| Title | : | Carnivorous Lunar Activities |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1946487139 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781946487131 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 |
| Publication | : | First published February 22, 2019 |
From Max Booth III and FANGORIA comes Carnivorous Lunar Activities― the ultimate werewolf bromance. It’s a toxic cocktail of An American Werewolf in London, Old School, and Bubba Ho-Tep that dives deep into the well of childhood nostalgia, blood soaked horror, and irredeemable dick jokes to bring readers a slice of Southern Fried horror that proudly wears its heart―not to mention a few other internal organs―on its sleeve.
"Booth’s book is a breakthrough, from the conceit to the delivery. It’s funny but mean, smart but smartass, and it just might be your favorite werewolf story in the world. CARNIVOROUS LUNAR ACTIVITIES starts out like a play, Grand Guignol, a couple of very compelling characters locked in a helluva conversation, before transforming into a blood-bright explosion of horror joy. Fucked up love, fucked up friendship, and how maybe you shouldn’t live past the best night of your life. Oh, how I loved this book." -- Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box and Unbury Carol
Carnivorous Lunar Activities Reviews
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Rounding up to 5 stars.
Gross, fun, campy, bloodbath with a lot of dude humor. Not for everyone, but I had a good time.
Dog/animal lovers be warned, you may have a hard time with some of the content. I am usually very sensitive about this but the nature of this book was so fantastical that I didn't find myself upset. -
Carnivorous Lunar Activities takes the reader on a booze soaked ride through a simple yet very effective means of storytelling. Flipping the script on the traditional werewolf tale, author Max Booth III uses smart snappy dialogue to bring this tale to life. Set predominately in Justin’s basement, his onetime best friend Ted, is confronted with a hellish scenario; kill his former high school bestie or witness his transforming into a werewolf (and get eating while doing so); neither is a particularly appealing option.
Carnivorous Lunar Activities is a fun book. Sure there’s a fair amount gore but that’s par for the course and in one of those rare horror instances, this isn’t window dressing, the shock value is relevant and of crisp cinematic quality; the stuff nightmares are made of.
Horror enthusiasts will love this, those readers who dabble on the peripheral, not so much. Think Werewolf in London with Elmore Leonard like dialogue – I ate it up, raw meat and all. -
Max Booth serves up a real treat here, giving the rather tired werewolf genre a rather novel spin. The story centers on Ted, whose wife just left him after he got caught screwing around (literally) at work and lost his job accordingly. We start off with Ted basically stalking his mother-in-laws house hoping to see his wife when he gets a strange call from his old buddy Justin, who he has not seen in years. Ted and Justin grew up together in a crappy town in Indiana and Justin still lives in his old parent's house (now his); Justin tells Ted he really needs to talk face to face like right now.
So, Ted tears himself away from his vigil and drives over to Justin's place. Justin looks like hell and the house is disgusting; holes in the walls, beer cans everywhere, rotten food in the sink, etc. Once there, Justin tells Ted he needs to shoot him in the heart if he 'turns' at midnight; he even drew a target with a sharpie! He then proceeds to tell Ted quite a story...
This opened up like a play, with two old buddies sitting around, drinking beer and talking for hours. Of course, things are not very well with Justin, but still, they manage to banter on about their pasts, including dick jokes and other bullshit. The dialogue is fun and you can tell Booth had a ball writing this one. Lots of shout outs that fans of the horror genre will appreciate, including numerous references to An American Werewolf in London, which has a similar horror/dark humor flavor. All in all, a funny, quick read that does serve to flare some life into the werewolf genre. 4 stars!! -
Review published on Sci Fi and Scary:
Gerald Bringsley: “Whereas I am a victim of your carnivorous lunar activities.” – An American Werewolf in London
“Nothing remained stagnant. Everything always sank if you gave it enough time.” – Max Booth III, Carnivorous Lunar Activities
Behold! I have read my very first werewolf novel. It’s a milestone of sorts, right? I’ve read a diverse array of horror fiction and non-fiction, but somehow missed this particular subject. Lots of werewolf movies, nary a wolfy book. And after this one, I crave more – ravenous for them you might say.
