TL;DR

Black Tide by K.C. Jones is an excellent story with two flawed but very likeable characters. It’s an in-depth character study that attempts to break them during an apocalypse. Humanity might be at an end. Will Beth and Mike find out if they’re the last humans alive? Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.

Review: Black Tide by K. C. Jones

Characters connecting with other characters is the basic of what all fiction is about. Relationships make for drama and opportunity for growth. Add in the end of the human race, and there’s a recipe for the extremes of character exploration. In K.C. Jones’s Black Tide two lost souls attempt to survive an apocalypse. Mike and Beth find each other at low points in their lives. Little do they know, they’re about to get a little lower thanks to a meteor shower. As they try to survive, Beth and Mike form a relationship based on mutual survival, and as the reader learns more and more about them, we enter a relationship with the two. Oh, and there’s a cute dog, too.

Black Tide opens with Beth berating herself. In her mind, she’s a screw up of such epic proportions that she screws up other people as well. Next, we see her house sitting, professionally. She’s getting paid to stay at a house on the beach and to take care of Jake the dog. Beth has kept herself out of trouble, but she’s getting bored. One night, she sees the neighbor, Mike, sitting out back, drinking beside a fire. The champagne is too tempting for her to pass up. After too much alcohol, the two end up spending the night together. Mike wakes and walks to the ocean. He’s decided to kill himself. As he walks into the surf, meteors streak across the sky. Meanwhile, Beth dreams that she’s in a wild, terrifying place. A large jellyfish fills the sky, and the air is sulfurous. In the morning, Mike returns to his house. He’s chosen to live after finding what he thinks is a meteorite that smells like garbage and stings his skin. The electricity has gone out. Jake the dog is going wild. The three drive towards Portland to see what’s going on. They stop at a beach where people are gathered. On the beach, they find another garbage ball. A group of people are trying to signal a boat offshore; they’re fleeing the area.

It’s here on this beach that the majority of the novel takes place. The meteor shower brought with it an apocalypse no one prepared for. It’s also on this beach that the body count begins to pile up. Beth loses the key to the car that brought them there, and they’re trapped on the beach with murderous creatures. And the tide’s begun to come in.

Black Tide is a first person point of view book that mostly alternates between Beth and Mike. The majority of the novel takes place on the beach over the course of a day. The science fiction apocalypse is set dressing for a character intense narrative. The novel rests on whether the reader likes Beth and Mike’s relationship dynamic. I did, and I think that most readers will too.

Character

This novel excels at making the reader care about the characters. Jones creates flawed characters that aren’t the most interesting in the beginning of the story. As the narrative progresses, the reader becomes invested in them and their survival. While helping each other, they end up confronting the darker part of themselves. Against the backdrop of the end of the human race, both Beth and Mike have to learn that they are more than the stories they tell themselves. Beth tells herself she’s a car wreck waiting to happen, and that her mistakes will take Mike with her. During the course of the novel, I couldn’t help but wonder if Mike would succumb to his suicidal thoughts again. After all, the situation seems hopeless many, many times.

Character is the focus of this book. Mike and Beth are never in a position to save the world. And that’s okay. The joy of the book comes from cheering on their survival. Along the way, the reader begins to care for them as we learn more and more. These two character studies twist and twine in a way that makes both greater than the sum of their stories.

A Day at the Beach

This novel takes place mostly at the beach. By mostly, I mean 75 to 80 percent is in one location. It did get a bit old. Jones uses vehicles to act as different locations on the same beach, but at times, it felt like their struggle to leave the beach was too drawn out. The struggles, problems, and solutions were creative, but it could have been broken up with flashbacks or something to provide a little variability.

Horror Mixed with Science Fiction

Jones spices his horror with science fiction elements. Black Tide is a horror because it’s about survival in the face of overwhelming odds. Beth and Mike face cosmic horror elements; the forces arrayed against them are unearthly and intent upon feasting upon the pair. They are pushed to their limits physically and psychologically. But this isn’t a science fiction (SF) novel. The SF elements provide a problem and enemies; however, Black Tide is a horror novel. It succeeds by attempting to break its characters.

