Monsterland: Reanimated by Michael Okon

You might want to check out my review of Monsterland before proceeding...And Here's a couple of vids about it! If you have not already read the first in series, I highly recommend you do, in order to get the whole effect, even though each book can easily stand on its own...

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When I received this book, I had initial thoughts about having a sequel to the book, Monsterland--after all, how many monsters can one deal with? LOL

But I was proven wrong. Michael Okon's Monsterland: Reanimated was all new and, in fact, better than the first in my opinion.

It is not the "horror" that Okon brings to readers, but rather the ingenuity in recreating--reanimating--what was once old, made new... 

Especially the Mummies! Guess who they are! LOL




Monsterland: Reanimated

By Michael Okon

Front Page of the Copper Valley Sun

President of the US, World Leaders, and

Thousands Dead

Many still missing as the world reels from the impact of the Monsterland disaster

Multitudes are still unaccounted for the presumed dead. Excaping werewolves, vampires, and zombies of Dr. Vincent Konrad's theme parks inexplicably escaped en masse and massacred unwitting parkgoers ... Massive government shutdowns as the world teeters on the brink of chaos.

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The Night After the Monsterland Catastrophe

A bright moon painted the desert's surface pewter. Here and there, dark spots soiled the landscape like oil spills. Most of the bodies had been taken before the troops were ordered to leave. They carted away the corpses, bulldozing the zombies into mass graves, until  radios chirped with urgent orders deploying the soldiers to the bigger threats that erupted in the main cities like a chain of angry volcanoes.

Monsterland was extinguished, its carcass left for the voltures to pick, the exhibits silent as a tomb.

The dead president and his equally dead entourage were whisked away on Air Force One, along with the dark-clad special operatives that came and left like the brisk desert wind that now howled through the empty streets.

A gate screamed in the silence, slamming with a reverberating smash. The uneven gait of someone with a physical challenge filled the void. The scrape and plod of his limp echoed against the wall of mountains framing the theme park. His labored breathing huffed as he made his way down the streets.

A door creaked loudly as it was blown by the wind. He stopped, his distorted figure silhouetted in the pale moonlight, his body turning silver. He looked at the broken glass littering the pavement like diamonds, then up to the still, pre-dawn sky. He considered the sun peeking over the jagged horizon in the east, its golden light painting the dips and hollows of the hills. Soon the coming day would chase the darkness away.

Time was the enemy now. He had to move faster, or it would be too late. He picked up his pace, lurching along the winding road. A keening howl ricocheted through the streets, bouncing off the walls. It sounded like a... no, he thought, it couldn't be. The werewolves were all dead, destroyed by Vincent Konrad when he made their heads explode...

Igor skittered away, hugging the walls of Monsterland, putting as much distance as he could between them. Not an easy feat, considering his distorted hips. He muttered to himself about carrion and the wind. His eyes darted nervously, scouting the hills, not exactly sure what he was looking for. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. His heart pounded so loudly he was certain that the creature watching him could hear it too...

The beast gave another mournful howl that went right through him. Igor glanced at his empty hands, berating himself for not bringing a weapon...

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The horror scenes are fun, but if you just preview the first page of his novel (see excerpt above), you will see that Okon's writing has a literary touch that keeps us both enjoying his lush settings as well as his action-filled scenes... More, in centering on a teenage boy and his friends, many of us have already established a relationship, a real liking for the characters within both novels.

Wyatt is the main character who, personally, is not too sure about his step-father...For me,  this was one of the main tracks I watched and enjoyed as the book progressed and ultimately affected this relationship greatly. Kudos to Okon on honing in and using the scenario of son-stepfather as a key element in the book.

It really had to happen, didn't it? After all, monsters are people too, so why shouldn't they be first enslaved and separated for view as being "different" from humans... But we all know that monsters are created by people, don't we? And the villain in this book is well worthy of that title. Not only does he create Monsterland(s), but he lives(?) well, almost, to reanimate his army of creatures!

It had started with a group of friends talking about their favorite subject--which monster was the best ever! In an intriguing twist Okon plays up this friendly exchange in this new book, as Melvin who always championed werewolves takes on a much more significant role. Again, it was the setting and dialogue surrounding Melvin that turned this character into a wonderful addition to the story...I loved how he was "re-animated" by the author...

The storyline is again fairly simple and straight-forward. It is in the unique creation of characters--such as Igor, the assistant to the main villain, Melvin, one of the original teenagers, and the re-animated Vincent Konrad, the main villain--was extraordinary. For me, none of the concepts including for Vincent were new, yet their creation within this story was intriguing and quite entertaining.

But, really, I don't think anybody reading the book would have expected what happened after someone called "It's Alive!"

A different type of horror--more fun than scary. More a mystery to be solved, than a lot of mashing and slashing. Do check it out. I highly recommend for those interested!


GABixlerReviews

Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure and self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English, and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a family of writers, he has storytelling in his DNA. Michael has been writing from as far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters.

Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children.