My first contact with Mr. Brown was as a copy editor. I had the pleasure of working on his novella, "The Human Experiment." (It's a really good story. If you get the chance, you should check it out.)
I've seen "Bigfoot War" advertised by him numerous times on Facebook, but I never had the chance to read it. Finally, I just said screw it and ordered it on my Kindle. It was a really quick read, even with my busy schedule, so that was nice. Here's the blurb:
Jeff Taylor was an ordinary boy growing up in the small town of Babble Creek, North Carolina, until one night his life was changed forever when a sasquatch brutally murdered his family. Taylor fled the town, hoping to leave the painful memory behind. Years later, after two tours of duty in the Iraq War, he's back in Babble Creek seeking vengeance. Taylor's lust for the blood of the monster that slew his family sets in motion a series of events that soon has the entire town fighting for its life as a tribe of sasquatches descend from the forests and hills into Babble Creek to declare war upon its citizens. Babble Creek is about to find out Bigfoot is very real and there's more than one of the creatures that want to fill the streets with blood.
The story is very fast-paced and full of death. I was actually a little surprised at how many people die in the book, and in spectacular fashion. However, Mr. Brown does a very nice job of keeping his story "clean." By that I mean he doesn't rely on cussing and gore for the sake of gore. Now, I'm not saying that cussing or gore are bad, I've read my share of books that have both (and that is one of my favorite kinds of movies), but sometimes it's over the top, sometimes it's there for the shock value, and that wears off pretty quickly. Mr. Brown kept his story about murderous monsters classy. If you're wrinkling your brow and confused by what I mean, I suggest you pick up the book and find out for yourself!
If there was any thing wrong with the story, it was that things seemed to happen too fast at times. For example, when the first Sasquatch dies, it seems to happen in the blink of an eye. There isn't a lot of detail. As the turning point in the story, it would have been nice to slow the scene down, to see exactly what the characters saw, feel what they were feeling. I wanted to be able to picture it in slow motion, hear their hearts beating with fear, feel the sweat pouring off their backs.
Other than that, it was a very interesting book. I've only read one other novel about Bigfoot, and it was so long ago I can't remember what it was called. I'll try to remember and let you know. Mr. Brown has two more books in the series planned, and he just signed a contract to create a Bigfoot comic (I'm so getting that when it comes out!). I definitely recommend checking this out!
Mr. Brown was also kind enough to be interviewed. Here is what he had to say:
Q) What inspired you to write this book?
ESB: I have been a lifelong fan of Bigfoot horror movies. I have watched just about everything out there. Also, growing up in the south, Bigfoot really gave me the creeps. But for all the movies, there was never one that really gave me what I wanted to see. I wanted a movie/book where a whole freaking tribe of the monsters came out of the woods and filled the streets with blood. That's what Bigfoot War is. My fanboy dream put on paper. It's a Bigfoot tale with an end of the world feel.
Q) How long did it take you to write the book?
ESB: Bigfoot War took me around three months to write. Bigfoot War II: Dead in the Woods, which is set for release soon, took about the same. The last book of the trilogy is taking much longer though.
Q) Can you talk about its evolution and publishing history?
ESB: I am not sure what you mean by that so I will talk about how it's effected me. For years, I wrote zombies. Almost everything I wrote was about the walking, hungry dead. I wanted to try something new so I focused on a monster that scared me. The book was SO fun to write and has so much success, I write more Bigfoot stuff now than I do zombies.
Q) What are you trying to get across or understand as you write?
ESB: I put FUN above all else. I am not trying to be literary, pound a message into my readers' heads, or anything like that. I just want to tell a story that moves you and lets you escape this world for a bit.
Q) Why do you write?
ESB: I write because I've always wanted to be a writer, I enjoy it, and I love the genres I work in. Horror has been a part of my life since I was 4 or 5 years old. It got me through my own dark childhood and still keeps me going as an adult.
Q) Do you enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, etc.?
ESB: I enjoy comic book stores, coffee, and movies. Ha. I am not really much of an outside kind of guy. My wife now, she's loves that kind of stuff.
Q) Have you ever been on a Bigfoot hunting expedition?
ESB: Only make believe ones as a child. If I went on one as an adult, I would want a bloody big gun with me no matter what the science today says about Bigfoot. He may be peaceful, he may not but either way, I would take a hulking gun just to be sure the hunt was going to be safe.
Q) If the answer to the previous question was NO, would you ever go on an expedition?
ESB: I would indeed if they gave me a big enough gun.
Q) When can readers expect the next two books in the series to be published?
ESB: Book II is in the final edits right now and should be out in mere weeks if Coscom moves quickly. As to Book III, there is no date yet. I am still working on it. However, Coscom is releasing an anthology that I edited entitled Bigfoot Among Us to fill the gap between books II and III. I am also at work on other Bigfoot related projects I can't talk about yet.
