The horror novel Devolution by World War Z author Max Brooks gazes unflinchingly at who people are when pressed to their absolute limits--and what they can become in the process. The book focuses on the journal entries of Kate Holland, a new resident of the eco-friendly, wealthy and very isolated Washington town Greenloop. An introverted and anxious person in a troubled marriage, Kate is looking for a new start in a small community that seems incredible on the surface. But in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption, the village is completely cut off from the outside world (and badly needed supplies). Now the small Greenloop population has to band together to survive. Especially because others are out there. Animals thought impossible to exist are watching their every move and planning their own.
Devolution is at first a clever satire of privileged lifestyles, and it shifts (once the Sasquatch are introduced) with no hesitation into a devastating survival narrative. Brooks cleverly uses dramatic structure to get readers there, allowing the plot to reveal the true depths of his characters; their gradual change over the course of the entries is always surprising and moving. The final climactic third of the book then hits breakneck speed with brilliant plotting, before it comes to a chilling conclusion about what people can transform into when they have to survive. Devolution is spectacular, tailor-made for fans of Bigfoot, with an ending that'll give goosebumps to the most jaded horror veteran. --C.M. Crockford, freelance reviewer