I truly enjoyed this book. The story is a retrospective style story of a volcanic eruption leading to the interaction of a small enclave and a group of hungry, violent Sasquatch. The narrator is a reporter who has received a tip about strange things that happened following an eruption of Mt. Rainier. He investigates and the story is told through a series of interviews and journal entries from one of the inhabitants of the enclave.
I don't read a ton of horror stories, but this one caught my eye because I had read the authors first book (World War Z - side note: don't see the movie, read the book) which was written in the same style and was really well executed. This book did not dissapoint either. The interview/after action report style reminds me of Michael Crichton's Andromeda Strain or Sphere (two of his best). The characters all have very individual personalities and their own believable flaws, strengths, and weaknesses. The horror comes from the journal style of the story... even though you know the character had to survive for awhile to write the journal portion you can still feel the tension. The realistic writing style means that even though you know it is fiction, it can make you suddenly very aware of all the noises in and around your house as you are reading.
This book fulfilled my expectations in that it was hard to put down until I had finished. My only complaints are a couple of confusing segments and that it wasn't longer (had to leave the imaginary world too soon). Although, the ending was surprisingly satisfying even as it was abrupt. I would certainly read another work by this author given the chance, although I would not want to see the hash of the story Hollywood would make of an adaptation (seriously, World War Z the movie was BAD compared to the book).

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

Devolution by Max Brooks While meticulous detail went into the background of the story and the premise was quite interesting, the format of the narrative made it difficult to get invested in the characters. The action lagged somewhat in the first part of the book. However it did pick up once the Bigfoots/Bigfeets got introduced into the mix. Bigfoot fans will most assuredly enjoy the story.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

The Good: Really fast, engaging read. Interesting concept, and reminded me of a good ol' monster movie from the 20th century. People who enjoyed WORLD WAR Z will like this one, too. And quite scary, too.

The Eh: Books in diary entries really just don't do it for me. It makes the whole thing way more implausible, because really who writes their diary entries with the suspense and dialogue of a novel? There's also no way that Katie would remember half of the details in her diary entries the next night while she's writing. It's just kind of a pet peeve of mine, but I know other people like that stuff.

A very different kind of story about survival of the fittest. As I read, I kept having to remind myself that this is fiction. It reads as a realistic post-disaster tale told through the eyes of the rescuers and the detailed entries of a diary/ journal kept by one of the victims. Max Brooks does a very good job of putting the reader in the middle of the story.

It's hard to review this book without giving away spoilers.

But I loved it. I got totally sucked into it and my minds eye could picture the scenes so well. I had to put it down at one point as I didn't want to know what was going to happen next!

As a very early reader of World War Z (I read the manuscript) ] was so excited and grateful to be able to read the galley of Devolution, Max Brooks' first non-graphic novel since World War Z. I knew I had to temper my expectations, but I was truly gripped by this tale of off-the-grid survival that combined a volcano (a favorite survival topic of mine), loss of technology and a self-isolated community of people unprepared for survival.

With the exception of a sage-like elder who has survived an earlier catastrophe, and through whose eyes our narrator (in diary form) learns to trust to survive, this community of folks that consider themselves off-the-grid have no idea how interlinked with the grid they are until the net goes down and traps them in the wilderness.
Lava flows keep them from escaping, and drive a monstrous threat their way - an uncompromising legend whose fight for survival has one rule: win.

I feel bad for Brooks that he'll have to curtail his book tour due to the coronavirus and Covid-19 threat. However: we were able to spread the word on WWZ like a virus back in the day! Let's help him out with Devolution: this will be an excellent quarantine/self-isolation read. The audiobook should be terrific, too -- I believe I saw on reddit that it will be fully cast. (Brooks did an AMA that's worth looking up.)

Keep your trashcan lids on tight.