While the SF elements are good, they do create enough of a distance that it’s less horrific than more realistic novels. The emotional engagement comes from getting to know Mike and Beth from their flaws to their dependency on each other. When their lives were in danger, I didn’t feel horror. It felt tense but not scary. There were moments of body horror and a scene where the horror comes from being a witness with no control or ability to help. This isn’t a criticism. I made an emotional connection to each of these characters; they stayed with me after I closed the book.

Conclusion

K.C. Jones’s Black Tide is a masterclass in making a reader care about characters. While it suffers from a drawn out setting, Black Tide balances tension with revelation to create a wonderful story.

Black Tide by K. C. Jones is available from Tor Nightfire on May 31st, 2022.

Black Tide brings together a "human car wreck" and a depressed movie producer at the end of the world to save each other from themselves and some new inhabitants to Earth. This is a small-scale, focussed sci-fi horror that plays out primarily on a distant beach in the Pacific Northwest as our two misfits get trapped by lost keys and terrible maws full of razorblade teeth.

In some ways, Black Tide gives off 80's action vibes (think Alien, or Predator), and it's quite self aware - no sooner had the comparison with Alien popped into my head than one of our main characters name dropped Ellen Ripley. The book nods to the movie world in a few other places, which should be expected with a producer among our very small cast and feels like Jones writing what he knows for his first novel (he graduated with a degree in Film Production, afterall). As such it makes Black Tide feel cinematic and something I could certainly imagine getting optioned for a feature film.

My one tip to new readers would be not to be put off by the prologue; I found it a little bit navel-gazey and relied a lot on telling rather than showing. After the slightly painful meeting of our two MCs in the first couple of chapters, things pick up exponentially.

This isn't exactly your typical alien invasion story and it shines for it, adding a bit of cleverness into the mix that you don't always see in horror. There's plenty of tight, tense scenes; uneasy moments, and; injuries a-plenty, all mixed up with human resilience, fortitude and badassery.

Black Tide is an entertaining science fiction horror read that packs a whole lot of action into a surprisingly short amount of time. While it is character-focused, there is enough world-building of the event and the creatures that come after to make it appealing even to those readers who prefer less talk and more action, death, and destruction.

Our full review will be up on Leviathan Libraries on May 9th.

Beth is house sitting on the lonely Oregon coast with only the owner's very good dog Jake for company. She had been watching the neighboring house, noticing a man, Mike, who seems to never leave, and looks as lost as she feels. Deciding to reach out to him and after several bottles of champagne, she wakes up in his bed. A vicious dream and a head-splitting hangover will be the least of her worries though. A maybe meteor shower that Mike saw while she slept changed the landscape of the world.

Soon Beth, Mike, and Jake take off to find information about what happened. Not prepared for what they uncovered and stranded alone on the beach, they soon find out that just surviving may be more than they can handle. A normal start to two people getting to know each other is quickly replaced by an alien invasion and the fear that they might be the only people left alive. Trapped in the car with no supplies and no weapons, they have to face things that they don't understand and ones that they cannot see.
Holy claustrophobic and tension-filled day at the beach! I could not put Black Tide down until I knew how it would end. The whole time I was crossing everything that I had saying please let Jake survive this nightmare (Beth and Mike too). There wasn't a moment when the alien thingies just took a break to, I don't know regroup and at only 256 pages, I was pretty sure that this wouldn't end well. I am not going to discuss the horrors of what they encounter because I think this one is best if you discover it for yourself.

Kudos to the author for giving a glimpse of hope at the end. In my mind, the fate of one of the main characters had a much different, off-the-page ending. Could there be a sequel coming? If so, maybe my wish will indeed come true.4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. Was a little slow at first but I warmed up to it. Several heart pounding moments in the book as they were forced to survive. I hope the series will continue and that they find their happy ending.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes psychological horror thrillers.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the emotional depth that Jones accomplished with the characters in this story was really amazing--quite the emotional rollercoaster. I thought that the setting/world was well fleshed out and that the story kept me really engaged. And--this caught me by surprise--the ending was honestly not what I was expecting, in a good way! I think that if you like horror that is more character driven and/or stories about the apocalypse then you're really going to like this one!

