Chilling, Disturbing…
Chilling and disturbing in equal measure, a read rather perfect for the Halloween season. In rather a departure from the usual fare, the author succeeds in penning a tale that will take the reader deep into their own nightmares and, perhaps, their own personal fears. Cleverly woven, hugely atmospheric and highly imaginative.

"Scuttle" has a lot of potential, but the potential is only occasionally fulfilled. There's a solid story here, with great characters, but the middle part drags too much, and all the momentum from the first third evaporates. Here someone should have pointed out to the author how this shows indecisiveness about the direction of the plot; and indeed, the Halloween/supernatural horror type of story with which the novel begins, has been entirely forgotten by the last third: the science-fictional twist was extremely artificial, forced, and unattractive, and transformed the story into dark comedy rather than the -presumably intended- horror tale it promised to be.

To begin with, the premise sounded very interesting. Apparently the story was supposed to be a creature feature: a teenage boy, who lives with his gay father and his husband, is being pressured by his peers to lose his virginity no matter what; becuase of this, the boy gets into a very uncomfortable situation (he himself gives it the familiar word for "sexual intercourse without consent"), ending up with the boy discovering that, under these circumstances, he transforms into a huge human-eating spider shooting webs (I kid you not!). However, this is not your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and soon things escalate into gore and mayhem.

The boy's part is told in first-person. The author chooses to tell the father's story also in first-person, alternating POVs as need be. So if you open the book at random, it's not immediately clear who's talking. Nor is it clear why the author chose this format for the father: probably some insights on parenthood were supposed to be given or implied, but, as far as I can see, absolutely nothing important comes through. Plus the father, a university professor married to a much younger man, is not easy to relate with; so whatever was the author's intention of telling the father's story in first-person, it's a complete failure in the end. This pretty much concludes the novel's first third.

Once trouble has begun, and the situation becomes literally irresolvable (police is involved, and lies and excuses have dried up), the author chooses to bring new characters into the story: the boy's mum herself and the father's father. The middle third of the book needs them, in order to explain the change of setting (the dad and the son evade police and find shelter in America - some huge suspension of disbelief is necessary here).

The last third of the book is essentially a repeat of the first, with the son finding new peers pressing him to have sex all over again. Predictably, things escalate in precisely the same way and mayhem ensues. This time, though, the creature feature turns into sci-fi horror. Thankfully, all the plotlines come together, and it falls to the father to provide closure. Or not.

I obviously had some problems with the structure and the format of the story, but, overall, this is not a bad horror novel: it has several promising scenes and good action sequences. It has to be said, however, that you have to read it with your moral eyes closed. Frankly, the whole story is morally bankrupt (i.e., don't expect any lessons in morality from anyone's attitude in this book). Though, of course lack of morals in a book is not a bad thing either, it becomes troublesome when the book is about kids, sex without consent, mental illness, murder, unaliving, and crime.

Weird, creepy and I couldn’t look away!
I really enjoyed this take on a horror book, perfect for the start of October.

Teen horror romp, told in a straightforward style.
When Hudson gets his mad up, he turns into a giant spider and has to feed...
Ideal for fans of an easy-read gorefest.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

At publication, I will post my review on my blog and on GoodReads.

Well that went unexpected places! Even after reading the synopsis (in my post book haze) I still feel as though this book took a HARD left into some weird horror territory.

In Scuttle we have 16yo Hudson who lives with his father and stepfather in England. He has a shaky relationship with his mother who lives back in the US. After a party at his buddy’s gets out of hand his life changes dramatically.

Obviously there are spiders involved hence the cover and title, but I wouldn’t rule this one out if you’re arachnophobic as the spider aspect isn’t necessarily the creepiest part of the book. I enjoyed the pacing in the first half but the book lulls a bit in the middle. But when things get wild again they go into ANOTHER territory I did not see coming. This book reminds me of two of my favorite Stephen King books (names withheld to avoid potential spoilers) in the best way.

