Gary Whitta

I read Ted Naifeh's Couurtney Crumrin series a while ago and really loved it, but didn't really get into other things I tried by him. I must not have looked hard enough, because Death Jr. is a gem. Making a young grim reaper into a sweet little kid is probably not easy to do convincingly, but he and Gary Whitta have done it here. The humor is sharp, the story and characters fun. I'll be recommending this at both my jobs every chance I get.

During King Alfred's reign, after a prolonged war with the "barbarians" of the north, there is finally peace in England. However, there are whisperings that the barbarians may be gearing up for another attack, and that is when a collection of scrolls written in an archaic, unfamiliar language is discovered. Once the scrolls are deciphered by the King's priest, they discover the ability to transform common animals into vicious, mutant monsters. Abominations. However, once it is discovered show more that they are difficult to control, and the priest's motives become more singular, things quickly begin to spiral out of hand.

Though I've said it many times, I don't think I've ever been quite so torn on whether or not I've liked a novel. The story is great, so great in fact that if I was rating it individually I'd give it an easy 5 stars. I really liked the characters too! Unfortunately, there were too many little things that got on my nerves, or that simply made no sense. For example, initially the abominations are described as horrid monsters, but 20 pages into the book, the author starts describing them as "2-headed snakes" and "wolves with 6 legs." My mental images of these creatures went from vivid, horrific beasts to generic fantasy creatures.

There were many other issues too. For example, a character is described as being on a journey that has lasted 10 months, but when they send a message for help from home they arrive in a single day. Things like this, things I can't describe without spoiling the story, happened constantly, and numerous times I found my frustration at the inconsistencies overriding my enjoyment of the story.

I really do have a love-hate relationship with this book I really WANT to like it, and I do still myself rather enthusiastic about it. It's a cool concept, a compelling story, and I loved the grim atmosphere of the whole thing. I just can't overlook all its flaws. Had the author spent a bit more time ironing out the kinks, or had the editor been more diligent, this may have been a 5-star book for me. Unfortunately, it just isn't quite there. show less

I really want to bring attention to this one. In a word, Abomination was AWESOME. It feels like I’ve been waiting for a book like this my whole life, a historical fantasy mixed with horror that puts the “dark” in Dark Ages.

The only catch? The first part of this novel, composed of around a hundred pages or so, is its major weakness. I don’t want this to put anyone off though, because it really is not bad. However, when compared to the rest of the book, this section had the feel of a show more very long drawn-out prologue; the pacing here is a bit choppy, its tone blunt and cut-and-dried, the writing style straightforward and almost pedagogical in its delivery – not unlike a textbook. That’s because the first eight chapters are foremost concerned with establishing background information and historical details. They didn’t quite mesh with the part that came after. To me, Chapter Nine felt more like the real start of the story, kicking off the main narrative which takes place approximately fifteen years after the events of the first section. Here we finally get to the meat of it, when things truly begin to take off.

The entire tone of the novel also changes. We get a lot more character-focused, with the plot centered on two key protagonists. Wulfric is a former knight, fallen far from grace, who now wanders the English countryside dressed in rags and chains. Once the greatest soldier and former confidante of King Alfred the Great, Wulfric now lives in the shadows. Fifteen years ago, he fought to rid his kingdom of a plague of monstrous beasts known as abominations, and for his troubles he was cursed with a fate worse than death.

Then there’s Indra, a fierce young warrior, determined to prove herself worthy as a knight of the Order, an elite group of monster hunters. She is ten months into her initiation trial, which she must pass to become a full-fledged paladin. To do so, she’ll have to hunt down and kill an abomination within a year. Indra means to succeed, if nothing else just to defy her arrogant and controlling father, who was against this whole idea from the start. She’ll return home with the head of an abomination, or not at all.

The difference between the first third of the novel and its later two-thirds is incredible. I was not impressed with the beginning of the story, but after this turning point, I quickly changed my mind. I loved the characters. Wulfric is great, once I got to know him – which I felt we didn’t get the chance to do in the first section. He didn’t become fully realized for me until I got to meet him again in this second life of his, no longer a knight but a lowly beggar keeping away from civilization, fearing that innocents will die as a result of his terrible curse. His painful and blood-soaked past is awful and tragic, and if there’s one thing the intro did well, it was to make readers understand why Wulfric ended up the way he did. I also really liked Indra, which wasn’t too surprising; after all, it’s rare for me to read a spec fic novel and not to be drawn to a female protag, especially one this amazingly skilled with swords. Give me a woman with a sharp blade, any day.

The writing style also improved. Gary Whitta utilizes a third person omniscient point-of-view all through the novel and the effect is much like watching events play out like a movie. Of course, Whitta is also best known for his accomplishments in the film industry as a screenwriter (he did the post-apocalyptic thriller The Book of Eli and his writing credits also include Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars Rebels, and The Walking Dead game from Telltale) so that was consistent with my expectations. I also really enjoyed the main story of Abomination, a bloody and gruesome tale of monsters. I meant what I said about waiting for a book like this to come along; I rarely get to see such a cool mix of history and horror, serious but also entertaining, and absolutely not shy about the graphic violence and grotesque descriptions of the abominations.

So if you end up picking up this one and find the writing not to your tastes, please do give it a chance. Things really change and pick up after the first section. It was definitely necessary to get the history and background provided by the first eight chapters, but I think somehow weaving all that information subtly and evenly into the rest of the story would have made it a stronger novel. That also would have made a major plot reveal later on much less predictable. Still, aside the awkwardness of the first hundred pages or so, this book is scarily close to perfect. All things considered, I still really enjoyed Abomination and think it’s a damn good book. Worth checking out if you’re a fan of horror – especially if monster movies or stories are your thing! show less

Who’s Gary Whitta? Why, he’s a screenwriter (The Book of Eli, After Earth, Star Wars: Rogue One), video game writer, and comic book writer turned novelist, which is my favorite kind of author (see Peter David and Neil Gaiman). What does this mean? It means don’t expect a boring book.

And this isn’t one. Right from the start, we are summoning demons in medieval times, hooking you right away like any decent book ought to do. We’ve got good noble warrior characters, bad evil zealots show more and sorcerers, and a clear objective. It’s basically the story of the Punisher if the mafia were demons and if King Arthur was Captain America (if that makes any sense).

It’s a simple story, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good story. The biggest problem, like most novels, is that there’s a sludgy middle where there’s lots of thinking and description. Then it speeds up at the end. This is the first time I’ve noticed the pacing of a novel and it’s upsetting. But it’s still a good book. I recommend giving it a try. show less