My favorite piece in the Mail order Massacres series, this is classic Shea, all romp and madness. A perfect read when you need a quick bit of mayhem.

This is the first book in the Mail Order Massacres trilogy and it's a great start!

When young lads David and Patrick see an add in a comic book for sea serpents that cost just a $ they quickly decide that they need them right flippin' now so pay their money, get mother to send it off and wait as patiently as 2 young kids can wait for them to arrive.

They're not exactly what the lads expected and after days of watching them decide to empty them into the sewer and, because they're kids, promptly forget all about them and carry on as before.

The sea serpents begin to grow though and when animals start to disappear in the area David and Patrick eventually realise that they know the culprits. Violent, bloody and crazy shenanigans ensue as they try and figure out a way to bring them down.

This is a very quick read as once the action begins you can't put it down, it's Hunter Shea just being his regular weird self and I love him for it.

I'm currently trying to work myself through all his books and each one just pulls me in and keeps its slimy little claws in me until it's all finished. Just love 'em.

*Huge thanks to Hunter Shea, Kensington Books, Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

Just Add Water is an absolutely fun read that I enjoyed from start to finish. Hunter fills the pages with all the nostalgia and wonder we all remember when we were a kid. Without much recap on the book summary I'll get right to it. The story is set in the 1980's and is sprinkled with songs from that era. There are also baseball games played in the street, and various 'kid' activities that always lead to no good. This really sets the mood for a good kid adventure story. In true kid fashion David and Patrick have no patience waiting for the Amazing Sea Serpents to grow. They feed them without much result, other than a horrible stink, and decide to dump them in the gutter. Bad news is just around the corner for everyone. These little beasts are growing and mayhem will ensue now that they are loose. There is plenty of horror along with blood and guts action. As any fan of Hunter's books knows, he is the king of cryptids, and I think these little monsters are another very cool creation. We get a fun explanation of their origin and their weakness. I love that the kids were the main characters and ultimately the ones who battle the sea serpents. It had a similar feel to IT or more recently Stranger Things with the banding together of kids against a monster. I look forward to the next book in the Mail Order Massacre series. Optical Delusion here I come!

It's no secret that Hunter Shea is one of my favorite horror writers working today. I have raved about all of his books and I think part of what draws me to them is the fact that Hunter is also a huge fan of the genre. He is a lover of all things horror and has a fascination with cryptids that rivals my own. Every time I read one of his books - whether they be about cryptids, ghosts, or anything else really - I am reminded of why I love horror and I get the same feeling of excitement I got when I first started getting into horror and the weird world of the unexplained.

"Just Add Water" is a new novella from Hunter Shea and once again shows that he is the king when it comes to cryptids and other frightening creatures that are sure to delight horror fans with a soft spot for monster fiction. It follows Patrick and David who save up their money to order Sea Serpents that they find in the back of their comic books. These ads are all to familiar to me as I grew up in an age where these ads were still prevalent and they are written in a way that any young kid is going to be running for their savings as soon as they finish the first couple lines and Patrick and David are no different. After being initially disappointed with their purchase, they realize that they got more than their money's worth when their tiny Sea Serpents transform into something terrible and being causing chaos all through the neighborhood. Patrick and David must band together with their friends to find any way to stop these hideous creatures and fix the mistake they made.

Hunter perfectly captures the nostalgia that comes with these old ads and the wonder of childhood when you really think your dollar and change will enable you to buy mystical creatures. For fans of Stranger Things and other similar shows, there is a similar sort of dynamic at work here. Hunter is a master when it comes to crafting fast-paced, entertaining stories and if you are a horror fiction fan that loves all things weird, there is plenty of action, blood and guts, and creepy creatures here to capture your attention.

Worth the Read. Reminded me of my childhood.

The First memory I have of reading Horror was the Goosebumps series. Our school did not have a lot of horror that was good for children. The only was we had for horror was rows and rows of Goosebumps. This was the genre that started my reading journey.