This book does veer into the implausibility realm a bit, but I really enjoyed the ending. The characterization is great with likable protagonists and some wild deaths. I would absolutely recommend this book. I worried it would be YA in nature but there are definitely some adult scenes and deeper themes presented. If you vibe with creature feature mixed with WTF then check this one out.

Scuttle is one of those good old fashioned, coming of age creature feature horror novels like the ones we all grew up with (movies as well). The only part I didn't like was any remote mention of a spider because I'm an arachnophobe but this played out nicely when it comes to horror as you're supposed to feel fear and suspense.

Well that was a lot of fun! This is your old fashioned horror story. No over- worked theories - just spiders, blood and very sweaty palms. Loved it!

This book….wowser!
There were times I felt the tension actually rising in me, but I kept reading because I needed to know what was going on!

I don’t like horror movies, I also happen to really dislike spiders, so everything about this book I should have disliked, however I was hooked.

I’ve never read anything like this.
I was gripped from the start. The switch between father and son, being able to see the story from both sides was something I really liked. Short chapters. Quick descriptions to build tension.

Overall, the perfect October read. I wish I could into detail but I want to keep it spoiler free.
An absolutely brilliant read, that was fast paced, well written, dark and twisty and now my favourite by no Walter
This book would also make a fantastic film/tv series.

All Hudson wants to do is spend the night, Halloween night, in Barret Forest with his friends....and one girl in particular. What happens in the Forest, however, is anything normal. After a prank, Hudson fills with rage and... well, THINGS happen.

The premise is WHY these things are happening. The writing is gory, and really, kind of gross. It's a creature feature in a novel form.

I enjoyed this one, it was just creepy enough to keep me interested and engaged. I don't know if it's for everyone, but I liked it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Scuttle gets off to a bit of a slow start with its establishing focus on family drama, but finds its footing as a quick and freaky read around chapter 13.

Perhaps a bit more Kafka than King, but still a great October pick for those who aren’t afraid to waltz with a widow or tango with a tarantula.

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the chance to review this ARC!

A creepy coming of age novel about a struggling teenage boy and a camping trip that goes dreadfully awry

Hudson is a teenage boy struggling with normal teen things—an overprotective dad, friendship drama, and the inability to flirt with the girl he likes—but that all changes on Halloween night. While out camping and drinking in the woods to celebrate the spooky season, something attacks a girl and leaves her dead in a bizarre way. From there, Hudson’s life goes off the rails.

The cover makes it clear that this is a spidery creature feature, and while the descriptions of gore are great, I could have done with creepier spider descriptions. I wanted my skin to crawl, but I didn’t really get that feeling all that often. I did however love how weird the explanation of everything is—it might not work for everyone, but it certainly worked for me!

Not the best creature feature but I do love the idea of like, “What if someone was kinda like the Hulk but turned into a spider instead of the (not so) jolly green giant?” I just sort of wanted more ridiculousness from this, I wanted the silliness dialed up to an 11, but that’s just how I prefer my creature features. Also…the book was…essentially written…like this…and I found it super…annoying…

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Creepy, gripping, and horrific! I am not a fan of spiders. You can't trust something with that many legs (and eyes)! Scuttle begins with a teenage camping trip in the woods on Halloween, a cruel trick, and a dead body! It was instantly intriguing to me. What a great book to read during the dark fall months! This one will have the hair standing up on the back of your neck and feeling as if something is crawling over your skin! In Scuttle, Hudson, a teenager who finds himself transformed and has no idea why or what is happening to him...

This book played out like an eerie late night creature feature film that played on Saturday nights while I was growing up. It is dark, creepy, and horrific but also has heart. It touches on family, relationships, coming of age elements, secrets, and spiders.

There are some gory scenes so be warned. Despite the gory scenes, this book shines with the POV of Hudson and his father, Rex. Readers are privy to their feelings, thoughts, and motivations. Both have questions, both want the truth, and both want Hudson to be okay. I could feel Rex's desire to protect his son paired with his anxiety and dread.

