The Blood Beast Mutations: Carl John Lee
Reviewed By Steve Stred
Who the heck is Carl John Lee?
This is one of those moments where I love finding a new author, but where they appear to be fairly reclusive.
On Twitter, I had a new follower – Mr. John Lee. He complimented my release and I thanked him. Very brief, but pleasant exchange. Then – coincidentally – his new release gets offered for review on Kendall Reviews. I thought, ‘hey, why not?’ He was kind enough to check out mine, I can fit this in and get it read in one sitting, and if it’s good or not, they’ll get a review.
Then I saw it on Amazon, $0.99. So, I grabbed a copy. Boom, it’ll be a verified review.
What I liked: Insanely, this could be the twin brother of the other book about the end times I just finished – ‘Crazytimes‘ by Scott Cole. ‘The Blood Beast Mutation‘ is an incredibly topical book. Set in New York during current times, a global pandemic has decimated the world and in the United States, the President is spouting the usual rhetoric of fake news and media lies. “Don’t believe anything,” he says. Protesters swamp the streets and militia’s storm political buildings. Up to this point, TBBM is essentially a non-fiction read. But, and what John Lee does so well, is make this a love story. It’s about Dan and Carrie. Husband and wife. And when Carrie falls sick and is sped to the hospital, everything changes.
This is a horrific creature-feature, splatterfest. What started as a ‘sickness’ has morphed into a vessel for grotesque things to burst forth and kill with no conscious.
Carl created a high-speed chase of a story, one that feels very much like a big-budget, Hollywood summer blockbuster.
What I didn’t like: Well, it’s not that I didn’t like this, but if you are a fan of the current President of the USA, this book will make your blood boil. John Lee has done a perfect job of capturing the ridiculousness of that character currently in charge and for some, it may make you seeth with rage. For the rest of you, you may not want to read a pandemic based book during a pandemic. And while I typically have passed on these things, it looked and sounded great and I loved the cover.
Why you should buy it: If you like blood-soaked, killing spree’s where a character does whatever they can to try and get back to the one they love – this checks every single box. If you want to support a new author with their debut release, then this one is a stellar read and I look forward to seeing what Carl John Lee has coming next!
The Blood Beast Mutations
The world is on its knees.
A deadly pandemic throttles the globe. Democracy has crumbled. Armed gangs of militant protestors stalk the streets. Amidst this waking nightmare, a new horror develops.
The virus is mutating.
Dan Lewis’s wife is sick. When he receives a call from the hospital, he’s prepared for the worst.
Or so he thought.
Because that call plunges Dan into an unending spiral of insanity and depravity. Now, he must fight his way through the battle-scarred streets of New York City to find his wife, unprepared for what awaits him out there…in the shadows.
Grim and terrifying, but laced with gallows humor and surprising heart, THE BLOOD BEAST MUTATIONS is an all-too-relatable story of courage and gruesome horror.
You can buy The Blood Beast Mutations from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Steve Stred
Steve Stred writes dark, bleak horror fiction.
Steve is the author of three novels, a number of novellas and four collections.
He is proud to work with the Ladies of Horror Fiction to facilitate the Annual LOHF Writers Grant.
Steve is also a voracious reader, reviewing everything he reads and submitting the majority of his reviews to be featured on Kendall Reviews.
Steve Stred is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife, his son and their dog OJ.
You can follow Steve on Twitter @stevestred
You can follow Steve on Instagram @stevestred
You can visit Steve’s Official website here
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