Dystopian-world ending debut novel that will make you sit up and pay attention!!

I loved the sci-fi-horror mashup and the Lovecraft vibes!!

This book was so incredibly entertaining, it’s fast paced and full of action and I think the author did a great job at providing more character development than this type of genre usually does and that really brought it to a different level.

Beth and Mike barely just met and then the world ends. Neither of them are in a good mental place, Beth considers herself a human car wreck as her mother puts it, but is trying to improve and better her life, she lands a job pet-sitting on a beach house next door to Mike, depressed ex movie producer. They come together, drawn to each other by their loneliness just a few hours before a strange meteor shower that heralds the end of the world. Together they must face the most bizarre and scary creatures imagined joining more weaknesses than strengths.

While I did really enjoy this book and highly recommend it, I have to mention 2 things. First, the alien invasion/intergalactic bleed was not fully explained. Maybe it doesn’t need to be explained but I like to know the why. Secondly, the space creatures were just a bit too bizarre, in this sense I think the author maybe tried a little too hard to make them extremely frightening.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.

Beth is a house sitter, and she has finally built her business up to be trusted in nice neighborhood called Strawberry Dunes. She is staying at one of the nicest places she has ever been and so far it has been great. It is even better when she meets Mike. One thing leads to another and they are hooking up and being a little less lonely then they were before.

However, when they wake up the next morning, well more in the middle of the night there is a strange meteor shower, and little do they know their whole world is about to change. At first it seems that that the meteor shower actually let meteorites hit the Earth, but then they meet people who explain that their is damage and the power is out all all over the place. Then the tide rises and people start to disappear.

What is going on? What is happening to all the people? How can they get out of this area? Why is happening to the people that are disappearing?

Can Beth and Mike survive what new nightmare has been unleashed or will they fall victim to the new menace.

I thought this was an interesting read, I think I might read it again. Just to see if really get everything that was going on. It felt a little busy and doesn't explain much at all. While that isn't my usual genre or on my list of things I enjoy about a book, I did like this one. It leaves you with a creeping sense of dread and wondering what will happen to them.

I wasn't too sure about it at first because I really didn't like Beth but I'm glad I stuck with it because it turned out to be such a great story! I can absolutely see why it was touted as "Cujo meet A Quiet Place" I definitely got those vibes while reading this

K.C. Jones’ Black Tide is not your typical horror story. Pulling on elements of both the horror and Sci-Fi genre, this is a tight, fast-paced read about a cataclysmic event that leaves two virtual strangers trapped on a beach fighting for their lives. Tide is unique in the way that it is character driven yet fast-paced and a terrifying plot yet laced with laugh out loud humor. I quite enjoyed the break from the norm with this one and would go so far as to say while clearly a horror, it was fun at the same time.

I found this to be a more character driven narrative. While there is clearly a drive to the plot—aliens taking over the world—the bulk of the book is about Mike, Beth and lovable pup Jake, who are trapped on a deserted beach fighting for their lives against some ultra creepy aliens from another dimension/planet. As per usual, Jake the dog steals the show. Be warned…as with most dogs in books or movies…well, trigger warning let’s just say that. Beth and Mike are both incredibly flawed and complex and I liked them for that. They aren’t heroes from the movies but everyday people who are dealing with their own chaotic minds only to be thrown into an even more chaotic situation. I liked how Jones gave us perspectives from all of the characters and it made it a more intimate experience as they faced what looks to be their untimely deaths.

The book read like a movie and would be amazing as a film adaption. Beth’s character was my favorite and I appreciated the wit and sarcasm and there were moments I was laughing out loud. Perhaps I found it relatable because humor is my best defense in the face of literally anything as well. I also liked the parallel of this reading cinematically and the fact that Mike is a producer, so he also made references to how their situation was playing out much like a movie.

The ending is what held me back from giving it more stars. I won’t say much on it to refrain from spoiling the read but with so much action and adrenaline throughout, the last bit was disjointed.

Overall, Black Tide is a fun mix of sci-fi and horror—and there is plenty of horror in this don’t let the humor aspect fool you. The effects of the hellvines will leave you cringing, the entire event will send you down a rabbit hole and their constant state of distress will leave you on edge. If you loved Stephen King’s Cujo, then this needs to be at the top of your reading stack. 3.5 stars.

