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...

~~~

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.

~~~

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...

~~~

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.

Characters Win Over This Reader in In Albuquerque, Abandoned!

In Gallup, Cinnamon and Burro had traced Momma through an old roommate named Mirage. And Mirage reported that Momma had moved to Albuquerque. “Look, if she moved to Albuquerque, why not? Magan only recently moved out of Southern Ridge, a group of low-end apartments in SE Albuquerque. We think your mother was low on money when she left Gallup, so it makes sense.” “Have you got Magan’s phone number?” “Of course – and his address. He said it was fine to visit. He’s intrigued.” “I’ll look into it this week.” Cinnamon finished the last of the pastry. “Burro and I Cinnamon finished the last of the pastry. “Burro and I have a new case in Albuquerque.” “Burro told me about it – a disturbed man named León who looks for a baby in a dumpster. Pretty odd.” Alice said. “Burro will get one of his visions, and we’ll start there.” Cinnamon’s partner had treatable schizophrenia. The solutions to their cases were based on the clues he noticed in his visions. Alice offered a small hug and left the Counterculture patio. Cinnamon stayed behind, ordered another coffee, and watched the black and brown dogs, who remained with their owners, sleeping under the table, completely trusting that they would be cared for and loved each and every day.

~~~

León was about six feet tall, wore a denim vest and a yellow oxford shirt, and stood in the center of the dumpster with his hands in the air. A police car was parked across the street, lights blazing, and an officer stood by the open door. It was the first Monday in October, and the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta was in full swing. Colored globes, launched against a crisp, blue sky, surged over the man’s head, A blue and yellow balloon sank low into the neighborhood, breathing hot gas like an asthmatic troll.

“Baby in the dumpster!” shouted the man. Cinnamon watched Burro creep around a tree near the trash container to try to get a better look. Red and blue flashing lights made a pattern on his cheeks and in his blond braid. 

A local teacher, 5’ 2” with a discrete mustache, stood next to her on the sidewalk. “This happens every day,” Martin Trujillo said. All three were focused on the man in the dumpster. Martin had brought Cinnamon and Burro here to investigate the incident. “First,” Martin continued, “León Baca climbs inside the trash bin and begins to search through the rubbish. Next, Officer Chip Anderson shows up in the police car with the lights going and starts screaming at León. 

My students see this every morning out the window of our math classroom. It drives me crazy.” 

“How does it end?” Cinnamon asked. 

“Watch,” he said. “Get the hell out of there,” Anderson yelled. From the street, a man in a gray sweatshirt and woman in electric blue spike heels entered the scene. “Leave him alone,” the man yelled at Anderson. 

“That’s Booth Baca,” Mr. Trujillo said. “He’s León’s brother. The woman is Angela, Booth’s wife.” “León, honey,” Angela tottered slowly towards the dumpster. “There’s no baby there. You’re okay.” “There’s a baby in here.” 

Anderson drew his weapon. “Get out of the dumpster, León.” 

“You stupid idiot,” Booth called out at the cop. “Let us take care of this. He doesn’t understand.” 

“He needs to stop this. There’s no baby.” The officer’s arms tightened at the elbows. 

“He doesn’t have the right to shoot him, does he?” Cinnamon asked. 

“No,” Trujillo answered. “But one day he might do it anyway. He draws the gun every morning, and if the principal of my school knew, we’d have a lockdown at 9: 00 am every day.” 

León moved side to side and started to moan. “Come on, honey,” Angela said. Booth moved closer to the policeman. 

“Put your gun away, dimwit.” “Okay, León, come on now. Get out.” 

Angela spoke in a low voice. 

“León is mentally ill,” Trujillo told Cinnamon and Burro. “He hears a baby in this dumpster every night.” León swayed for at least another minute, but he was moving towards the edge of the dumpster now, squatting low. Booth moved closer to Anderson and the cop car as if to redirect the cop’s attention away from León.

 “Angela has him now,” Booth said to Officer Anderson. “León will leave.” 

Anderson glanced at the trash container where León was stepping out with Angela’s assistance. He lowered his gun and returned it to the holster. “You need to take care of this guy. There’s no baby in the dumpster. The neighbors complain.” 

“Screw the neighbors.” 

