Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max BrooksMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The slow build-up, the rapid escalation and the palpable tension before the climactic release. The structure is near perfect. The promises, the release, they are all amazing and satisfying. So satisfying. Right up to the very end, Brooks hits the beats he needs to hit.
The epistolary format works. The diary entries, the peppered interviews, they blend well. The quotes, the ideas, they are poetically reflective (sometimes a little too on-the-nose, but still pretty good). In this, I couldn't help but compare it to World War Z. The difference lies in the focus on a single character instead of a myriad cast. This means Devolution has character development to some extent, but World War Z is more grand in scope and scale.
The characters are interesting, the larger plot is strong and the take on the Sasquatch sort-of redefines the monster.
That's where the problems start, really. For me, the book did everything right towards the beginning. The build-up was exquisite, the introduction to the monsters was amazing. It fell apart slightly when we actually faced the monsters. They went from being scary, inhuman and powerful to being anthropomorphized heavily. It's not that they were humanised, but rather the way the language does it that takes away from the horror. Their intelligence makes them feel less threatening.
The final climax had very little tension because of this. That one chapter ruins the sense of power that had been building. It is satisfying in terms of plot, but does nothing more than the bare minimum. The final ending is, as a result, not rewarding to read. It's a solid concept, but the execution is a little lacking.
The characters are decent, if lacking a little complexity. The ways in which they adapt though. I don't know, I found it quite amazing. It managed to surprise me a few times. That was nice. In this very narrow field of how well a piece of narrative fiction handles people adaptation for combat and self-defense against a strange enemy, this book outdoes other similar books and movies. That's one of the reasons why I can't help comparing it to World War Z. This is World War Z, but significantly smaller in scope, scale and emotional weight.
I don't feel like re-reading it. If you're looking for a Max Brooks novel, World War Z is the better one. Still, good reading. Entertaining if not groundbreaking or super evocative.
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