering the world in darkness. Even worse, there are creatures that are coming out of the wreckage that are not of this Earth.

From here, we get to follow two different storylines that almost read like two completely different stories connected by The Cloud.

The first centers on the devastation occurring in nearby France shortly after the explosion, and the squad of United States Marines who are sent on a mission to find out what went wrong and retrieve vital info before it can fall in the hands of others. This storyline reads like a sci-fi action adventure, from its technical jargon to the battles to keep civilians alive.

The second jumps forward in time and focuses on a group of Kentucky law enforcement officers, and one deputy's family, who decide to head west trying to outrun The Cloud, which has already hit the Eastern Seaboard of the country. This storyline is more apocalyptic in feel, and shows creatures from The Cloud are not the only monsters to fear when society has collapsed.

I did enjoy the book with the exception of some of the dialogue of the Marines, which includes some slurs. It was a fast-paced and exciting read, told from the viewpoints of several characters in both timelines. A solid debut from author Duncan Swan, and I look forward to Volume Two and the completion of The Cloud stories.

Okay, so first off I want to explain why I read and requested this book on Netgalley.

1.) The author is South African. I have read very few books by South African authors because most South African books that are published, just aren’t in the genres I read. So when I saw this apocalypse book about the world ending, you better believe I clicked request as fast as I could.

2.) As I mentioned previously, I love apocalypse books. Give me disasters, give me suspense, give me the worst side of humanity showing itself – I want it.

3.) I am not brave in any way. Imagine my surprise when I saw that not only is this a disaster book, but a horror as well. I almost gave up on this book when it terrified me as I read it at eight in the night, but I made it through and I’m very glad I did! It’s like I proved something to myself by reading my first ever horror book!

Monstre is about an explosion at a research facility in Switserland. From this explosion, comes an enormous black cloud. Nothing stops the Cloud from growing, and no one can stop the terrifying creatures that live within the Cloud.

What I really love about disaster books (and movies, for that matter) is that they always bring out the worst in people. Yeah sure, some people think they would be calm and kind in a disaster, but to be honest I think most of us would run around screaming in panic.

At least, that’s what I would do.

What I really loved about this book is how it tells two stories.

One storyline is about people right at the beginning of the disaster. How they try to escape or fight the monsters in the Cloud.

The other is about a group of people who try to find a rumoured bunker in North America before the Cloud arrives to kill them all.

The one thing I really like about horror, although I never read it, is how it’s never boring. There’s always something happening that makes you want to chew all your fingernails off.

There was no real deep-dive into the characters, except for one called Trace, but as you go along in the story, information about the characters don’t matter. It only matters whether or not these characters can actually survive. And most of them don’t.

So, to summarize.

Monstre will have you on the edge of your seat, praying that these characters survive while also praying that none of these monsters will jump out of the shadows to devour you.

It’s dark, it’s gritty and you can’t put it down. Will I pick up the next book? After the terribly evil cliffhanger, you bet I will try to get that sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for a review!

Woah. What a fresh take on the apocalyptic creature storyline. I loved how frightening and original this was. I can’t wait to read the next book and hope to see much more from this author! I’m a sucker for horror stories like this one. I will say, the reader needs to be ok with lots of action and gore. Loved it.

I had started reading Monstre and was about a quarter of the way in (but was also reading several other things) when I read a killer review for the book. That review gave me the incentive to put everything else down and focus. And wow! The reviewer was not wrong! This book is a non-stop, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride!
It started in Switzerland - an invasion of darkness, of cold, of poison, of teeth. The end of the world is pretty well nigh, and Duncan Swan takes the reader along for every bloody second of it.
Even though the book is an action-packed thriller, it also has some very well-drawn, sympathetic characters. My heart actually ached for these people, fighting so hard to survive. What I really liked was that these people weren't perfect. They messed up. They got grouchy. They didn't have super powers and couldn't save everyone. They were just people trying to survive an ongoing apocalypse.
The end of the book was a cliff-hanger that left me with my mouth pretty much hanging open. C'mon man!!! You can't leave me like this!!!!! (sigh)
I cannot wait for Volume 2!!!! Excellent storytelling here.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Super Hoot Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this e-book for free in return for my honest review.

I'm going to start this review with a confession..... or two. First up, I sort of was regretting requesting a copy of the book on NetGalley. I don't know why but I got it in my head that it was going to be some supernatural demon story, which just isn't my thing. And secondly, I then pre-emptively decided that this book would be average at best. These made me put off reading the book for as long as possible. And now comes an apology! I need to apologise to the author for assuming his book was crap before reading it! I like to think that I'm right about everything (my Hubby can confirm that ha ha..) but in this case I was so wrong AND I have never in my life been so happy to be wrong! This book kicks ass!
Monstre tells the story of a major incident at a research facility where a toxic cloud of smoke pours out and starts to spread. We then follow several groups of survivors in different parts of the world at different times since the incident. So we jump from the first few days to around the day 89 mark. I absolutely loved how we got to see both the immediate effects and responses to the incident, and then got to see how people were coping (or not) further down the line and the fear that came from knowing what was headed their way as the cloud spread across the world. Now, I'm gonna give a tiny spoiler here, and it's only tiny as what I'm gonna say sort of becomes apparent in the first couple of chapters. This book has some weird alien bug creature stuff going on. And if I knew that before requesting the book well.... I just wouldn't have requested it. Because aliens aren't my thing (along with demons ha ha..). BUT it turns out that weird alien bug creatures are my thing!!! Like, this book gave me so many Starship Trooper vibes. It was amazing!
What I've noticed is that time and again I rate apoc / post-apoc books highly when they follow the format that Monstre did with the several groups across the world and different types of characters. It just seems to be something that I love and I think that's because the story is then full of different perspectives and doesn't get too bogged down with 1 plot angle. In Monstre we get just the right amount of science, military, and normal dudes. Plus, it's not too alien heavy for those who don't normally read that stuff.
I cannot wait until Volume 2 is released (which a little bird told me would be Fall 2021)! In the meantime, just go read this book. Like NOW!