Epeolatry Book Review: Creatures of Clay by Patrick Moody
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Title: Creatures of Clay
Author: Patrick Moody
Genre: YA Horror
Publisher: DBND Publishing
Release Date: 25th June, 2021
Synopsis: Welcome to Stark Falls, New Hampshire, 1985.
A quaint, wholesome town, where couples picnic on the green, kids hang at the malt shop and drive-ins, and neighborhood potlucks are the place to be. White picket fences line well-manicured lawns, and evening concerts at the bandstand fill the town with the sound of joy.
But in the summer of ’85, the residents of Stark Falls will know fear.
A monster is on the loose.
A monster that may not be of this world.
Tensions are high in Stark Falls: a shop keeper mourns his lost son, someone has defaced the local synagogue, and something is attacking community members leaving behind a ton of mud at the crime scenes! The Crypt Crew, a group of local kids made up of Quinn, a Jewish boy, and his friends, work together to crack the case.
Creatures of Clay is the upcoming YA Horror novel from Patrick Moody, and it is a ton of fun. It brought back fond memories of afternoons curled up on the couch with a Goosebumps book as a preteen. I would happily give this to any burgeoning monster hound ready to graduate to something a bit meatier than R.L. Stine’s more formulaic chapter books. This hit so many sweet spots: the main protagonist is an underrepresented minority, everyone loves a creature feature, plus I learned a bit about Jewish folklore.
Some things about it were a little predictable, but I think this still works fine, especially since this is for a YA audience. Win, win, win.
So, if you’re looking for a feel good, small-town, coming-of-age adventure with monsters and a splash of 80’s nostalgia, look no further than Creatures of Clay. I definitely see this as the start of a great YA adventure series. I hope we will see more of the Crypt Crew in the future.
I give this 3.75 out of 5 stars.
Available from Amazon.
- About the Author
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Joe lives with his wife and son in the Pacific Northwest where the Cascade Mountains meet the Salish Sea. He enjoys writing in the weird, horror, and fantasy genres.
Growing up he enjoyed R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps books as well as classics like Dune, and Lord of the Rings. In college he discovered Stephen King, and later Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves and authors like Clive Barker and Laird Barron.
Joe’s short story, ‘Gustav Floats’, was published in Dim Shores Presents Volume 2. In the spring of 2021 his story, ‘The Pigeon Lied’ comes out in Howls From Hell.
You can follow Joe on the following social media sites:
Twitter, Good Reads, Facebook, and Instagram!