Booth captivated me as a reader from the first line – I won’t share it here, in fact besides the quote above, you’ll get no more direct quoting from me. This book needs to be a holistic experience for the reader. I like the prose in this book. It’s clean and lean; it says what needs to be said, and carries on. This is what the story demands – realism, a building sense of tension, and incredulity, interspersed with comedy that had me howling. Because sometimes realism means two old friends, one chained in a noxious basement, slamming Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Much of this is a convo between Ted and Justin, who have just come together again in a quite unsanitary location (again: yuck) because Justin needs Ted’s help. The reader is a fly on the wall (definitely flies on these walls) and what happens is some kind of moonlit magic. Think of your oldest or closest friend. They’re telling a story of something that has happened, but as happens often with those we have history with, sidebar conversations are inevitable. Booth masterfully reenacts what a conversation like this might be like. The comedic timing here is sharp and we can feel the relationship between Ted and Justin.
Oh wait…this is supposed to have werewolves. Boy, does it. One of my notes to myself when the action ramps up literally just says “holy hell!”. I love how the author handles the transformation and the ensuing carnage and break-neck paced action sequences. The last 100 pages or so flew by and I enjoyed every single moment.
Not only do I need more werewolf books, I need more Max Booth III books. This was hands down one of the best purchases I made this year – highly recommended if this sounds like something you’d be into. -
My review of
Carnivorous Lunar Activities can be found at
High Fever Books.
I’ve dug Max Booth III’s work for a while now, although such work has for me mostly consisted of his short stories and the books he’s published as editor-in-chief for Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing. His piece in the Garden of Fiends anthology has stuck with me for a while, and it’s been nearly two years since I read that one — it was sick and creepy and uncomfortable in an anthology about drug addiction that was all about making readers discomfited. Max’s work freaking stood out even there. When word hit that Cinestate was publishing his comedic werewolf novel through their Fangoria Presents line, I knew it was going to be an absolute must-read.
I had certain expectations about Carnivorous Lunar Activities. I expected it to be funny, first and foremost — hell, it’s billed as a comedy, so there better some laughs — but it also had to be gory, creepy, and uncomfortable. It is Max freaking Booth III we’re talking about, after all.
Well, folks, I got what I expected. I got exactly what I wanted. And I got even a little bit more for good measure. Carnivorous Lunar Activities hit all the sweet spots, and Booth delivered a book that is supremely enjoyable, briskly paced, laugh out loud funny, and packed in a few scenes that surprised me and had me squirming.
The set-up and execution are deceptively simple, and that’s part of why it works so damn well. Ted and Justin are old friends, although they haven’t spoken in a few years when Justin calls out of the blue. Justin has some important stuff to talk about and Ted agrees to go to his house, hoping to help, and hoping to get his mind off his own troubles. Ted’s wife has just left him and, as it turns out, Justin has some troubles all his own. He’s a werewolf now, and he wants Ted to kill him, even has a target painted on his chest over his heart so Ted can’t miss and has himself chained to a ship’s anchor. Of course, Justin has to work at convincing Ted, who immediately doubts his friend is actually a werewolf rather than just a haggard looking nutjob on a bender.
And that, right there, is the bulk of Carnivorous Lunar Activities — it’s two guys drinking PBR in the basement they used to hang out in as kids, shooting the shit, sharing stories and commiserating, and Justin catching Ted up on the last few months of his current troubles. Justin is our storyteller and Ted is our point of view into all of it, echoing our disbelief, questioning the validity of Justin’s predicament and remembrances. We’re locked in the basement with these guys, eavesdropping on one long night’s worth of conversation, and it’s remarkably fascinating.
We learn everything we need to know about Ted and Justin through their dialogue, watching as the years separating them dissolve and they fall back into their regular rhythms. There’s a smoothness to their conversation that never feels less than authentic. Booth has a knack for writing dialogue and as the centerpiece of this story it sells the whole damn thing. He invests each man with their own distinct voices, their own speech patterns and syntax, and following along with their discussions is an absolute joy. Ted and Justin joke, sure, but there’s also plenty of real emotion being shared between the two. We’re meeting both of them at their absolute lowest points in life, both of them wanting to die for very different reasons, consumed by guilt over their indiscretions, their urges, and their selfishness. Carnivorous Lunar Activities is an easy read, and for the most part it’s kept pretty light…but when Booth lands an emotional punch, he knocks your fucking teeth out. There’s a rawness to the nerves exposed between these men and their desperation, and there were a few instances where we see, completely unfiltered, just how low they’ve sunk. Those moments were like a kick to the crotch, and actually took my breath away.
