The Hatching

In the jungles of Peru, a tour guide and his clients suddenly disappear in a black river of something that flows like water but isn't a liquid. In India, strange tremors indicate an earthquake, but the vibrations are too uniform to be seismic activity. And in China, a nuclear bomb is detonated in a remote province where mining is taking place. The Hatching, Ezekiel Boone's first novel in the Hatching series, is an apocalyptic horror story that feeds on humanity's fear of spiders.

For undisclosed reasons, an ancient species has come to life and humankind must figure out a way to stop it. Short scenes set around the world quickly help the reader realize the invasion is global, while longer chapters introduce characters who will probably reappear in future installments. There's Stephanie Pilgrim, president of the U.S.; Melanie Guyer, American University professor and expert on spiders; Melanie's ex-husband, Manny, who is Steph's lover and White House chief of staff; Mike Rich, Minneapolis cop and devoted father; and several survivalists living in California, to name a few. Although the characters are a bit stereotypical and Boone often provides too much background information on them at once, these aspects can be easily overlooked as the reader gets wrapped up in the threads of disaster and graphic horror that Boone has spun.

Tense, rapid-paced and creepy, The Hatching will give anyone arachnophobia. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer

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