Devolution tells the account of a Bigfoot attack in Greenloop through diaries entries from a town resident as well as interview transcripts from other individuals close to the incident. Greenloop is an eco-community founded by Tony Durant. Located in the woods, Greenloop allows residents to experience nature's vast wonders while also being within commuting distance to Seattle, Washington. Unfortunately, Greenloop's remote location becomes its own downfall. The town is soon isolated from the rest of the world with the volcanic eruption of Mount Rainier.

Greenloop's story is mainly told through a firsthand account from Kate Hudson. Kate is not your typical hero. Upon Kate and her husband's arrival at Greenloop, she constantly looks to Tony, as well as his wife, Yvette, for guidance and leadership. Kate starts to doubt the Durants' leadership after the Mount Rainier explosion, so she turns to Mostar, another town resident, for advice. It is through Mostar's mentorship that Kate becomes a hero out of necessity.

Brooks made a smart choice in choosing Kate Hudson to narrate the events that occurred at Greenloop. Readers can see how the experiences at Greenloop easily led Kate to become the strong, capable leader that the town needed to combat the Bigfoot attack. Kate arrived at Greenloop with the intention of starting over with her husband. It is only because of the Mount Rainer explosion and subsequent Bigfoot sightings that Kate realizes that someone needs to protect Greenloop. Devolution demonstrates how any human, when placed in such extreme situations as those that occurred in Greenloop, will revert to his or her more animalistic instincts to survive.

In "Devolution," Max Brooks performs several major inversions of one of his bestselling work, "World War Z." Once again the fragile high-tech modern day has been suddenly upset by what were supposed to be only mere myths. In the aftermath of the horror, the author-reporter uses first-hand resources to try and get a picture of the horror that's occurred. However, instead of a global terror that took humanity to the brink of extinction, this time it’s a far more local affair with an eruption at Mount Rainier that left isolated residents of a nearby planned eco-community perfect prey for a pack of hulking, large-footed and very hungry menaces.

I definitely applaud Brooks’ for stepping away from zombies and trying something new, especially after the immense success that they have given him. Not only does he attempt to craft a realistic horror scenario through a completely different creature, but he tries to accomplish this in a vastly different setting scaled back from worldwide pandemic to just one single community.

Unfortunately, I think that this more intimate setting ultimately ended up being too constraining. The story, mainly told through the journal of a member of the Bigfoot-besieged community, wasn’t able to become much more beyond a fairly standard survival-horror tale of a community under strain from an outside threat, complete with several common tropes and easily identifiable twists in the plot.

Brooks does an admirable job of transforming the Sasquatch. Out of all the cryptids and nonexistent creatures out there, I think this is one that I have always taken the least serious of all (the fact that it is commonly called "Bigfoot" plays a very heavy role in there). However, through the various interviews and readings that make up this book, the existence of wild ape-people is definitely made more realistically plausible than I have seen anywhere else. And not only are these the most feasible Sasquatches, but they are also more genuinely threatening and anxiety-inducing than I have encountered in any other book, TV show or film.

“Devolution” is not the second “World War Z” that I confess I hoped it would be. But for its limits and cliches, I still overall enjoyed Books’ latest tale.

What a wild ride. Slow to get moving, but then it settled into a good pace and I was devouring chapters at a time and staying up well past my "bed time".

If you've read World War Z, you're familiar with the POV style that Devolution is written in. It can take a little bit to get used to, but seems like a good format for this type of story.

Overall, very positive feelings about this book and would definitely recommend to any fans of Max Brooks. Strong recommendation even to anyone that hasn't read Brooks before.

An Advanced Reader’s copy has been provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: May 12, 2020

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Plot: A tale of survival as the community of Greenloop finds itself stranded after a volcanic eruption. The biggest worry may be creatures of legends and myths told in interviews and journals found in the aftermath of the massacre found.

Overview: I’m not going to lie I had really high expectations of this book as World War Z is one of my all time favorite books so when I got approved for this advanced copy I literally danced around my house for a few minutes. With that in mind, it wasn’t as good, but I did still find it enjoyable. I did not find the footnotes to be very user friendly on my kindle and I feel this would have been an easier read if I had a physical copy in front of me, I mention this specifically because it takes me out of the story which is never a good thing. The narrator wasn’t my favorite and I wish a different approach had been taken to her character and a more in depth approach to some of the other story lines. What I loved about World War Z was the way it was an oral/journalistic format and this just didn’t get there the same way. All the negatives out of the way I thought the plot was excellent and the realistic threat of Sasquatch was so well done. I like my Bigfoot terrifying and I am very thankful not to live in the woods right now or I would not have slept! Being that this leans toward horror I don’t want to give any more for spoiler purposes but I do recommend picking this up, though maybe after things after died down if you are the anxious type and current events have you panicked.