Booth knows that in order to sell the supernatural angle, he first has to sell you on the people. Have no doubt, Ted and Justin are real, honest to god human beings. It’s hard not to get invested in their problems, even if they are ultimately self-made problems.
And then shit hits the fan big-time…
Carnivorous Lunar Activities is Max Booth III’s Spielberg moment. As with the director’s Jaws, Booth gives you little peeks at the monster through Justin’s words, but he’s careful not to reveal everything too soon. It’s not until the book’s final quarter that Booth unveils the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the singular moment Justin’s story has been building toward, Ted’s moment of truth and whether or not he can do what his friend asked of him. It’s a climax that freaking delivers, fully and unabashedly, chockfull of gore, mayhem, and insanity. Honestly, it’s beautiful in just how twisted and fucked-up things get, and the book’s final third is a marvelous romp of blood, guts, and carnage.
It’s a terrific ode to one of horror’s most popular staples and an exhibition of just how much Booth loves werewolves in all their rabid, bloodthirsty nastiness. It’s also one hell of a story about the bond between two men, the enduring love shared between lifelong boyhood friends, these chosen brothers, even if they have gone their separate ways.
Word has it, this book’s in development as a movie for Fangoria’s film division, which only makes sense. Booth’s writing is cinematic and his dialogue tack-sharp, which make this book highly filmable and screen-ready. But as even the characters themselves joke of their own Hollywood potential, if the producers don’t have the budget for Justin’s ship anchor, I’ll boycott the movie.
[Note: I received an advanced copy of this novel from the author.] -
This is way more than a werewolf novel. There's plenty of hair & guts to go around in Carnivorous Lunar Activities, but it is at the heart a novel about the nature of friendship and the sacred bonds we form during our childhood.
I loved the protagonists Ted and Justin who are basically grownup kids, who allowed themselves to slip and become mediocre adults. Their flaws and fears make them both endearing and repulsive at the same time. This novel more than delivers what it announced, but truth to be told: I would've read a thousand pages of Ted and Justin shooting the shit at the end of world. -
This book is a fucking blood-thirsty joy and if it’s not made into a movie in the next couple of years, I’ll eat my hat. Luckily, I don’t own any hats, but you get the idea. It’s about two friends. One happens to be chained to an anchor in his own basement – yes, an anchor – and he’s a werewolf. The other guy has got a whole other set of problems.
There’s another Max walking around out there with the last name, but Max Booth is the literary inheritor of John Landis’s mantle and Carnivorous Lunar Activities could be the sequel to the comic-tragedy of An American Werewolf in London. This werewolf romp is a howling good time. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.) -
The goofiness you've come to expect from Max Booth III's online persona, combined with a sweet, sad, and hoary story of a friendship between men, one of which just happens to be a werewolf. Compelling, fast-paced, smart, and refreshing.
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Max is funny and writes with a speed not many other authors can compete with. Rapid fire is probably the best way to describe his style--a constant back and forth, back and forth as his characters lob insults at each other. Structurally I suppose this book is a slow burn, but when even the longest paragraph is just a few sentences it never feels like it.
And when that climax hits--things get just as bloody and brutal as some of your favorite slasher flicks.
My only (minor) complaint is that a large chunk of the novel is just two friends talking in a basement. This is fine and still enjoyable for the most part (we do get glimpses of the outside world as they recap how exactly they ended up in this situation), but by the time I hit page 100 I was longing to step outside for a breath of fresh air--however, don't let that deter you from picking this one up.
Highly recommended. -
Max Booth is an animal!
Carnivorous Lunar Activities was my first experience with Max Booth III's writing and I am now a huge fan. This book is brilliant. -
This book is goddamn near perfect. If you haven't read Max's work yet I highly recommend you unfuck that. Start with this raucous, brutal, and utterly delightful read.