While this is a certainly a unique and suspenseful story, it didn’t quite capture me like I hoped it would. The premise is interesting but the format of the novel made it difficult for me to connect with the characters. The primary narrator is Kate, who recently moved to a brand new, high-tech, and secluded community called Greenloop that was designed to provide the luxuries of modern life within a natural setting. The story unfolds using Kate’s diary entries as well as commentary from Kate’s brother and various experts following the events described in the diary. In her diary, Kate describes a nearby volcanic eruption that makes it impossible for the members of Greenloop to make contact with the larger society. Kate and her fellow community members soon realize they are being watched and stalked by large ape-like animals and are woefully unprepared for survival. This portion of the story really stood out for me because it was highly suspenseful and engaging and kept me on edge wondering what would happen next. Unfortunately, once the action picked up, I found that I didn’t really care what happened to the characters. Although I lost interest in the overarching story, the commentary interspersed throughout the novel added some extra meaning that prevented me from becoming totally disengaged. I particularly enjoyed learning about past reports of Sasquatch sightings and hearing expert analyses of animal behavior as it related to the events unfolding in the novel. Overall, the book was disappointing but I would say it’s worth the read if you’re interested in the Bigfoot concept and you’re looking for a fast-paced book with a unusual premise.

Quite scary. This author has been around a while and knows how to effectively write good characters in addition to crafting a very good plot. Good stuff.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for the review copy.

WOW! This book was masterfully done and I applaud Mr. Brooks for a job well done. I couldn’t stop reading until I ran out of pages to swipe, the details both normal and gorey, (and there was plenty gore) kept me wanting more and as I write this review I am left wanting more. (Here is to hoping for a sequel and I even think a movie!!)

So quick synapses Kate and her husband dan move to greenloop a small community of people living in the middle of the woods in high tech homes that are run by solar panels and methane gas. Upon arriving Kate falls In love with the scenery and try’s to get dan out of a slump and everything is normal friendly neighbors, great views, and seclusion from crime. That is until the eruption of mt rainier. They find themselves cut off completely from society and eventually hunted by the fabled Sasquatch.

I give this book a five star rating because I really have not come across any big foot books and as my first it did not disappoint. My only real gripe is the end which was kind of a cliff hanger that leaves me hoping for a second book which I would very happily review, but i can’t help suggest any one reading this review to add this to your collection when it’s available (publication date is may 12 2020) especially if you believe in big foot or just love a fantastic sci-fi thriller.

A volcano has a nasty mudslide called a Lahar. This volcanic mudslide cuts off communications and blocks off the road. Our main protagonists live in a rural splotch of land where they are trying to "get back to nature" with the comforts of suburban life.

All the native animals are confused and trying to find a new place to live. Bigfoot is among them.

I thought the story was a bit stagnant in the beginning but it really picks up after that (so much gore!) . I did not read World War Z so can't compare the writing. If you are a fan of volcanos or bigfoot or wanted one day for the two to become one, this is for you. Each chapter has real sasquatch facts which I thought was pretty cool.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

Another entertaining read from Max Brooks. This one fits well with the trend the author established with World War Z, but tackles a new, yet equally supernatural, topic. I love the way Brooks takes fragments and organizes fiction around them -- it's enjoyable and unique, like its own multi-genre form in storytelling. I recommend Devolution, along with other books by this author, and gratefully acknowledge the publisher for this advance copy.

Max Brooks is one heck of a horror novelist. He is far from a one hit wonder with his masterpiece- World War Z. Devolution has fear on each page, and will make you rethink about camping in the woods or even living off the grid, per say in a small community that is on the outskirts of society or near a city or even large group of people. What would you do if a volcano explodes and cuts you off from all communication and help, plus you don't have any real protection- ie. guns or knives, and you may run out of food. But that's not the worst possible scenario, as Katie the protagonist finds out. A group of humanoid beasts aka Bigfoots aka Sasquatch are stalking you, waiting to attack because you are either food to them or the enemy.

Through flashbacks via Katie's diary the narrator has, we see how Katie and her husband, including their small group of neighbors try to survive after a natural disaster. Within the first 50 pages, the atmosphere of the novel is chilling because you know something bad is going to happen and the outcome won't have a positive spin.