Hunter Shea's writing reminded me of childhood books. But better. Loads better and this is for adults not for children.

4 Stars!

One of the many mysteries of the world is what a sea monkey really is. I know what they are supposed to be but I never really bought into the simple explanation. Apparently, Hunter Shea has not bought into the pat explanation of these miniature wonders of nature. Shea explores the nature of these little beasties in Just Add Water to uncover the horrific secret of these childhood wonders.

David and Patrick were looking for some excitement in what was shaping up to be another humdrum summer. The ad in the comics that they were addicted to seemed the perfect answer. For just one dollar they could own their own colony of alienlike miniature creatures. The boys sent off their dollar and eagerly awaited the arrival of their new pets. When the package arrived, however, the boys were nothing but disappointed. The package seemed to contain little more than a foul-smelling sludge. Dumping the sludge into the sewers, the boys thought they had seen the last of their misspent dollar. They moved on to other adventures until the small creature decided to make their presence felt.

When the monsters began to attack the small town, no one knew where they came from. Everything was in confusion as the monsters destroyed everything in their path. Only David and Patrick had any idea where the monsters had come from and knew that it was up to them to save the town and maybe the world. The two boys must face their greatest fears with only the help of a local restaurant and the deadly condiment within to stop the monsters. It was an adventure grander and more dangerous than any of the comic book stories they had read.

I have read several Hunter Shea novels in the past couple years and was expecting another straight forward monster story that would scare and thrill. I was surprised by the story that I found here. Shea takes a different approach with this novel to create a fantastic novel out of the absurd. The story is framed around two children and their love of comic books and this is a fitting way to start the novel. The action in the novel is over-the-top and the monsters are creatures that are drawn from the mind of an overactive imagination of the young. While this may sound a little odd from a writer known for hard-edged monster stories, it works in this book.

Some of Shea’s fans may be a little taken aback by this book as it does read different than his others but that does not mean that it is any less good. The B-movie feel and action is not all that different as Shea has used that over-the-top approach in some of his books before. It is the almost absurd premise of the story and the focal point on the young boys that gives the book the same feel of a comic aimed at young adult readers that sets it apart from Shea’s other works. This young adult angle is what gives the book a different angle and She works it to near perfection. This is a strange story that packs a punch and never fails to entertain and yet is one that I would gladly share with my teenage boys to introduce them to a rising star in the horror genre. Just Add Water is a fast and fun read that will send thrills up the reader’s spine and leave you begging for more.

I would like to thank Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for this review copy. Just Add Water is available now.

Cleverly written horror! This is addictive and doesn't spare the gory details. Starts off innocent enough with comic book reading boys and turns deadly after sending away for an ad in a Wonder Woman comic. These boys are quite brave. I couldn't put this down until the last page. Even then, I was looking for more. It's fast-paced and will scare seasoned horror fans. This is a new author for me, and I was blown away. I've got to read all of them as soon as I can.

Always be careful of what you order. This book is better than drinking a glass of sea monkeys.

Hunter Shea is quickly becoming one of my "must read everything he writes" authors which is saying a lot because he is sharing space with some of my favorites such as Stephen King, Joe Hill and Stuart West. I feel "Just Add Water" is best compared to a B-movie horror-fest and I mean that in the best way possible. It's the kind of book you should grab up when you want to escape reality for a while and enjoy some blood, gore and a tad bit of humor all at the same time.

David and Patrick are two comic-obsessed kids who place an order out of an ad in the back of a "Wonder Woman" comic for some amazing sea monkeys. When they arrive, they secretly house them in a garage but when they don't start growing as expected and smell horrific to boot, they flush them down the commode. Flash forward a few years and pets are mysteriously turning up all over the city and in an attempt to help locate them, and maybe more importantly earn some reward money for more comic books, the two discover they may not have seen the last of the nasty smelling sea monkey goo.

