Savage Jungle by Hunter Shea
Severed Press (April 2017)
198 pages; $11.95 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington
Fresh from their adventure in Scotland, Natalie McQueen and her brother Austin are called upon to aid Henrik Kooper in his quest to find the lost city Gadang Ur and the elusive Orang Pendek. Go ahead and Google it. You’ll find it’s every bit as much of a thing as Bigfoot, Yeti, The Jersey Devil, and The Loch Ness Monster—all cryptids Hunter Shea has written about in previous books. As a matter of fact, Savage Jungle is a sequel to his book Loch Ness Revenge.
Ah yes, Loch Ness Revenge, where Natalie and Austin called upon the services of Mr. Kooper knowing one day they would join him in avenging the death of his father in the rain forests of Sumatra. In Savage Jungle that debt has come due and it just might costs them their lives.
He didn’t know what they were. They appeared human, but they also bore a strong resemblance to apes or orangutans. Except they walked perfectly upright, with broad shoulders and small heads.
The Orang Pendek were fast and brutal and most of all, intelligent.
“If I decide to write a book about this, no one will ever publish it. It’s just way too out there.”
The writing is crisp and clean. It’s a breeze to read. Unrelenting horror with just a touch of humor. You’ve got to read Savage Jungle just to see how the movie Cool Hand Luke plays a part in the story. No one does monster horror better than Hunter Shea. A wonderful roller-coaster ride full of surprises.
Although Savage Jungle is a sequel, it works as a stand-alone novel. Needless to say, I loved this book. Recommended.