Brooks is an excellent storyteller and his research is amazing. The only downside to Devolution is the ending. It leaves more questions than answers in regards to the outcome of Katie and her neighbors and their survival, which may make the hair on your arms stand on end.

3.5 stars rounded up!

BIGGGGGGGFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!

WE ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT BIGGGGGGGGFOOOOOTTTTTTT

First things first, this is both my first Max Brooks book, and my first Bigfoot book. This book popped my Bigfoot cherry. And I had a pretty good time.

This is not just a story about Bigfoot though, this is a story about survival, which I honestly found more interesting than the Bigfoot part.

Quick synopsis for ya: A bunch of rich folk want to live out among nature so they move to this technologically advanced, remote community, in the woods near Mt. Rainier that was created to let them live off the grid, without having to compromise all their bougie, 2020 comforts. Think iPads, blue-tooth speakers, drone grocery deliveries, etc. They can have all these comforts, while being one with nature. Life is peaceful until Mt. Rainier basically explodes, blocking the only path in/out of their remote community and all hell breaks loose. AND THEN COMES ALONG BIGFOOT AND HER FAMILY. Let all the survival and chaos you ever imagined BEGIN.

Now I read this book in March of 2020, aka Coronavirus Panic time. So reading about how people turned on each other for food, shelter, weapons and generally anything to help them survive (TOILET PAPER?!!!!!!) and started full blown riots, SCARED THE CRAP OUTTA ME. Are people gonna come after me for my canned beans?!

So understanding the context of the time I read this, it's probably safe to assume, this book probably scared me more than it normally would. The fall of the polite, rational people, is what scared me, not Bigfoot.

It was super cool to read about how city peeps had to adapt and learn to live in the wild. Although if I'm understanding the timeline correctly....it all seemed to happen within a span of 2-3 weeks? Which I dunno, seems a little crazy to me once I reflect back on the story.

While I did enjoy this fun story, I did find that parts of it just dragggggged on. I feel fully confident that I could make a spear out of bamboo given the length in which that is described at multiple times during the book. Maybe that is Brooks style though and it's just new to me. Or...maybe Brooks is trying to help us out when society falls and everyone panics. I'VE GOT BAMBOO OUTSIDE MY HOUSE SO I'M PREPARED GALS.

Thank you NetGally and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC and wanting my honest opinion!

So, the same way I couldn’t finish World War Z was what seems to have driven me to finish this really cool, really gritty, really gory-ass book!!! WWZ had more detailed ephemera that threw me off course, too. But the added info here just made me go “ohhhhhh.....of course.” Definitely buying this for the library and definitely recommending it to students and friends!

Wow! Grab a cup of tea and sit down and be prepared to have your heart race with fear.
This book grabs you from the third chapter and won't let you go till the very bloody end.
The first two chapters were a little slow, a little bit of orientation for the reader... but once the volcano explodes...WOW!
Fast paced, survival, creatures, and a throbbing isolation that you can feel in your own bones.
The author is a great story teller and keeps the pace on track and beating down your throat.
Your eyes will skim over the words wondering what will happen next.

The only confusing part was the Jewish Interlude...not sure if that was one of the characters back stories, or what.

Overall....another fantastic book by Max Brooks! BRAVO!

This was a fun book. My only (completely unfair) complaint is that it’s not *World War Z, But With Sasquatches Instead of Zombies.* So this was something of a victim of Brooks’ success (like I said, it’s unfair), but still a good deal of fun.

Rather than the interview-format of WWZ (there are some, but they’re purely authorial asides), *Devolution* is the “recovered” diary recorded by a woman when her remote, isolated town was attacked by a … troop? Is troop the right term for a group of Sasquatches? (Come to that, is “Sasquatches” the plural of “Sasquatch,” or would the plural of “Sasquatch” just be “Sasquatch”? As both a proud grammar nerd and proud spec fic nerd, these questions are important to me) … we’ll go with troop of Sasquatches. Really, when you get down to it, *Devolution* is a book version of the “monster in the woods” subgenre of horror movie, of which *Alien* is probably the best known (yes, yes, I know it’s not set in the woods, but work with me here).