The action in "Just Add Water" is pretty much non-stop and it's a book I devoured within the course of 24 hours. I hated to put it down and only did so because life got in the way. I loved the group of kids who work together to take down the sea monkeys and I even loved the gore Shea infused into the tale. And while not a children's book in any fashion, these kids actually have parents - although in some cases I use that term loosely. Oh and I can't forget - let's say I'll never look at wasabi the same way again. If you are a fan of Shea's or just looking for some new horror to try out, I can't stress enough that you should immediately seek out a copy of "Just Add Water" and settle in for some good old-fashioned, gory fun. The next in this series, "Optical Delusion" comes out in August and a wonderful glorious ARC is already waiting for me on my Kindle.

Enthusiastic friends Patrick and David decide to grow their very own Sea Serpents and order a kit from an advert in a comic book. When nothing much happens except a noxious smell, they dump the entire lot into a drain and forget about them. However, the Sea Serpents thrive in the sewer and emerge as fully grown monsters who wreak devastation on the local population.

Just Add Water is a great little novella which reminded me of those fantastic creature-feature horror stories I read as a teenager in the 1980s. Yes, there are graphic descriptions of blood, gore and mutilation but it's all very tongue-in-cheek and you can't help but laugh and get carried along by the ensuing craziness. The 'weapon' the boys used to fight the Sea Serpent-monster-thingies was totally hilarious and had me rolling around emitting huge guffaws of laughter. Brownie points to author Hunter Shea for dreaming that one up! 😃

This novella is a great way to spend an afternoon and I'd recommend to anyone who loves a slice of comedy-horror.

This book immediately reminded me of the ads I found in the back of comic books for Sea Monkeys! When David and Patrick order these mysterious critters and then dump them down the sewer, they and their town get much more than they bargained for. A fast, entertaining read.

Although this was not the level of horror that Im used to, it was an incredible story.

Patrick & David share the love of comics. They make whatever possible to make sure they buy the latest. But one day & to their disappointment, they settle for wonder women. Only to dicover that it has an ad for sea serpants that they always wanted. So they mail the request and wait.

After receving the pack & set it secretly in the basement. They follow the instructions & place them in a jar & "add water". Days later.. nothing happenes so they dump them in the sewer.

One day.. they're facing sreaming people, bleeding, terrified & running for their lives. Shortly they come face to face with the cause, its an ugly, big, monsters creature. Attacking anything moves or breathe to feed on it.
How they will react & act to stop them. Who they can ask for help. Who will beleive them mid this choas. Thats the brilliant part.
A story will keep you on the edge of your seat. Makes you turn the pages as fast as you can to know who will win & how.
An easy read, recommended if you love funny horror novellas

Just Add Water (Mail Order Massacres) by Hunter Shea is a fun retro horror short story. At first I thought this would be a horror book for middle grade kids until I got further into it and I hit a couple of paragraphs that certainly would not be suited for kids. Then came some graphic gore, then I realized it was not a mistake, it was an adult horror and I was the one mistaken. Imagine that? I think without the couple of paragraphs and tone down the gore, it would be a great middle grade kids book too. But due to that little bit extra, it certainly is an adult book and a good one too. Great characters, some predictable suspense but fun, an enjoyable plot, great bits of humor thrown in, and pretty good for a short story. It is set in the 1980's around a couple of 13 year old boys, their comic books, baseball, and this misadventure. I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher to allow me to read this fun book.

What a scary read! I could not put this book down until the last page. Lots of action and excitement galore. Recommended

Super fun read, ridiculously fast, violent, and often hilarious. Full review coming to HorrorTalk soon!

What kid out there didn't want these at one time or another?

I can remember reading comic books with my brothers back in the 1960s and wanting these instant sea monkeys. We never talked our parents into ordering them for us, though.

This was a fast-paced, fun creature feature novella with monsters, lots of action, and plenty of gore.

Just a heads up - the synopsis of the story showing on Goodreads and Amazon doesn't follow the story very well. It won't ruin your fun but there were several items that didn't match up between synopsis and story.