Read my full review here:
https://inkheist.com/2019/02/14/hair-... -
When Justin calls his old buddy and longtime friend Ted over to his house, he has to tell him something. Something crazy and dark and utterly horrible. He doubts Ted will believe him but he really needs his help because its purely and simply a matter of life and death. Literally.
I'll freely admit I'm a total sucker for werewolves and werewolf horror. And while werewolves probably haven't gotten as much love overall as say vampires have in horror fiction, that's a good thing in a way. Too much saturation isn't good. But while the territory is pretty simple (man gets attacked or bitten by a werewolf and turns into a lycanthrope himself, full moon or not). What works here is the kind of slow burn and juvenile relationship between the two as the story unfolds, mixed with dark humor and growing tension. Until the bloody climax. Loved it.
Highly recommended! Ahhhrooo! -
Max Booth is an author who is known for imbuing his fiction with humour. And this is no exception. Sure, the horror is prevalent as well, given that Justin believes he is a werewolf. And the full moon is on the rise. But given that much of the novel takes place in one setting with two characters in conversation, there had to be something more to the story. And that's where Booth's knack with humour takes centre-stage. The dialogue between Ted and Justin is so incredibly genuine, it is reminiscent of the kind of goofy conversations I would have with my friends when I was younger. The characters are brilliant, and the way Booth structured the story is amazing, with each chapter ending on something of a cliffhanger, meaning I found myself uttering "just one more chapter" more and more.
The validity of Justin's claims are explored in the second part of the story, the truth finally revealed by the full moon. Is he really a werewolf, or is he just delusional? If you really want to know, pick up the book. It is one of the most entertaining reading experiences I've had in some time, and Max Booth is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. -
I was first introduced to Max Booth III via the This Is Horror Podcast, Episode 233. It was pretty obvious that he has a deep love of both horror and humor. So when I heard about Carnivorous Lunar Activities, it was a high priority for me to check it out. You know the plot: 2 old friends in a basement, one trying to convince the other to kill him because he says he's a werewolf.
The first part of the book consists of the 2 main characters in the basement. The dialog between them is pretty humorous. If you've listened to the TIH Podcast, Max's personality really shines through. You can definitely tell that he wrote this book. There's a slow build up to the horror. As Justin repeats the events of the past few weeks, he gradually gets closer and closer to revealing the horrible truth. Once he does, buckle your seat-belt and hang on for the ride.
Is he serious, or is he just crazy? I won't tell, read it and find out. You won't be disappointed. -
When I went in I excepted something totally different then what I got and that’s a good thing. Ted takes a phone call from his friend Justin who he hasn’t seen in 3 years, childhood friends but Justin is sick, needs a favor. I don’t want too spoil a single thing but most of the action is conversation in a basement. Not boring, Amazing as this story unfolds.. Justin explains why he needs his friend and be chained to an anchor and a gun with silver bullets..trust me. Humor? Yes? Heartbreaking? Yes? Ted is wondering why his wife won’t talk to him after an argument? Werewolf? I can’t do spoilers and I’m dancing on the edge..please read this book immediately!! Mr. Booth? I’m coming for more books!!
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It's hard to write a book so I'm not going to denigrate the effort, but this is a short story about Beavis and Butthead by way of the Saw franchise. We spend way too long in a single room with two guys who are utterly repugnant. The two female characters end up dead for the sake of Extreme Feels. By the end, utter chaos has descended and yet nothing has changed and no one has learned anything. I will say that the action scenes, particularly the first appearance of the werewolf, are fantastic. More of that, please!
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I’m gritting my teeth, trying not to make the obvious joke but arrgghhhhh YES YOU CAN TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS! Max Booth III takes that old horror standby, the werewolf, and does something completely different. Primarily it’s a tale of friendship and screwing up, but when stuff hits the fan Booth delivers the gory goods in surprising ways. @fangoria is killing it with their new book line, definitely will watch out for future titles.