“Easy for you to say, Booth. Half of them think he’s a nuisance, and the other half think there really is a baby...

~~~

Rainy Blue shot back. “But, I do want to catch the Special Shapes Glodeo in the evening. They light up all the balloons on the ground at dusk, as I’m sure you know. It happens Wednesday. You want to go?” 

“I’d go anywhere with you.” He looked at her with glazed over blue eyes, and she saw the beads in her earrings reflected in his eyes. “You’re beautiful,” he said. (Burro has found a friend!)

~~~

In Albuquerque, Abandoned

By Tower Lowe

Arrived in Albuquerque! Guess what, I immediately met a couple of old friends I was happy to see. Cinnamon and Burro, who I had met earlier in the book, In Gallup, Greed! That review got over 700 hits, so I'm hoping this one goes higher... Yes, I still don't know much about Cinnamon and Burro, and, yes, Cinnamon is still hunting for her mother...but I also went ahead and got the mystery sample that was offered by the author. In other words, by the second book, spending time with these two characters, I was hooked!

Cinnamon and Burro are a wonderful team... Because their jobs in relation to schools in the area, takes them all over, the two can easily merge in the tracking of Cinnamon's mother as they "go to work..." 

And, somehow, they always get hired for additional jobs that lead to a mystery... Cinnamon is driven, and believes she actually saw her mother in this book...as she was leaving...so we already know where they are headed next!

But the mystery in Albuquerque is really cool, and certainly character driven...The characters have become the overall series triumph in my opinion.  Once readers become personally involved with the characters, you want to read more...

You see, I think, the characters created by Tower Lowe remind us of people we know...maybe even ourselves...or they are people that have been affected by today's culture, such as using drugs, and readers watch to see how each individual deals with their particular quirks. Cinnamon is obviously obsessive, but also a caring and inquisitive individual who also becomes driven to find out what is happening and solve the latest mystery that comes along... Burro, on the other hand, has been diagnosed schizophrenic, but that has also given him some paranormal gifts that result in visions regarding his surroundings. 

In this story, there is also another schizophrenic man who Burro personally takes under his wing, trying to help him via their mutual issues...

Burro turned to Cinnamon
and Mr. Trujillo.
“There is a baby,” he said.
~~~

Leon was good in high school, and heavy into sports, so very popular; that is, until he developed schizophrenia. Now, he lives with his brother and his wife, who has been delegated to be nurse for Leon--and greatly resents it...

Cinnamon and Burro come into the picture because Leon has been hearing a baby cry every night...and linking it with a newspaper clipping of two boys actually finding a baby in a dumpster in another city... In his mind he'd developed the theory that this baby he was hearing was in a nearby dumpster...and every morning he would go directly there, get in and try to find the baby... agitated and unable to think rationally about the baby never being there, no matter how many times he searches...

It was disturbing to the class in the nearby school, and the teacher, who had known Leon, hired Cinnamon and Burro to help...hopefully to find the baby he was hearing, or to prove to Leon that there was no baby...

While the dumpster dips continue daily, a local cop has come to be there every morning and starts to hassle Leon, oftentimes pulling his gun and causing more trouble than he's helping... Yeah, meet Chip...he has some issues...

Then there is Booth, Leon's brother, who has gotten into some criminal activities, while Angela is having an affair...all this surrounds Leon, but nobody considers that Leon is intelligent and, most times, he realizes there is no baby, and he hears things that are happening all around him...

Then Booth is killed...and Leon disappears...

There are many more people involved in the various story lines running through the book and so many angles that increases the complexity of the mystery, or should I say mysteries, that are also running concurrently... But, the real kicker was in the climatic ending, which, I guarantee, will be a total shock to all readers! (Let me know if you guessed it!)

The merge of various cultural norms is prevalent in the book and especially adds to the intrigue since there are obviously differences that are not necessarily known before you read

about them. I was enthralled enough to easily ignore that it will take the entire series to maybe find Cinnamon's Mom...but, in the meantime, readers will be heading to Taos next!

Highly recommended! I think you'll love unique the characters as much as I do!


GABixlerReviews

Tower Lowe (aka Donna Tower Pecherer) is published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and is the author of mystery novellas and full-length novels featuring Cinnamon and Burro. Her new series of historical mysteries features Cotton Lee Penn and Max Mayfair. She lives in New Mexico and grew up in Homeville, Virginia. 

Contact her at towerlowe.com