Behemoth Risen by Eddie Generous

Behemoth Risen Reviews

• 
  Peter Topside

  I did not have a good experience here. And there are some spoilers ahead, which I couldn't avoid, so please be aware of that. My first issue was that this was advertised as a 100-page book, but ended up stopping short at 84, leaving room for an excerpt from another book by the author, which was not mentioned anywhere in the book's summary on Goodreads. So that was quite frustrating. And with that type of limited space, you need to make your plot points quick and effectively. However, we were still being introduced to characters almost to the halfway mark. And there were way too many characters involved, which took away attention from the better aspects of the story. The 'cultists' who summon the beast should have been present during the initial ritual, but then been killed, and not dragging out into the remainder of the book. They served no other purpose than to be killed. And for all the killing by Behemoth, there was almost no gore and violence detailed. It more or less just swallowed people. For almost all creature features, gore is a must, and it was almost totally overlooked here. I also went back and tried to find any reasoning for the ritual, but couldn't find anything. Golding should have been the primary focus here. He was a great character and his entire experience with Hunter's illness was the heart of the story. When the dog eventually passes away, I was left wanting a ton more than what was written. There was this huge build up, but then there wasn't much emotion from Golding after that. Most notably his interaction with Jeger and Haugland. You would think a lonely man who just lost his only companion, in Hunter, would have some memories or emotional triggers seeing another person with their dog, immediately after having his own pet euthanized. But their interaction was very awkward and displayed little, if any emotion. And also around this same interaction, these two men spot Behemoth, but then separate from each other, which I was very confused by. Golding went to bury Hunter, which would have made much more sense as one of the final scenes of the story. Now on the ending, I was very underwhelmed with Golding and Behemoth's battle. Much like other aspects of the story, there was a ton of anticipation for biblical intervention and some big alternate ritual to send the beast back to hell, but it was all way too quick and done with very simple, primitive means. And what happens after their battle, which I won't spoil, seemed very random, and did not align with any other part of the story. Felt like just a very random way to be done with the story, without having to give the reader any insight to the internal logic. I don't like focusing on so many negatives, but I went into this book with high hopes, reading Eddie Generous for the first time, and was left feeling very unsatisfied. I think if this story kept itself simple, especially with less than one hundred pages, it would have made a world of difference. The beast is brought forth, kills its summoners in ugly and hideous ways, it rampages through the wilderness, Golding grieves the loss of Hunter and uses that as fuel to battle this beast destroying his peaceful territory, he finds his peace once everything concludes, etc. The author made the mistake of trying to fit way too much into such a little space, and the entire story suffered. And as I said earlier, there was some really good stuff in here, but none of it was developed properly, and there were more disappointments than satisfactory payoffs.
• 
  Renee

  Finished this ages ago, but I'm shit at remembering to leave reviews.
  
  ANYWAY, this was such a fun ride, even though I cried over Hunter. (Damn you, Eddie) I recommend for a fast-paced weekend escape read, no matter what genre you enjoy reading.
• 
  Kim Napolitano

  I love a creature feature! The author said this was his first creature feature story and hopefully not his last! I’m a long time fan of Mr. Generous’s work so I had to jump in!
  
  A group of a religious cult (you’ll see) are dropped off by helicopter onto a remote mountain forest location. Their leader leads them to a circle of monoliths and they begin a ritual sacrifice for the only purpose is to raise an ancient Old Testament demon creature, the Behemoth. One they hope to control by Gods will and control religious order by sheer power of the monster.
  
  Behemoth has other plans. Unleashed, confused, uncontrollable and incredibly hungry begins to wreck havoc among the group. Unsuccessful escapes results in pure mayhem as the remaining survivors cling to hope for rescue.
  
  Meanwhile the areas wildlife ranger Golding is facing a life changing crisis (no spoilers but it put me in tears!) which has him headed back into the woods without any knowledge that sometime thing has happened. He meets up with an eco-traveler that clues him in on all he’s missed.
  
  What happens next is who will survive the day?
  
  The story follows the regular creature feature story line and that’s just fine as long as the storytelling is well done and here it is! The ending is a bit of a mind blower, out of left field, kick in the noggin and I have so many questions.
  