4/5 Fistfuls of Raw Hamburger -
Imagine the film AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, but made with the humor and sensibility of the late-1990s (we'll ignore AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN PARIS, thanks). That's CARNIVOROUS LUNAR ACTIVITIES, a novel that places humor right next to the horror and never lets up on either, but never sacrifices one for the other. An immensely enjoyable read.
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Southern fried American Werewolf in London is how this book is pitched, and though I found that accurate, what surprised me the most was that, for two-thirds of it, it reminded me more of My Dinner with Andre, except with a guy and his werewolf friend. Most of the book is extended conversation and storytelling between these two characters, and it's surprisingly engaging, funny, and even a bit sad toward the end. It all culminates in a bloody massacre of werewolf action and ends with an expression of love between two old friends. What started out as a bit of a silly werewolf book became something a bit darker, sadder, and yet bittersweet. A testament to bromance. I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would, even if all the jokes didn't land and I didn't feel the climax was as effective as everything else leading up to it. Good stuff.
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I’m still trying to process what I just read....seriously. It’s funny, it’s annoying(think Beavis and butt-head), it’s gross, and heartbreaking all at the same time. The weirdest werewolf book I’ve ever read for sure....but I liked it....I really liked it
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An interesting book that is mainly dialogue and yet totally works. Dark humour at its best and something different for the werewolf genre.
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There’s a lot of hype surrounding the release of Max Booth and Fangoria’s werewolf novel, Carnivorous Lunar Activities. Part of that is driven by the fact Booth is a vocal presence online, another part is due to the fact werewolves are fucking awesome, but the most important part of that is down to the fact Booth is a damn good writer and his novel rips. Yep, the main reason this novel is garnering praise from arsehole to breakfast is that it’s a devastatingly slick piece of work that captures all of the things that make horror so great. It’s piss-funny, it’s violent, and it’s crafted with the skill only an expert can muster.
To give you an idea of just how good Booth’s writing is in this book, his opening line is one that works on multiple levels. Most basically, the line, “Ted was thinking about killing his wife when his phone rang,” kicks things off in media res. If you’ve heard anything about Carnivorous, you probably know the premise is that a dude gets a late-night phone-call from an old friend. The dude receiving that call is Ted. Booth starting things off with that drops us right in the action and immerses us in his world.
From here, this twisted little tale doesn’t relent. Justin, the guy who made the phone-call, wants Ted to kill him. He is, apparently, a werewolf, and he thinks Ted is the perfect candidate to perform silver-bullet euthanasia. While Booth expertly shows us the relationship between Ted and Justin, he’s building tension through a series of events that are, by turns, brutal and farcical. As the plot unfolds and midnight ticks closer, the novel plays with the conflict between Justin’s insistence and Ted’s certainty that his old friend is full of shit. That means we get great banter, Justin’s werewolf origin story and time to get to know these characters in a way that builds serious momentum for the inevitable shapeshift without ever giving the reader a reason to put the book down.
Before the werewolf bomb eventually hits, Booth escalates things with a huge – and heartbreaking – reveal. This ups the ante considerably, and delivers a plot-twist that will fuck your shit up. Once the wolf is loose, the blood-soaked black humour, which is already terrifically violent, moves from Justin’s dirty house to the street. Fittingly, readers are treated to more gore, a number of tense set-pieces and an unlikely team of Van Helsings hunting Justin down with grisly determination.
Make no mistake, this novel is one that homages and honours An American Werewolf in London, but it’s one that does so in a classy and original way. That doesn’t mean it’s set in London, and there aren’t any ghosts either. Shit, there’s not even a contrived boy-meets-girl relationship. That might be because Booth would roll his eyes and sigh at such a cliché, but it’s more likely that he simply realises the best part of that movie is the relationship between David and Jack.
Instead of those two fuck-ups, Booth has Ted and Justin, and it’s the humanity inherent in their shit-talking that he employs to bolster the horror and inject real pathos into a novel that’s as piss-funny as it is savage. Throughout, his prose is tight, his humour is on-point and his dialogue is drenched in feeling and a genuine understanding of bromantic banter. You’ll want to tear through it one sitting. -
This novel went against expectations in the best way. Most of the book is a conversation between two former high school buds over the course of an evening, and it wrings an impressive amount of tension out of two down-on-their-luck immature guys and a dingy basement. Both Ted and Justin strike a necessary balance of being relatably pathetic while also being just repulsive enough on the inside that you wouldn't mind if they died once the moon came out. Booth's comedic description and dialogue will keep you reading in either case.