I enjoyed the sense of dread and danger in this book. As the book unfolds and Hudson and his father travel to the states to gather more information from Hudson's mother, the book becomes even more tense as some revelations and truths are known.

Creepy, dark, horrific, and a wonderful fall read!

This was actually more then I expected. I don't do creature feature often, and when I do, I expect some high pay off, like Nick Cutter high.
This was actually really good, it created a nice base story and weaved the creature in. They didn't use the creature to just bash you over the head as your horror.

Loved this.

Thank you to HarperCollins for sending me an early reader’s copy of this book.

A fun, spooky ride from start to finish. Scuttle reads a bit like watching a monster movie. A little bit “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” but make it spiders. I had a really good time with this one. It’s a little funny, a little scary and a little bittersweet. Definitely a great read for Halloween!

This is a different take on a creature feature and it's a very good horror story filled with tension and horrific deaths.

Hudson lives in England with his father. He has friends but they aren't particularly nice to him, leaving him feel like an outsider at times. On a group camping trip, they pull a prank on him which causes him to spiral out of control. But what emerges is horrifying. He turns painfully into a giant spider and brutally kills and digests another camper.

But it doesn't end there. When his anger gets the best of him, he transforms and commits a string of bloody murders in his spider form. Think of a cross between a were-spider and the Incredible Hulk... only much more gory.

To escape any consequences, he and his father flee to the United States to reconnect with Hudson's mother. She seems to know things about his condition. And as the book progresses, we're let in on a secret which is much more horrifying than you first imagined.

This is a great combo of sci-fi, horror, and a creature feature with some really disturbing kills and a plot which unravels it's secrets little by little, making you want to keep reading. I recommend it.

Just in time for Halloween comes Scuttle, a blend of psychological thriller, suspense and plain old horror by Barnaby Walter. Hudson, the son of Rex and his partner Matthias, is a typical teenage boy anticipating a Halloween party in the nearby dark forest. It will be far from what he and his friends imagined and will lead to more terror. When his father realizes what has happened, he and Hudson travel to Texas where Hudson’s mother lives. Neither the change in location nor the change in name (Hudson is now Ethan) have much effect on the family. Some things are inevitable.

Good horror always is firmly planted in reality. High school classes, party plans, girlfriends slowly lead to what lies in the shadows. Barnaby Walter succeeds brilliantly at slowly building suspense as the grotesque evil grows. You’ll actually feel sorry for Hudson as he deals with his unpleasant future. And you will definitely avoid certain common Halloween decorations. Read Scuttle and you’ll know what I mean. 5 creepy stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Barnaby Walter for this ARC.

I'm a big fan of BP Walter's psychological thrillers so, although I rarely read horror, I thought I'd give this a go. I'm a ctually a big spider fan. I love them. In spite of that, this book did exactly what I'd want a horror novel to do. It had all the creeping unease, jump scares and moments of tension needed, as well as a sense of camp OTT fun underlying it. Great writing style that easily readable.

Rating: 3.8/5

I am very much a fan of the writing of B.P. Walter and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of his deliciously dark, noir-influenced psychological thrillers. "Scuttle" represents a shift in genre to something that sits more readily in the world of horror fiction, though with some sci-fi references too. Hence the author's decision to publish under the Barnaby Walter moniker instead of his usual sign-off.

As with his previous work, there is something quite dark about the world that Barnaby Walter takes his audience to - though in "Scuttle" it is presented in a manner that is far more gory and grotesque than the more subtly sinister fashion that typically features in his psychological thrillers. However, in spite of these nightmarish elements that the genre demands, Barnaby Walter's writing is still wonderfully engaging. The plot and characterisation is, as ever, perfectly sound and isn't simply sacrificed for the sake of the shock factor. Fans of horror fiction will, no doubt, pick up on influences from other books and films. I certainly detected echoes of "The Fly", "An American Werewolf in London" and Kafka's "Die Verwandlung" ("The Metamorphosis"). Regardless of whether he publishes more books as Barnaby Walter, or concentrates on extending the B.P. Walter catalogue, I have little doubt that I will be back for more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.