An engineer from out of town disappears.Then Conor Mitchell’s girlfriend. Then his parents. The townspeople of Sedrow Woolley, Washington are vanishing at a horrifying rate. But they come back. They all come back days later, and they’re different: Hungry. Insectile. Creatures posing as humans. Because Conor knows the truth, and because the entire police force has already been changed, and because … because there’s nowhere to run from an evil that only wants to spread, his sole option is to fight. But they have no intention of letting him leave town.
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Michael J. Moore’s Highway Twenty introduces us to Conor Mitchell and his sleepy hometown of Sedrow Wooley, Washington. Conor is just about as normal as you can get. He’s got an average job working as a mechanic, a regular girlfriend and a decent place to live. But his average life and quiet town are being turned upside-down. Slowly, the people of Sedrow Wooley start to vanish. A few days later, they return. But they’re different. Those who return are changed; they’re hungry monsters masquerading as human. As more and more of the town is slowly changed, Conor has to figure out just what in the hell is going on and hope he can do it in time to save his town.
Right off the bat, I’ve gotta say that Highway Twenty sort of defies categorization. It’s definitely horror, but a weird mix of subgenres. It’s got elements of cosmic horror and creature feature. It’s something of a fast-paced thriller, but with deeply psychological elements with quite a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure. And it’s definitely a little bizzaro. Simply put, Highway Twenty is a story that refuses to be placed neatly into a little box. Moore has woven a fascinating and unique tale unlike any I’ve read before. This crazy mix made for some seriously enthralling reading. There were certainly moments in which the story got a bit bizarre, but it absolutely kept me hooked.
One strong point of Moore’s work is in his everyman hero, Conor Mitchell. The everyman is a classic literary archetype, so Conor isn’t necessarily breaking new ground here. However, despite the commonality of this character type, I still think that Moore did a simply amazing job with Conor. He is the epitome of the average dude, making him very relatable. He is certainly no hero, but is met with extraordinary circumstances. Like any great everyman, Conor has to rise to the occasion when he realizes what’s on the line. I think that what makes Conor such a great character is the skillful way in which Moore has crafted Conor’s flaws. He is far from perfect, and throughout the story we see him fighting against his own inner turmoil as well as the external threat. Being inside Conor’s head as his world slowly crumbles is a deeply emotional experience. As things go from bad to worse, Conor continually has to make tough choices and sacrifices if he has any hope to survive. Despite this being a horror novel, some scenes were absolutely emotionally gut-wrenching.
In addition to the top-notch protagonist, Moore’s antagonistic force of evil is 100% pure badass. I can’t say too much about the big baddies, cause the fun comes in slowly realizing what Conor is up against. Moore keeps you on your feet and guessing as you, alongside Conor, try to figure out what in the world is going on in Sedrow Wooley. Along with the killer creatures that Moore has devised comes an overbearing sense of inevitable doom. The worse things get, the more and more it looks like Conor has no chance to survive himself, let alone save the world from this threat. Despite that exponentially growing sense of futility and doom, Conor keeps fighting and you keep reading.
Highway Twenty is a masterful combination of awesome monsters, lightning-paced action and genuine, emotional characters. You’ll laugh, your heart will pound, and you might even shed a tear. Good horror always evokes emotion, and Moore does so in spades. Fans of cosmic horror or creature features will love this one; as will fans of psychological horror and emotional, character-driven story lines. If you’re looking for something totally fresh and unlike anything you’ve read before, that will draw you in and really get you thinking, give Michael J. Moore’s Highway Twenty a shot.
This was an ambitious book. The world is almost taken over by an alien, bug-like species but is stopped by a homeless man and another man with a rough past. I have to say, this would generally not be my type of book. That being said, it started out powerfully. Very dark, very well, written, and I bought in all the way.
If you like almost apocalyptic tales with an Invasion of the Body Snatcher type feel and characters with Boo Radley everyone thinks he’s bad, but he isn’t (the homeless man) and characters with rough childhoods triumphing over evil (Conor), then this is your read.
Because it is a fun book. Fast, hard-hitting, and dark. Yeah, this is a fun book and even though, as I said, this is not my type of book, I read it all and had a good time doing so.
What an amazing story, like right out of Twilight Zone. This book would make a great movie! I love the main character, Coner because he faces up to the truth alone and fights against evil. This author is very talented and I am very impressed by his writing style. I will be watching for more books by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.