I also feel the need to mention this is one of the most hideous covers I’ve ever seen, I cannot express in words how much I loathe it and listen. I really enjoy a good Bigfoot story/conspiracy theory. What I do NOT enjoy, is an ugly red foot as a cover. That is all.

The story of a young couple is chronicled here through the wife's diary entries and interviews with park rangers and scientists. The small gated community in the shadow of Mount Rainier is perfectly in tune with the needs of its members and its natural surroundings. After a volcanic eruption, the cracks begin to appear - along with tracks of a very large bipedal creature. Footnotes at the end of each chapter satisfied my scientific need to know more without resorting to Googling in the middle of the night. Who could sleep with all that howling anyway?

Devolution is a book version of a faux documentary about a group of residents of an eco-friendly living community who encounters sasquatch after the eruption of Mt. Rainier. It does not go well! It's written in the same style as Brooks' previous novel World War Z.

I recommend this novel for those who enjoyed World War Z and for those who like creature horror. For me, it was entertaining, and I'm glad I read it, but I would have liked to see either more character development in the first half, or to get to the action more quickly.

Overall, It's a good, escapist read. I received an advance reader copy from Net Galley.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley. It releases May 12, 2020.

Max Brooks, author of World War Z, returns with another harrowing account of disaster. This time out it's much smaller scale than World War Z, focusing on a single isolated "experimental community" called Greenloop in the wilds near Mt. Rainier. The story is told through the journal entries of a resident in the community and interviews with various experts.

In brief, Mt. Rainier erupts, resulting in Greenloop's communication and road back to civilization being completely cut off. As the community comes together to deal with the problem of how to survive with supplies on hand until help arrives, another one starts to reveal itself. A sasquatch tribe, on the move after the eruption, happens upon Greenloop and may consider it a source of food. From there, the story turns to residents slowly coming to terms with what they're dealing with, and what they can do about it.

The characters are varied, though some are archetypal and lack depth. Part of the issue is that this is not a long book, so there wasn't a lot of room to go into depth. There are passages included that provide some interesting background on a couple of the characters which start to give them some life. Overall, I was left wanting to know more about them, if only so that I could care about them.

Everybody does get a "shining moment" or two, which helps. Two characters in particular undergo an interesting transformation throughout the story, but that mostly happens off-screen. I would have liked to know more about their experience, but I suppose there is something to be said for letting one's imagination fill-in the blanks.

I will say, reading this in the opening months of the COVID-19, it provided some pretty handy survival and preparedness tips. Overall, while it doesn't reach the heights of World War Z (though, really, that's a tough act to follow), it is definitely worth a read.

At first, I thought that this book was supposed to extol the virtues of an inclusive, progressive group of people. A lesbian couple with an adopted Muslim girl named Palomino? Too woke for me! But lo and behold, when nature shows them her dark side, maybe they’d been better off with at least one redneck survivalist among them. The dynamics between the characters are fascinating. How the leaders in times of peace are not so effective when conflict arises. When animal lovers who refuse to kill even rats end up underestimating nature, red in tooth and claw made me think (I don’t even kill bugs but, would I be willing to hurt a mountain lion to defend my loved ones?) The creatures in question are bigfoot (bigfeet?) but the story could apply to anyone from the Donner Party to Millennials running out of toilet paper. The first chapters confused me, as they had too much detail about these characters’ experiences (which could not be more foreign to me), but when the trouble starts, I couldn’t stop reading. I expected to root for Bigfoot and was surprised when I sided with the humans. Good job, Max Brooks, making me care about characters that I would normally dislike.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine!

This is told as an after-action investigation using the journal of a resident, interviews with a forest ranger and other pertinent media interviews. In the not too distant future Mt. Ranier erupts, leaving a small eco-community called Greenloop cut off from everything. The eruption has destroyed nature's balance and sent animals fleeing from the devastation, and from the predators that were also displaced and are now ranging in to new hunting territories. The small group of citizens of Greenloop slowly come to terms with the fact that the predators are Sasquatches.
This started off pretty slow for me. There was a lot of groundwork being laid and I was not a fan of the narrator of the journal. She was too whiny and I had a hard time liking her. It is a journal written to her therapist as a form of therapy, so I guess that is to be expected, though. Once the Sasquatches showed up it was hard to put down. It was intriguing seeing the different pieces come together and how the characters developed, although some of the characters were a bit too one dimensional. I really liked it, though, and will definitely order it for my library.

