This is very atmospheric and draws you in. It's fast paced and I had a lot of fun reading it. The ending was awesome and I would highly recommend this! Special Thank You to Glenn Rolfe, Alien Agenda Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very quick short read - too short in my opinion, as the book read like a draft but not a full story. The plot was well constructed and I loved the dramatic development in this creature feature. But I think it really missed some flesh to its bone: deeper introduction to the characters and more background detail regarding the history of the lake creature (maybe strewn in as past-time chapters). So while I'm usually all in for stories without too much rigmarole ("Gedöns"), I felt this creature feature did not tap its full potential.

This was, unfortunately, a little too simple for my tastes. It started off fairly strong, but became more and more typical as it moved along. It was fun enough at first, but I found myself pretty disinterested by the end.

I think a big part of my waning interest had to do with the portrayal of a Vietnam War with PTSD leading to psychotic episodes. It just seemed unbelievable and quite schlocky.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A really solid horror read. A fast paced plot, violent ends and a creepy monster mystery. I didn't want to put it down once I started!

Rocky knows what happens when you love someone who is not what you expected them to be. New people are after Rocky will he stay safe. The town is about to change again death approaches. Pulse pounding sequel. Full of chills.

This book is full of action from the start and fairly short (87 Kindle pages). It did feel like I was reading a written version of the blair witch project with something creepy happening in the woods.
My main criticism is that the monster was described very early on. I think if we knew something was dragging people into the lake without too much detail at the start, there would've been more suspense and tension throughout the story. This book is full of action from the start and fairly short (87 Kindle pages). It did feel like I was reading a written version of the blair witch project with something creepy happening in the woods.

Actual rating of 3.5

In Maine, a Vietnam Vet protects a dark secret, but when a runaway and a local teenager wind up on the property around the lake, they're threatened by more than just the secret.

I've been trying really hard to whittle down my insane Netgalley list, and I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job of it so far. I didn't realise how many relatively short reads I had on it! This being one of them.

This is my first read from Rolfe, but it won't be my last. I feel like he does a fantastic job at being able to squeeze so much into such a short page count, and he does it without making the story feel rushed, which is no mean feat. Being able to endear characters to me in a short story can be hard, but Rolfe managed to do that from virtually the first chapter. I found that I really cared about what happened to the teenagers, and I even cared about the Vet - Francis - as well.

Rolfe touched on a couple of relevant subjects, and he knocked them out of the park. Francis is a Vietnam Vet with PTSD; we witness this from our first meeting with him. The way that he falls back into the past, reliving the trauma that he went through, and then how he become lucid again and back in the present day. I feel like Rolfe illustrated how complex PTSD is and how debilitating it can be as well. I really enjoyed the characters of Quincy and Leilani. Quincy goes to the lake to escape a tumultuous home life with a father who spends more time drunk than being a father, and Leilani, a foster kid, is trying to navigate a home where the parents actually do care about her. I like that Rolfe touched on such relevant topics and really gave you a look into the many different facets of life that some people will have never experienced.

The story was incredibly fast paced and told through alternating POVs between a few different characters. I feel like this worked really well to keep the tension high as it switched at pivotal moments in the book. It also helped to give us a bigger picture of what was happening as a whole. The pacing was incredibly fast, and it kept me turning pages needing to know what was going to happen next and whether any of the cast would actually make it out alive. I haven't really read much lake monster creature feature, so this was a welcome change in my horror jaunt.

All in all, this was a quick, fun, gory run through the forest while being pursued by a creature that is looking for a feed, and possibly to keep the kids off its lake. The characters had depth which is not an easy thing to achieve in such a short page count. This story, surprisingly, had substance which was great, and it dealt with a lake monster which I haven't read much, if any of. While it was a quick story and I did enjoy it, I probably wouldn't read it again, I'm glad that I did read it though.

Fun creature feature. Well written and fast paced. Decent character development in a short span. Good, quick read!

Super fun lake monster romp - reminded me of 80's B movies and that is a good thing! Really cool to see a lake monster again in horror, hopefully this will encourage more lake monster stories, as it's such an under-used trope these days. A quick, fast-paced and fun read.

A fun and fast paced creature feature.
I'm a huge fan of this sub genre and thoroughly this quick read. Don't get me wrong, this story wasn't genre defining or setting any new trends, but its still an enjoyable read.

“It Came From the Lake” by Glenn Rolfe is available now in paperback and on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

Belgrade, Maine is home to a secret protected by a Vietnam vet. When a runaway foster child and a local teen stumble into the area around the lake, the secret is not the only danger awaiting them.

It’s a Glenn Rolfe book. He’s always worth reading.

This was a great, retro feeling punk rock creature feature, with shades of Monster Squad, Black Lagoon and Cycle of the Werewolf. A great fun read. Highly recommended.

#books #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #horror #creaturefeature #glennrolfe

4 Stars!



Glenn Rolfe had me hooked with Blood and Rain, still one of my favorite werewolf novels of all time, and has not let me go since then. Every book I have read by him has lived up to the horror that I found in that novel and each is a unique rollercoaster ride of violence and mayhem. It Came from the Lake promised the same scares as the books that came before it and I could not wait to jump into this novella to see what new terror Rolfe had in store for me.



Belgrade, Maine, was a typical small town in most regards. The only thing unusual about the town was the lake. The lake was not a problem for the most part, for the people of the town knew to stay away. They knew the legends of the monster that lived in the lake. They knew the eccentric Vietnam War veteran that lived by the lake and protected its secret. Or, more correctly, protected people from stumbling upon the secret the lake held. When a runaway teen and a local teen approaching juvenile delinquency get to close to the lake, it is impossible for the secret to remain hidden. The lake holds a monster and the monster must be fed. But the two teens are also about to learn that there can be worse things than the beast that lives in the woods by the lake.



