Bane County: Forgotten Moon [Book Review]

Arrrrgghh!! For whatever reason, my Blogger App is not allowing me to post the cover art for this book, and that's too bad, as it is a great cover! 😕

Oh well. Here is my review:

Genre - Horror/Werewolf
Year Published - 2016
Length - 315 (digital) pages
Written by J. R. Rice

Rating: 5 Skulls

Plot Summary:
The large river-island of Bane County has a troubled past; but some histories are eagerly forgotten, especially those written in blood.

Nestled into the foothills of the National Wildlife Refuge, the small rural town of Silver Canyon seems idyllic to most; but a long-slumbering evil is about to reawaken.

Seventeen-year-old Bryce McNeel is your average teenage boy, living on a cattle ranch with his grandparents. Well, average genius, but he prefers to keep that fact to himself, no one likes a know-it-all.

When Bryce learns of a series of grisly deaths and mutilations that occurred decades earlier, his curiosity gets the better of him. Together with his cousin, Jackson, Bryce sets out to learn more about the macabre event; but as they delve deeper into the history and legends of Bane County, the two boys are horrified by what they find.

Unfortunately, history has a way of repeating itself.

As friends and neighbors begin to go missing, or worse, they find themselves embroiled in a battle for their young lives.

Review:
If you are looking for a new, fresh book to read this Halloween, look no further!

If I were to list my top three werewolf novels, they would be 'Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter',  'High Moor', and this one, 'Bane County'.

What I am about to tell you is a slight *spoiler alert*, so you may want to skip the next paragraph...

One of the things that I really like about Rice's werewolf is that it is simply a beast/monster (with a very "Laymonesque" feel to it) as opposed to a man that changes into a wolf.

*safe to resume*
If you are a fan of movies and music from the 80's & 90's, there is a deluge of musical references (such as Metallica's 'Of Wolf and Man'!) and movie quotes, which just added themselves, perfectly, into the story.

This book moves along at a brisk pace, and then ramps itself up once Deputy Bennett begins hunting the beast.

You can tell that a lot of research went into this book, as the science behind the beast, etc, is very well thought out.

This book has great mass-market appeal. It is not just for fans of horror or werewolves. If you grew up reading Hardy Boys, or enjoy mysteries, then you will definitely enjoy this book as well, and the good news is that this is Book 1! (Book 2: Returning Moon is coming, hopefully soon!)

Jason