The book is a frickin’ romp, and you'll tear through it faster than a lycanthrope through an unsuspecting police deputy. -
Carnivorous Lunar Activities follows two characters: Ted, a man who has just sabotaged his own marriage, and Justin, his childhood friend who calls Ted and soon reveals a shocking and disturbing truth concerning his own recent nocturnal experiences. The novel rapidly picks up pace, and before the reader realizes it, they’re knee-deep in a blood-soaked, popcorn page-turner that is likely going to breathe new life into the Werewolf genre.
What really separates Booth’s novel from others is the fact that this story is sentient, almost self-aware in its nature. It never takes itself too seriously, and in a meta-fashion, expresses the readers’ own absurd thoughts concerning Justin’s long bouts of dialogue where he explains the insane, wild ride that led to his current predicament. There are bizarre moments that add to the absurdity, such as Justin tying himself to an anchor as he anticipates his transformation, and also gut-wrenchingly emotional scenarios where Ted comes to terms with his own sins and the people he’s affected along the way.
Neither character is clean–both literally and figuratively–and this is something that really adds to the atmosphere of the novel. Ted and Justin are as close as a writer can get to portraying realistic, flawed characters, even if they’re not the most savory of individuals. Their experiences and childhood memories feel genuine, and there’s not a moment during their conversations that feels forced or unnatural. Booth’s decision to lock down the first half of the book with dialogue and an enclosed space was genius, and it builds claustrophobia for the readers, which is a theme that can be felt throughout the novel’s narrative. When the story finally does leave Justin’s basement, it detonates.
We have to emphasize how powerful Booth’s voice is throughout the novel. Every sentence bursts from the page, and both Ted and Justin have such strong personalities, it’s as if they’re in the room with us, and we’re passerby who have become too curious to look away and stop listening. Booth’s consistent referencing of An American Werewolf in London isn’t by accident, as the inspiration is evident with our narrative and the dark humor laced throughout. There are plenty of hilarious moments that Booth masterfully sprinkles in amidst the grotesque descriptions and filthy atmosphere that seeps with every line of dialogue. This novel is meant to gross out the reader, and despite that, Booth never overreaches with the nastiness.
Black Comedy is a difficult subgenre to write in, but Booth shows no restraint in his conquering of it with his crisp language and ability to understand exactly the type of novel he’s writing. The author’s voice is one of the strongest we’ve ever read, and though Carnivorous Lunar Activities is definitely a quick read, it is nonetheless unforgettable in its quality and focused direction. Werewolves have never been this funny, and the gory nature of their origins and transformations have never been scarier. There’s a certain human element to Justin’s crises, and it’s not what you’d expect. Whereas most Werewolf stories are designed to make you feel sympathy for the kindhearted, wholesome characters, we don’t get that here. Yeah, we feel bad that Justin’s going through this, but not due to his kind nature. Rather, it’s because he is as flawed as a real person, even if his moral compass is a bit more questionable than most. We see someone who has good memories and has experienced joy, but who is also often detestable and who’s made a lot of mistakes. This is perhaps where Booth’s voice is strongest, in the fact that he can depict a character that we shake our head at but also ravenously enjoy reading.
The relationship between Justin and Ted is definitely the star of the novel, and we see true, undying friendship between them. Their witty banter and crude remarks are enough to make any reader laugh out loud, all at the same time tickling that warm place in our hearts reserved for our own best friends and fondest memories. This theme is seen from the first call Justin makes to Ted, and all the way to the final lines. They’re the kind of friends that pick up right where they left off after not seeing each other for years. The type that would do just about anything for each other, while also enjoying the art of antagonizing one another. Booth’s novel is a showcase for character dynamics that many writers will likely use as a template for their own work in the future, and the author’s mastery of dialogue and fast-paced storytelling will undoubtedly claim a new wave of fans for the writer.
