Started: January 13 2014
Finished February 18 2014
Amazon: Paperback | Ebook
I got Project Nemesis in October 2013 as part of Storybundle's Thriller bundle. This was one of the books that drew me to the bundle in the first place and I'm pleased to say that it didn't disappoint.
Project Nemesis is a Kaiju thriller, a love-letter to Japanese monster movies, and was perfectly timed in 2013 to quench my thirst for 'more of that kind of thing' after loving Pacific Rim during the summer blockbuster season.
Robinson writes in his acknowledgement in the front of the novel of his love of the genre, having grown up watching Saturday morning monster features. It's clear that he's done his research, thanks to a well thought out and interesting monster origin story that is supported by designs from Matt Frank, a well regarded Godzilla artist.
Jon Hudson is the lead investigator for the Department for Homeland Security's paranormal division. His job is a bit of a joke. There are no genuine paranormal activities for him to investigate and he spends much of his time chasing down dead-end Sasquatch sightings. It's one such apparent sighting that leads him to a small town in Maine. This is no ordinary sighting, however. It becomes clear fairly rapidly that more is going on than a simple Big Foot sighting. The area at the centre of the sightings is home to a high security complex guarded by a deadly Special Forces team. Hudson teams up with local sheriff Ashley Collins and the pair quickly find themselves at the epicentre of a monster attack.
Robinson's monster is named Nemesis, after the Greek Goddess of Revenge. Nemesis is an accident, the freak result of experiments in rapid organ growth gone wrong, the use of mysterious alien DNA mutating human tissue in to the monster. Starting off as a bear sized beast, the monster heads south from the site in Maine. It grows rapidly and causes destruction, death and mayhem as it reaches Portland and eventually Boston.
While Robinson's isn't the most elegantly written prose, he does piece together a fun and entertaining story. The monster's back story is appropriately over the top, but has depth and provides a little mystery. The action scenes are big, explosive blockbusters that ramp up in tension and excitement as the monster grows. There are sub-plots involving crazed Generals, Japanese soldiers and evil corporations. Robinson does well in painting a picture of the little stories going on in the monster's path before as it arrives to wreak havoc. It helps to make the world feel real and shows how different kinds of people react and fall foul of the devastation about them.
Project Nemesis is a light read and I'm sure anyone with even a minor amount of enthusiasm for classic monster movies would get a lot out of it. A sequel, Project Maigo is also available, having been published in late 2013.
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