Jones spins a tale of cosmic horror that's both reminiscent of Stephen King's <i>Cujo</i> and <i>The Mist</i> that feels claustrophobic and helpless, even frustrasting at times, but I was really invested in the characters (Jake joins the gallery of best fictional dogs of all time, honestly) with the lulls in the story providing for some good insight from the protagonists- I was pretty hooked from beginning to end, and sci-fi and horror elements were quite good.

There's a certain moment that made me scratch my head towards the end which is why I'm giving this four stars but overall, this is a pretty good little horror book.

Reading Black Tide by KC Jones felt like tripping through the imagination of Lewis Carroll as he directed Alice down the rabbit hole. Suddenly reality is skewed and the experience is as if seen through a lens of drug induced hallucinations.

Jones begins with an introduction to Beth—a young woman with a tough as nails exterior and battle scars that hover beneath the surface, coloring her every action and interaction. She is, by necessity, a wanderer, moving from one house sitting job to the next, untethered and uninhibited, with the haunting memories of her mother’s callous parenting chasing her from behind. One evening, while house sitting a beach home and a dog for a wealthy family she notices Mike, the enigmatic man next door, sitting by his fire pit. She finagles an invitation to join him, and their fates collide when that night an unprecedented and unexplained event causes a variety of vicious monsters to suddenly appear on earth—and a variety of earthlings to simply…disappear.

It is in the description of the hellacious alien creatures that author Jones shines, as the horror of each practically drips from the page and into the reader’s psyche. The suspension of disbelief needed to engage with the premise is seamless and occurs without hesitation—truly the hallmark of a writer who knows their audience. As cloud fish, shriekers and bowling ball entities shred the world as we know it to pieces, Jones maintains the banter that forms the basis of the budding relationship between Beth and Mike as they struggle to survive and save one another.

In the same way that the descriptive passages are the strength of the writing, the relationship building aspects of the story are the weakness. Whilst you don’t have to like characters to invest in the story, one does need to have an interest in their predicament and the eventual outcome. In this case, both Beth and Mike were so flawed as to be almost acerbic in their interactions. I had no horse in the race as to whether or not they survived, which tempered my reaction to a number of the presented scenarios. I was completely indifferent to the outcome.

Overall, well written and imaginative, full of vivid imagery that may leave you with nightmares for many days to come. Definitely worth a read for the monsters alone.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Tor/Forge for allowing me access to an ARC. Publication is scheduled for May 31, 2022.

KC Jones takes readers on a apocalyptical sci-fi thrill ride. Beth is a house and dog sitter looking for companionship when she meets Mike, the loner next door neighbor. A cataclysmic event occurs that spirals the world into chaos and leaves Mike, Beth, and the dog she's sitting, fighting for their lives.

The action and horror aspects will keep readers entertained, but some may have to suspend their disbelief when it comes to the characters' ability to fight considering their grave physical wounds. The sci-fi premise is intriguing and while this plot doesn't contain twists, it does strategically drop information about the mysterious event leaving readers heavily invested in the outcome. The setting is largely singular, with the vast amount of the story taking place in a single spot, which some readers may enjoy, but others will find this actually hinders the ability of the premise to fully bloom.

This book is a mix of Predators and Bird Box and will entertain sci-fi horror fans looking for a quick paced read.

I'm a bit of a horror newbie, and I haven't read a lot of monster/Lovecraftian stories, but I really enjoyed this one. The gist of the story is that a couple becomes stranded on a beach while mysterious extraterrestrial creatures emerge on land and in the sky. Almost the entire book takes place in real-time as the characters fight off the alien monsters and go through the ups and downs of their escape. I wouldn't say that the book was particularly scary, but it was definitely full of thrills and intensity. For a new author, Jones did an excellent job with the character and plot development. I had to knock off a star because of a particular event at the end of the book that I won't spoil in a review, but on the whole, this was an exciting read. Take it with you on your next beach trip.

What an utter disappointment. I guess you can fancy up any book with a great blurb and write any synopsis you want. I'm suspicious of the authors who gave this book high praise. I've know their work and find it hard to believe they loved this book.