Werewolf stories are an old dog, but Max Booth III has taught the genre some new tricks. We encourage each and every one of you to order Carnivorous Lunar Activities, as it is easily in the bracket for best horror novel of 2019 thus far, and we are excited to hear your thoughts when you experience this highlight of personal horror. -
CARNIVOROUS LUNAR ACTIVITIES by Max Booth III is the 3rd book published under the Fangoria Presents banner and shows that Fangoria has an eye not only for the scares, but for the truly entertaining stories.
Ted and Justin are 2 childhood friends who have grown apart over the years, but circumstances bring them together. Justin has a problem, and he needs to convince Ted that what he fears is real, before it is too late. An evening of friends catching up, loads of beer and one big-ass anchor will lead both friends down paths they never imagined they would travel.
It has been quite awhile since I picked up a horror book expecting frights and found those, but also loads of humor that will make the reader laugh out loud. The author has created a story that is very unique. At its core this is a story of two friends getting reacquainted, even though not at the best of times, or terms. In some writers hands the premise of two friends talking for the majority of the book could go horribly wrong, but Max Booth has handled the conversation aspect of this story wonderfully. It is just pure enjoyment to read the interactions between the friends. They know each other, what buttons to push and stories from their past to tell. They could just be any of us on a weekend with our friends. The humor helps movie the story along and really it could have just kept reading about these to talking all night. It is that much fun.
But even with the humor, this is still a werewolf story and there is blood and gore by the buckets. When the action really starts the author does not hold back. The last few chapters will fly by in a flash of blood and fur. And even though you know what is coming as the story progresses, the author still manages to throw a few surprises in on the reader.
I also have to give Max props for using the city of Hammond IN as a back drop. I grew up spending my weekends in downtown Hammond and it is always fun seeing someplace you are familiar with appear in a story. It just gives you that much more of a connection to the story.
So pick up a six-pack and spend the weekend with CARNIVOROUS LUNAR ACTIVITIES.
(big-ass anchor optional) -
Carnivorous Lunar Activities was my first book by Max Booth III, and after reading this action-packed, dark comedic were-plot, I’ll definitely be back for more. This story follows the arcs of two characters, Ted and Justin, who are long-time friends and have a Punch-and-Judy rapport with one another. What I liked most about their relationship throughout the book was that it never felt forced, and instead was always natural, blunt, and honestly, it felt like I was eavesdropping on their conversation at times, which made me feel the need to hide behind the freezer, which has its own irony, I suppose.
The first half of the book essentially takes place in one room, so it gave me a bit of a Tarantino vibe, which is by no means a bad thing. I quite like when stories are confined to a room because it gives a threatening air of suffocation and claustrophobia to the scene that you don’t get unless you’re trapped and anxious—something that definitely describes the mindset of both of our characters. As the story progresses, Justin confesses to Ted that he has fallen in with a rough crowd and has developed a taste for dog fighting, which eventually lead to even shadier encounters, one of which resulted in the infected, pulsating wound on his leg. Armed with silver bullets and chained to an anchor, the two drink PBRs, make a pact, and talk through what their lives have become: a mix of hunger and guilt.
In the vein of John Dies at the End and Shaun of the Dead, Carnivorous Lunar Activities is a bloody werewolf romp of humor, body parts, and overturned cop cars. If you like a shot of comedy with your horror, I recommend grabbing 10 burgers, a pack of PBR, and buying this book to read under a full moon.
With a fully belly and a long howl, I give it four stars. -
Max Booth III does something interesting here. The narrative of "Carnivorous Lunar Activities," is mostly told through a conversation between two long-time though somewhat estranged friends. Ted and Justin have both fallen on hard times, both are facing the consequences of their bad decisions and behavior. But the relationship between them really flavors the tone of the story. The conversation is about as juvenile (and oddly charming and funny) as one would expect between longtime friends. Even when serious subjects, such as addiction, prostitution and dog fighting are brought in, the reader has to laugh at little.
And the story actually manages to have more than a little heart. That these two characters are very clearly hurting, that they both want to do right but have absolutely no chance of doing so, gives more than a small amount of tragedy to the story. The prose is tight, and it makes for a very fast read. Good stuff.