There is not a whole lot to It Came from the Lake as far as depth of story, but that is fine. This novella-length story gets right to the action, with only a little bit of background in the beginning to keep it from being too shallow, and then it is off to the races. Rolfe keeps the action coming the beginning and carries it through to the very last page. If you are looking for a meaningful and thought-provoking story, this is not the book for you. That is not the intent of the story at all. If you are just looking for a fun read from a master of the horror genre who is not afraid to throw a monster and madman at you with every page, then you are sure to enjoy this novella. Rolfe gives the readers an all-action horror story in It Came from the Lake and his fans are sure to rejoice. I know that I enjoyed this one from the first page to the last. It is not Rolfe's best work, but it is still a great way to spend a couple hours and is a must read for monster fans.



I would like to thank Alien Agenda Publishing and NetGalley for this review copy. It Came from the Lake is available now.

This was my first Lake Creature book and it was an interesting take on something that’s reminiscent of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. The creature in the book had me picturing the creature from the 1954 movie throughout, though in an updated version. I really liked the character Leilani, and how this book had an underlying “eat the rich” feel, in the sense that their greed and power got them in these circumstances. It was a fun novella, thank you for sharing it with me!

Got ARC from Netgalley in return for this review.

Get ready for page turning excitement, especially beyond Chapter Eleven. While it doesn’t start gradual, there are several characters introduced in quick succession separated by chapter which slowed the pacing a tad. Once it gets going, the intensity doesn’t let up.

A somewhat unique creature feature, the monster within is called by the improbable name “Nietzsche Anathema”. It somewhat reminded me of “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” although it didn’t have the exact same appearance or form of attack, of which the attack is both bizarre and gross.

Not a literary masterpiece discerning the meaning of the cosmos, but it is a quick read if you’re looking for a monster infused blast from this novella. Definitely would read this author again. Really good B-movie material, I recommend it.

Right from the beginning, I knew this was going to be a doozy. Belgrade, Maine, is the home of a large manmade lake, owned by rich a$$hole Henry Owens. His brother, a Vietnam Vet named Francis, lives on the lake and keeps out trespassers, while covering up the incidents of their little friend. You see, it's not just furry little friends that wander the woods around the lake. There is something much bigger and nastier than most of the creatures, and he goes by the name "Nietzsche Anathema."

Who doesn't love a lake monster? Nessie, Champ, and Nietzsche. I must confess - I kept imagining the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Just me? But ol' Nietzsche was much much nastier. This felt like reading a wonderful B Horror Movie, and I loved it. The end was a lovely touch.

This was a fun little read. Not too long, but a good creature feature.
It explored more water creatures, which I don’t see too much of. So it’s nice to actually see. The only reason I’m not giving full stars on this is because I wanted to know a little more about the creature itself. I overall enjoyed it and will happily read more from this author. Nice little pinch of horror.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a review copy

A quick read about a murderous lake monster. It’s action packed from the first paragraph. A bit of gore, an outrageous monster leading to a fun read.

It Came From the Lake by Glenn Rolfe is a one of those truly fun horror books that simply flies by. Old school horror, brought into a modern age. The cast of characters Rolfe creates is vast, but even so are fun and developed. There’s elements of vintage horror, hard boiled crime, teenage angst and so much more. Felt like I was reading a movie I would have watched on late night Monstervision! The perfect way to jumpstart yourself if you are in a reading slump.

It Came From The Lake is fast paced and very quick read. Don't let the short page number turn you away, because what it lacks in pages the read makes up for in atmosphere and thrills. This one is perfect for all of the fans of the creature features, making sure you never look at a lake the same way ever again. Thank you to NetGalley, Alien Agenda Publishing, and Glenn Rolfe for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This one is available now.

Having previously read Glenn Rolfe’s werewolf novel Blood and Rain, I was excited to see his take on a lake monster.

The book immediately drew me in with the first chapter starting with that great first line. I also love a horror novel that delivers a cold open kill and introduction of the monster in the first chapter.

Then we meet Leilani. She’s a great character and caught my interest right away. I especially loved that her foster parents deviated from the stereotype. They were good people that genuinely wanted to help Leilani. I also liked that they had tattoos–again breaking stereotypes.

After Leilani’s introduction the story began to lose me. There were too many point of view characters introduced and I cannot remember any of their names. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if it stayed with Leilani. The boy she meets wasn’t a bad character but he didn’t need his own perspective. I was not at all invested in the detective who read as a stock caricature of a film noir gumshoe. A few other characters also received chapters from their perspective that weakened the story.

Another thing that took me out of the story were the pop culture references that seemed out-of-place. References to Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Thor. These appeared in multiple character perspectives. This made it even more difficult to differentiate the characters. They use the same pop culture references, they swear the same, and the reacted to events in similar manners. Essentially, they were all the author. What was the point of having so many characters if none of them have anything new to add to the story.

The characters also took away from the real draw: the monster. The monster was not in the story nearly enough. When it did appear it did the same things each time. More time was spent on the crazy old Vietnam vet than on the monster. I could have done without that character too.

My final take away is that this story was too unfocused and didn’t fully deliver on the premise. Had this been about a foster kid that runs away and has to fight a lake monster, it might have been fun. Unfortunately, this story wastes it’s limited page length on also trying to be a detective story and a crazy killer in the woods story.

I’m still a fan of Rolfe and would be interested in reading more from him, but this book was not for me.