I received this novella from Kensington Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I have read only one other book by Hunter Shea and that was The Jersey Devil which Barb and I buddy read so it just seemed right to buddy read this one. I didn't realize it was a novella till I started reading and finished in the same day which doesn't happen with me often,..lol. Nonetheless, it was a fun cheesy horror book and I will be checking out the next in this Mail Order Massacre series.

David and Patrick are huge comic book collectors and they use all their money they scrap together to get the next ones. When they go to the store to get a new comic they are bummed to find no new comics but Wonder Woman. They are not a huge fan of WW but they get it anyway as it was something new. So when they see an ad in the WW comic for sea serpents they think it would be cool to try it out and they don't mind cutting into that comic cause they were not going to keep it in a plastic sleeve like their others.

When they get them they feel really let down cause nothing really happens, so one day they decide to get rid of them and throw them in the sewer. They forget all about that experiment, meanwhile, those little smelly eggs hatch out some nasty critters. They devour the sewer rats and then move on to bigger things and as they eat they grow then one day they come out and start attacking people. It was like slaughterhouse time and pretty gory.

When the boys realize what those creatures are they find the package with the chinese writing on it and take it to the only man they know who is Asian. He is a Chinese chef and he tells them those were not sea serpents but the Hakuri, or Demon Lizards. There is only one way to kill them and I will let you find out that rather interesting and slightly cheesy method, it made me laugh.

Even though this novel features children it is by no means a children's horror story as it was really gory and features an adult party. Hunter Shea has a great imagination and is very good at the gore. This one reminds me a bit of a cheesy syfy movie but I really enjoyed it though I thought the ending was a bit fast.

I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book.

Just Add Water was a lot of fun. Pure unadulterated trashy 80s horror kind of fun. It's packed full of blood, gore, and dark humour and was a blast to read. It's not a book to be taken seriously, but one where you have to just have fun with it and enjoy for what it is.

That being said, I was tearing through the pages and thoroughly enjoying myself and then all of a sudden was completely pulled out of the story. I initially thought it may have been a case of me reading too fast because I was having so much fun, but on re-reading it I discovered quite a silly inconsistency that should have been easily caught during editing. Up until that point, I had been having a riot and loving the ridiculousness and the chaos but I had been reminded I was reading and my immersion faded.

I did still enjoy the book a lot, it's just a shame that something that should have been easily caught and fixed during editing ruined the flow and immersion so early on.

At first was I surprised how short this story is. I had expected a book and got a novella. And, that's perfectly alright because the story is fast, furious and brutal. If you have a problem with pets and kids getting brutally attacked and eaten is this not a book for you. But, if you are a horror fan with a penchant for gruesome deaths, then you're in for a treat.

One thing I thought of while reading this book was when the "sea serpents" had grown and started to hunt people did David and Patrick find someone that could tell them how to stop them. Have you seen the movie Evolution from 2001 with David Duchovny? The way they stopped the alien organism? The solution in this novella made me think of that. LOL

Just Add Water is just the gruesome kind of story that I've come to expect from Hunter Shea. The reason it doesn't get the 4-star rating is that it's not really as entertaining and gruesome as The Jersey Devil, my so far favorite book by Shea. But, it's still an awesome novella.

Now I can't wait to read the sequel: Optical Delusion: OPEN YOUR EYES WITH “X-RAY” VISION!

This book was awesome! Someone else likened it to one of those B-movie creature-features, and I think that was right on target. The premise is totally relatable - two kids order Amazing Sea Serpents from the ads in the back of a Wonder Woman comic. After the serpents fail to grow (but excel at stinking up the basement), we follow their growth through the sewer and subsequent emersion. What follows is a fast-paced gore fest. Apparently the boys were not sent sea serpents, but rather something more deadly that excels at feeding off everything and only gets bigger with each kill. I love that our heroes are young boys. They created the problem, and figure out how to fix it (with some help from a friendly bilingual hibachi chef).

This was a fantastic quick read. I look forward to future "Mail Order Massacre" stories. Apparently the next one is about x-ray glasses...