  I very much enjoyed this story and I’d love to read your thoughts! Enjoy!!
• 
  ElleEm

  Fast-paced creature story that gave off vibes of Jurassic Park and The Ruins but totally it’s own thing. I liked the main character and his love for his dog was something I could connect with. This is a quick but satisfying story.
• 
  Terry and dog

  A solid, short story. Brought the feels right away and then a quick, brutal, satisfying tale. Liked the compassionate main character. Definitely look forward to more.
• 
  Deirdre

  I wasn't expecting a lot from this book but I was pleasantly surprised. I'm about a third of the way thru it...I finished last night.
  
  It was a really interesting concept. Of how religion can be used for the wrong reasons and the conflicts, and retribution as the result of the actions of very conceited people, purportedly in God's name. Divine vengeance comes in the form of a terrifying behemoth sized beast. So things aren't meant to be messed with
• 
  Nyarlathotep

  I'm a big fan of the kaiju genre and I so wanted to like this book. The writing style was decent as well as the pacing. The story didn't drag at all. The action scenes were described without resorting to splatter. This isn't a long book and the main Protagonist was fleshed out, somewhat, unlike like the bit, cardboard cutout players.
  
  Spoilers Ahead
  - the premise of the story is a good one: kaiju summoned to punish wrongdoers but the wrongdoers lose control (for reasons...) and mayhem ensues.
  
  - the description of the corrupted preacher who does the rising reminds me of Marshall Applewhite of Heaven's Gate infamy or the preacher in the original Poltergeist; which is a good thing as I find those 2 exceedingly creepy.
  
  - one of the areas where it falls flat, IMHO, is in character motivation:
  > I've had to put down dogs before & it is heart breaking. The Ranger's reaction is way over the top. He risks his life to bury the dog in in its favorite location.
  > The cultists all seem to have not been 'true believers'. They are all greedy televangelists who are out to make a buck. Why then would they sell everything & give the $$ to the Preacher? All I could see were reasons.
  
  - The Rising itself: WTF? A prayer to God calls a monster up, especially when the rest of the cult are iffy, at best, in their belief? Really? The 'ceremony', supposedly Christian in origin, is ludicrous. A little Google-fu and a much more fitting one could be found. And the 'black rain'? Again, reasons.
  
  - Behemoth: the description of the beast could have been a little clearer: I used the cover illustration to picture it as the author left it murky, at least to me.
  > Behemoth at times appears lumbering - a force of wrath - and others, it seems almost as agile as a mountain goat.
  > It's easy to wound with modern weapons, and the effects last for a scene, later in the story, Behemoth seems to be fully functional.
  
  - The Hedge: the rising of the Hedge is almost as silly as Behemoth's rising. Though I will grant that, at the time of this ritual, the remaining cultists truly believed.
  > the speed at which it grows approaches the Probability Drive.
  
  - The UFO: yes, you read that right, the UFO
  > it seems that the prayer to God (x2) went instead to a Mothership. Why? Reasons.
  > the protagonist finally kills Behemoth just as the Hedge is closing in. That's when the UFO shows up. Both Behemoth and the Hedge turn into Black Rain and fall up into the UFO.
  > Black Rain again you ask? Yes. What is it? Only the author knows for sure & he decided to keep it secret. Why? Again, reasons.
  > the description of the UFO is described as black (why not) and as big as one of the Motherships from Independence Day. That, and it moves like the Roadrunner (beep! beep!)
  - finally, the UFO sets the monoliths back upright (think Stonehenge). Once more, why? All I can say is, you guessed it...reasons.
  
  - The Puppy: as stated above, the story opens with the Protagonist losing his faithful dog, Hunter.
  > the Protagonist meets a minor character who has a puppy with him.
  > you should probably know what happens next
  > in an odd case of synchronicity (or crude foreshadowing) the puppy's name is Jaeger.
  
  So, overall, it was enjoyable but probably not quite the way the author intended. If you go in with the same expectations as you would with a B movie, you'll enjoy it. As much as the author may have tried, it isn't a serious kaiju novel.
• 
  Kathy Jackson

  Pretty fast paced and kept a person going. I enjoyed the main character but I think he was a bit obsessed with burying his dead dog. Just saying. He lugs it all around running from the monster - yes, I know he loved it but self-preservation has to be in there somewhere. The dog was dead so in no danger.
  
  Fun read with an unexpected ending.
• 
  Norm S

  5 Stars
  
  A cult of religious fanatics go to a northern national park (never says which one) and performs a ritual that summons a biblically behemoth. And national park ranger Golden suddenly has his hands full. Definitely kept my interest. 5 Stars.