This book was fast paced and interesting. I enjoyed the structure of the book as I did with Brooks's previous work. The atmosphere and character building was really great. All in all a very good book, especially for those who love all things Sasquatch. Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray Books for granting me early access to this book. I will be posting this review today to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page, @thatreadingrealtor.

3.5. At first I wasn’t sure how many stars to give this one. The beginning was a bit slow for me, as well as getting into the grove of reading journal entry chapters, as this was my first Max Brooks novel to read. However, the story does build at an appropriate pace the characters build at an appropriate pace. When getting to know the main character I was very much not wanting to get to know her any longer, but towards the end I was rooting for her and could feel how much she had changed. Overall the book closes strongly and left me really liking it. Very different from what’s on the shelves right now so it was good to mix it up.

Great concept, disappointing execution. While I didn't love World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, I commend Brooks for daring to do something different within the horror genre through his oral history format, which helps set the book apart from the rest of the pack. He tries to do the same here with Sasquatch by weaving together journal entries and interviews for the story, but is less successful. Although the book features a very exciting climax and an interestingly open-ended finale, the characters are so thinly drawn that it is difficult to get invested in their fates; one in particular has traits so over the top that is almost laughable. It's a shame since Brooks is a talented writer and I really wanted to love this, yet struggled to stay engaged.

This was fine! I mean, it was no World War Z but not every book can be a masterpiece. But seriously, this was a perfectly good book that successfully distracted me from the doom facing the world for at least a little while. I just thought that it was a little insubstantial. In particular, Tony and Yvette could've been more interesting/fleshed out characters.

So amazing. This book does for Sasquatches what World War Z did for Zombies. It makes them more realistic, more of a threat, more interesting. The character development was very well done, making each of the various people come to life and have wonderful and interesting story arcs. The way it was written is mildly reminiscent of World War Z, although the story follows one group alone through their move to a remote housing development in the shadow of Mt. Rainier.
It was a very quick read but I found myself picking it back up after having set it down for a moment, so it was a page-turner for sure.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something engaging and fun!

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

QUICK TAKE: eco-thriller with a sci-fi twist when a group of technologically-advanced hippies move off the grid but are trapped in the wilderness when a volcano erupts, leaving them isolated and forced to fend for themselves against a group of Sasquatches (is that the plural for Sasquatch??). The book takes way too long to get moving and ultimately left me wanting more. The end poses some interesting questions, in particular about a character snapping, and I would have loved if there had more investment in that storyline. Entertaining, but ultimately a little bit of a letdown.

Oh my gosh. What a ridiculous premise. It's only redemption is that the author took it seriously enough to make it an interesting read. I honestly can't wait until this hits the shelves, just to see what people say about it.

I received a free e-galley from netgalley.com.

First I want to start by saying I am a hug fan of Max Brooks and having read his previous works I understood what to expect from his writing style before I started this one.

Max Brooks does not write in a typical novel fashion. MAX Brooks usually uses a third-person point of view with a narrator to tells us about what's happening in the story by showing us the thoughts and feelings of the characters.

If you are familiar with one of his previous books "World War Z" Max Brooks proves he knows how to wield this remarkably flexible and very powerful approach to narration.

And he is a master! Max Brooks uses a mighty pen as effectively as the sharpest sword. Expertly weaving in close to show the raw emotions of the character then pulling away to make the overall story come to life in an after action style perspective.

This perspective makes everything hauntingly vivid. The setting, the isolation, the complete terror. Max Brooks has a gift for taking the bedtime ghost stories/urban legends of yesterday and making it all so plausiblely horrifying.

He went a different angle with this one so it's just a diary account of what happened to a green off the grid ultra modern rich person retreat gone wrong.

So the first 25% - and at first I was like huh not what I expected - No horror.

It is what would be typical... Dinner parties moving in, trying to live in the woods but getting food delivered by drones... Perfect life, perfect wifi you get the picture right?? So next gen. safe, boring, too perfect. Then bam apocalypse now!! A chain of events sets off an unanticipated series of catastrophic events that changes a small community forever. And that's just the semi-normal natural disaster stuff. Let's just say it ramps up.

Admittedly this may not (given world events) be the best book to read right now. If your already on edge or aren't a true horror fan then read all the reviews n than read the reviews for his other books haha but Wow... I mean just Wow!

I can truly say I am not in a hurry to meet a Sasquatch anytime soon.