This was bad writing, poor characters, and a disjointed storyline. Could it be any worse. Nope.

This was a compelling apocalypse novel. It has some really sensitive subject matter concerning a dog though, who is in distress almost the entire book and ends up getting injured. It made it harder for me to really relax and enjoy this because I was very, very worried about the poor pooch.

4.5 Stars, rounded to 5

This is what I want to call FUN horror- edge of your seat, can’t put it down, and pulls you in from the first chapter. This book plays out just like a movie- and from reading the author’s note at the end, sounds like it started as a screenplay which makes perfect sense. This is The Quiet Place meets War of The Worlds (the movie, not the book, the book put me to sleep). I tore my way through this one SO FAST and honestly could have handled it being another 100 pages or so!

Tor Nightfire, you have done your magic again and MANY THANKS for this advanced reader copy!!

As usual, for most of the horror books I read: ALL of the trigger warnings!

Read this if you like: scifi horror, cosmic horror, apocalyptic horror

“Sorry, humanity. You needed a Sarah Connor, or an Ellen Ripley, or even a Katniss Everdeen. You got me.” - Beth

K.C. Jones’ debut science fiction/ horror novel hooked me from the first page and had me furiously flipping the pages. What a fantastic surprise that had me white knuckling my couch cushions! I was terrified, but I could not look away!

Beth, dubbed “the human car wreck” by her own mother, is a house-sitter. It’s a lonely job, but somebody has to do it! Luckily, this time she also gets to take care of Jake, the owner’s lovable six year old yellow lab.

Mike is the surprising pensive next door neighbor.

When Beth approaches Mike on his deck one night, she has no idea where this encounter will lead…

But she never guessed that the next day life as she knew would be inextricably changed.

Watch out for Cloudfish, Shriekers, Hellvines, and Giants!

I absolutely devoured this book. The publishers send me this widget because they thought I would like it. They couldn’t have predicted any better. Yes…more please! As in, I don’t think this story has ended quite yet.

I NEED to know what happens NEXT with this unlikely couple. Like NOW!

This book is extremely character driven and had me rooting for Mike, “Badass Beth,” and Jake the dog the entire way through.

It is expertly plotted and truly terrifying!

I highly recommend Black Tide to those who enjoyed the Ashfall series by Mike Mullins (one of my all time favorites), Bird Box by Josh Malerman, and Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

5/5 stars

Expected publication date: 5/10/22

Thank you to Andrew King from Tor Nightfire publishing for granting me a widget for Black Tide in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

This book is described as sci-fi/horror and if you are in the mood for that then this is the perfect read.

It's just another day and then it's the end of the world. This was a great read for me because it gave me exactly what I wanted without any of the confused explanations that are in longer apolypse style stories. I really wanted a fast-paced horror and that's what I got and I couldn't ask for more.

This book features a few interesting main characters that drive the story forward and a whole lot of action! Definitely recommend this one!

Out April 31st!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat! We don't know exactly what happened.. Only that it happened at night, and at least from the people we meet, Beth and Mike are the only ones that who have absolutely NO idea whats happening.. at least until they witness it first hand, and then nothing will ever be the same..

Mike and Beth meet each other right before the world breaks... Something hashappening while they were sleeping, and while investigating they get stuck on a stretch of beach.. with no keys... a phone signal that cuts in and out.. which would be at least a little helpful if all of the emergency channels didn't have a busy signal when the call actually goes through...
Did I also mention the strange inhuman creatures roaming the beach, that are attracted to anything that moves?

Both Mike and Beth made some ridiculously dumb mistakes and decisions while trying to survive whatever the heck is going on.. But that made them seem, at least to me, the most like what real people would be doing in a situation like this.. Your going to loose your keys, trip and fall, make noise when all you need to do is be completely still and quiet.. Run out of food and water, you know whatever could go wrong will..

KC Jones painted an amazing picture of the creatures and how they act and sound that had me listening in the dark to make sure nothing was going to jump out at me. I hope that we will get at least one more book in this world following MIke and Beth.. and Im keeping my fingers crossed that somehow Jake survives and he will pop up somewhere..