The Return

The population of tiny town of Springerville, Arizona is steeped in a variety of legends and myths. Perhaps the most famous of those legends is that of the Mogollon Monster - a hideous half-human, half-animalistic creature that thrives on influencing the mentalities and emotions of either human beings or any species in the animal kingdom. The creature then basks in the resulting chaos that is created by such heightened tensions. The story of Springerville's Mogollan Monster has certainly become legendary, if only because of the number of times the story has been told and retold.

Yet everyone understands that there is really no such thing as the Mogollon Monster. It's all just a legend - an elaborate campfire story told by the locals to show more attract gullible tourists. After all, visiting tourists love to hear all about the mysterious legends associated with the town; perhaps it gives Springerville something of a macabre reputation - but everyone loves to be scared, right?

This is the most prevalent way of thinking, anyway. At least, it is until an excavation team unearths something very strange. The figurine of screaming woman, the jawbone of a deformed animal, and a child's toy are all found buried together. While this is definitely an odd occurrence, no one expects what happens next.

The townspeople soon begin hearing strange noises in the night, then there is an exceedingly foul odor lingering in the air, and a man's face is found hanging from a tree. Now the locals are making sure to lock their doors. Because after sundown, the campfire stories can seem to take on lives of their own - and legends become very, very real.

First of all, let me say that I really enjoyed reading this book. The story was certainly very well-developed and captured my attention right away. In my opinion, this was a uniquely intriguing plot that dealt with the horror in an unusual way. However, I also have to say that I found the story to be slightly longer than I thought it actually needed to be. I would give this book a B+! show less

Usually I devour Littles’ work like a caveman would a prime rib steak. This time, though, something went wrong ­ I just couldn’t stay conjure up enough saliva to finish the meal all the way through. The plot itself was creative enough, creepy in ways (particularly the first 100 pages or so), but it just didn’t suck me into its’ magic.

Most of his novels do pull me in, excluding this one and The University. The gripes I had with the University are similar to what I had with this one, although different in a few ways too. The plot was a bit uneven, where the waters eventually muddled from all the unneeded clumps falling in.

Glen is the type of guy not sure what he wants out of life, a drifter. Melanie is an intelligent, endearing show more woman who suited the plot. Cameron was a sweet little boy; some of the more terrifying moments were told through his POV, especially the dog (brrrrr). Archeology professor Al Wittinghill suited his job descriptions. All characters worked well enough for what they were meant for.

Things didn’t necessarily happen slowly, I just couldn’t get wrapped up in the tangle. Things progressed but I didn’t feel much emotion from them progressing. The pacing was slightly uneven, as things would slow a bit, then speed up again, leaving me slightly confused.

Obviously I was disappointed by the Return; the story didn’t grab my interest, and I never invested emotional stake in any characters. I have heard praise for this novel while I sat and praised another novel written by Little that others didn’t seem to enjoy. He seems to have something for basically everybody; you may need to experiment a little to find your gold piece. show less

This book was a bit slow getting going, but once it picked up… man, I couldnt put it down!

“Springerville is famous for the legend of the Mogollon Monster. Of course nobody really believes it. It’s just a good campfire story, something to attract gullible tourists-until an excavation team unearths the figurine of a screaming woman, the jawbone of a deformed animal, and a child’s toy. How odd that they were buried together. Odd, too, is the foul odor lingering in the air, the strange noises at night, and the main’s face found hanging from a tree. Now the locals are locking their doors. Because after sundown, campfire stories can seem very, very real.”

This one started out strong and held my interest all the way through. It was one of the few books I’ve read in the last year or two that has genuinely given me chills as I lay in bed reading. I really wasn’t sure where the plot was heading until about halfway through. Very nice read.

While overall I liked the book, it was not without its flaws. It seemed to be building to this great climax throughout the book, one where a conclusion would be reached one way or the other, questions would be answered and things would be cleaned up nicely. I was left a little in the dark in the end. A simple, quick end, yet no answers were really given. The solution to the dilemma facing the heroes just seemed a bit farfetched. There are still so many show more questions left unanswered, too many threads left hanging.

Despite the lack of a strong ending, I think this was a great book, one worth reading with the lights low in the still of the night. show less

DNFing at 76 pages. It's not bad, just boring. I can see how others would like this book. It's just not for me.

This was the worst book I have ever read. It switched between a cryptozoology theme into a space alien one. Defintley not what I expected, absolutley horrible. Don't waste your time.

Scary and well-written.