If you loved World War Z.
THE BOOK because it's vastly different than the movie (Although I enjoyed it too. It is most definitely not the same). Then you will love this book as well. It was a fast paced addictive read. I couldn't stop reading - thinking. Yep it kept me up in all the ways.

First the I couldn't put it down.
Then the creep/scare factor kept me awake.

I mean did I ever ponder what a Bigfoot attack might be like? Probably Never and there it is right there...

As I shudder... Yes the descriptions of the savagery are that realistic.

Out of all the monsters in the dark. What might actually hide in the woods... Bigfoots... Bigfoot? Sasquatch, Yeti Whatever...

Hopefully not a thing cuz that was some realist scary story dynamics. This is a rollercoaster that is a full speed ahead terrifyingly scary.

#PureHorror #AmazingRead.

Seriously if true horror is not your thing this may not be for you because this is incredibly descriptive and brutal in it's presentation. Um did I already mention that? Cuz I I'm trying to be clear. The book is not for the faint of heart.

I LOVED Kate's narration.
At first I was like wow she is so obsessive and high strung. She legit needs to live in the woods just to cope. Her mind constantly dwelling on every aspect of every detail. It would be exhausting to overthink all the aspects of the minutiae that convolutes our days.

But who knew. In the apocalypse maybe that's what you need. Tough, raw, gritty character always thinking, planning and trying to survive. If ever I wished for a sequel then this is one of those times.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for sending me this incredible ARC in exchange for an honest review. I truly absolutely loved it soooooo much!!!

When Mount Rainier erupts, the small community of Greenloop finds itself cut off from the rest of the world and up against a pack of starving Bigfoots eager to find their next meal. Devolution is a realistic survival tale mixed with the fantastic what-ifs surrounding the nature and existence of Bigfoot. This is an obvious choice for those fascinated by stories of Bigfoot.

The story is told as a series of diary entries mixed with interviews and other tidbits to explain what happened at Greenloop and the possible nature of Bigfoot. The format helps the story feel more personal while diving into how an unexpected crisis can change people (and Bigfoot) whether for the better or worse.

I received an ARC for review.

This is the worst choice of book to read when you’re quarantined, nervous, anxious, taking your most emotional support from great booze and stocked toilet papers (I’m cuddling them, that’s why people buy them so much, right? They are like white shapeless teddy bears and I recently tried them in a recipe: just mix them with almond milk, marshmallow and chocolate chips: my husband told me that was the best food I’ve ever fixed in my entire life)

Anyways, this is frightening, action packed, ominous, dark, wild, savage, disturbing ride! You gotta think again before deciding to read a book from World War Z’s author.

What we have so far: A big chaos in Pacific Northwest breaks out with the Mount Rainer’s eruption. So we’re introduced to Greenloop community consists of smart homes located in near Ranier Park, isolated from the society. They just created their own safe, clear, highly tech quarantine place. But what was that howling sound coming from the woods? And those footprints cannot belong to a real human, can it? What the hell happened to those animals in the woods? Bloody, ugly, disgusting massacre start to terrify the small community. Maybe they’re not safe enough as they expected, right? Invisible monsters are not under their beds anymore. They’re all real, they are out there and they are coming for them.

I think the most things I enjoyed about the book were detailed, layered and entertaining characterization and addictive progression. There are other narrations but the story mostly told by journal entries. The story-telling style is captivating, keeping your interest alive with realistic, slow building mystery. Things get more violent, raw and vulgar at each second when the monsters appear.
Surprisingly I also loved Kate (in the beginning she irritated the hell of me with her weird, quirky antics and ultra-paranoid behavior.) and I wanted to punch her know-it-all face at several times but when the crisis occurs she turns into my hero and the transformation of character made me reminded of other super heroes from comic books: a person seems like an ordinary and creepy can be an enigma hiding so much potential inside.

Kate's narration helps us to understand the nature of danger they are going to fight against so we can see the whole picture in our heads more clearly. And her tragic but also witty sense of dark humor keeps us agitated but also curious to know what’s gonna happen next! When the shit hits the fan she turns herself a kind of Sarah Connor with more knowledge about the nature monsters.

Overall: It’s a fantastic, nail-elbow- entire arm biter, heart throbbing, definitely earth shattering, wild, extremely crazy train ride you’ll take. It’s definitely worth it but if you cannot handle a mind bender, heart rate jumper, stress riser book, you are not great fit for this bat shit crazy journey!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for sending me one the most anticipated books’ ARC COPY in exchange my honest review. I truly enjoyed it so much.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC.When Mount Rainier errupts, its humans versus Sasquatch. A community is cut off from civilization and must defend itself when Bigfoot comes to call.