Where it suffers is, as I said, in comparison to *World War Z*. WWZ was relentlessly creative and eminently readable. *Devolution* is every bit as readable, but lacks the creativity of WWZ. WWZ told a story that was as literally global as you can get. *Devolution* takes place entirely in an isolated group of houses in Washington state - there’s literally 11 characters.

It also suffered a bit in that I found it so difficult to empathize with many of those 11. The isolated little group of houses is a kind of eco-commune near Mount Rainier, designed to be zero impact. Houses constructed of compressed bamboo, power coming from solar cells, heat coming from gas generated by septic waste, food deliveries coming once a week via the electric driverless delivery van … you get the idea. Naturally, the 11 people who live there are all the kind of stereotypical affluent champagne liberal that gets irrationally angry when their grocery order doesn’t include GMO free organic broccollini. In context it makes sense that that’s the cast, but it did make it harder to be upset when certain of them get eaten.

All in all, this was a very fun and easy-to-read book. Don’t go into it expecting *World War Z* and you’ll be a happy reader.

(one final aside: in reading this book, I ended up down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about volcanoes, and let me just say that lahars seem pretty freakin scary).

This was a highly entertaining read! Trapped in the middle of nowhere with a tribe of Bigfoot creatures!!! Great storytelling.

To begin, I love the idea of journal style writing in storytelling. With enough momentum and description it can make the reader feel like they are actually there. There was a lot of potential for that with this book, but the actual events I wanted to read about took forever to happen and there just wasn't enough description of the bigfoot group to keep me interested.

The story runs smoothly. I loved how Brooks was able to point out their flaws that were so obvious while also tying in those flaws to the plot. I had a hard time caring about these characters. I found myself apathetic about their situation and actually looking forward to some of their deaths. I think this was intentional of the author, and, if that was the case, I am ok with that.

Brooks put a lot of care and detail into the background of the story. The other accounts and later interviews are what made this book move along so quickly and smoothly. I felt that the journal entries were much too long and had a lot of fluff that was irrelevant to what was happening. If I was in that situation I would have been writing short, tense descriptions instead of talking about everyone's emotional state.

I would recommend this book to anyone that is a Bigfoot fanatic. For me, it just didn't leave anything significant to remember. I still enjoyed the story and the imaginative innovation of Brooks' own Bigfoot telling.

Oh, this was good!!! Maybe because I have lived in the Mt. Rainer area and could picture it all so vividly but I was caught up right at the start with this story. I really enjoyed the journal entries' and interviews' way of telling the story, it felt taut and dramatic.

Fear! Death! Bigfoot! Devolution is another Max Brooks home run, featuring a small, isolated community and the mysterious and deadly beings surrounding it. Written in found diary form with interview excerpts, the format of the novel helps make the time pass quickly, especially since the major climax of the novel doesn't happen until over halfway through. With vivid world building and sympathetic characters, the book is a must read!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

3.5 stars

Devolution is a book that’s Schlocky and shocky, as long as you don’t think about it too much. This is not a book for when you’re in a thinking mood; this is a B Movie in book form.

The diary format leaves major logic gaps and the Bigfoot action doesn’t kick off until almost 70% through, but it’s such a fast moving read that you only have time to realize this after you’ve closed the book for the moment.

Like any horror flick, the majority of the book is spent establishing the cast of cannon fodder so you know what you’re supposed to feel when they inevitably become Bigfoot bait. And those gaps between when characters go from soft suburbanites to leaders or vice versa is when it’s most obvious this was a re purposed movie script, where there were supposed to be montages and visual clues sprinkled in.

In spite of all that, the fun factor at play here somehow makes this more than the sum of its parts.