Wild Hunters: Stuart R. Brogan
Reviewed By J.A. Sullivan
If you’re looking for some thrilling action, strap on your combat boots and join Lance Corporal William “Fergie” Ferguson and his team of Marine Reservists as they battle unimaginable beasts in Wild Hunters by Stuart R. Brogan. Fans of military horror and 80s action movies will enjoy Brogan’s blistering pace as Fergie and the Marines barely escape one terrifying situation only to land in more peril.
The book begins in Somerset, England in 876 AD as surviving Viking warriors mark their triumph over a supernatural enemy by binding and burying the evil spirit. Now like any good horror fan you’ll know evil never stays buried, and as the story flashes forward to the present day that’s exactly what happens. When the Reservists receive an urgent call to rescue nearby villagers from severe flooding as a terrible storm slams the area, they’re met by hell on earth. Trolls, elves, dwarves, dead Vikings, and other creatures of lore descend upon the troop driven by a hunger for human flesh and a desire to recruit new souls to join their Wild Hunt. Fergie and his men must soon pivot from rescuing civilians to trying to survive until backup arrives.
This was a fun and quick read which closely mirrors the standard structure of action movies – likeable good guys, vile bad guys, tough choices, a shadowy government agency, lots of bullets and blood, and keeps you hanging on until the very last scene. As you might expect in this type of tale, there’s not a deep dive into characterisation, but there’s enough that the reader is rooting for the good guys. One thing that Wild Hunters brilliantly added to this style of story was the unexpected deaths of characters. Brogan keeps the reader on their toes by killing off characters you might peg as the “final guy” and really drives home how uncertain everyone’s future is in this battle.
As much as I did enjoy this novel, there were a couple of areas that weren’t as strong as I would have liked. The visual details provided on some of the creatures are so sparse I couldn’t clearly picture them. For example, there’s one scene with a river monster that is never quite defined other than being “hulking” and “monstrous.” My other issue had to do with the shadowy government type agency. Their exact purpose and mission are withheld from the reader for what feels like an overly long amount of time, which in these stories inevitably leads to an exposition filled speech by the villain. But really, those annoyances to me were small, and I’m sure there are lots of readers who will not see them as issues at all.
This is the second book I’ve read by Brogan and I’m excited to see what he comes out with next. He’s an author who knows exactly when to give readers a break from the tension and action, and when to slam down on the accelerator, which is no easy task.
If you’re looking for a wild and action-packed read, you’ll want to check out Wild Hunters by Stuart R. Brogan.
Wild Hunters
Amid the worst storm in living memory, five Royal Marine reservists and a handful of civilians battle to survive.
But mother nature and the heavily armed mercenaries hunting them are the least of their concerns. A seemingly unstoppable Pagan force has been unleashed from the darkest depths of our ancient past – a phenomenon that will stop at nothing to see humanity reduced to ashes.
Low on ammo, no chance of rescue and surrounded by the unspeakable, it’s going to be 24 hours from hell.
Let the hunt begin.
You can buy Wild Hunters from Amazon UK & Amazon US
J.A. Sullivan
J. A. Sullivan is a horror writer and paranormal enthusiast, based in Brantford, ON, Canada. Attracted to everything non-horror folks consider strange, she’s spent years as a paranormal investigator, has an insatiable appetite for serial killer information, and would live inside a library if she could.
As curator of “Scary’s Voices” on Kendall Reviews, an article series reviewing horror podcasts, Sullivan loves listening to all things spooky. If you have a horror podcast recommendation, let her know.
On top of contributing short stories to Kendall Reviews, her fiction has appeared in Don’t Open the Door (2019), It Came From The Darkness (2020), and she acted as an assistant editor for Black Dogs, Black Tales (2020). Other spooky tales and updates on her writing journey can be found on her blog.
You can follow J. A. on Twitter @ScaryJASullivan
Check out her blog https://writingscaredblog.wordpress.com
Find her on Instagram www.instagram.com/j.a_sullivan
Find her on Instagram www.instagram.com/j.a_sullivan
Amazing read, takes you away. Welcone to a new world.
Amazing read, takes you there and some.