Something stalks the Scottish highlands as Xlibris Publishing reviews Luke Phillips’ thriller novel Shadow Beast.
Strange things are happening in the wilds surrounding the Scottish village of Cannich. Bones of animals are turning up in usually large amounts. The usual predators are disappearing or are being found dead… in pieces. Something new stalks the night, striking from the shadows, killing with singular rending blows, and consuming all in its path. It is a creature never before seen in the British Isles… or has it?
Enter Thomas Walker, a wildlife specialist with a past as a big-game hunter specializing in man-eaters. The losses from that past, including that of his late wife, still haunt Thomas even as he attempts to put them behind him and start anew. When the wildlife research centre he works at discovers the presence of the strange predator, putting Thomas on its trail, it is not long before the creature acquires a taste for human flesh.
Thomas must put all his skill and knowledge to the test, in order to hunt the creature down and end its reign of terror over animals and humans alike.
Shadow Beast is a thoroughly enjoyable tale of Man Versus Beast, in some ways a throwback to older adventure stories where the protagonist has a deep regard for nature but also stands as a protector for both nature and humanity against the other. Thomas Walker is a likeable protagonist, modest and with an admirable desire to live comfortably in-tune with nature alongside his beloved dog. Yet when the need arises he is willing to pick up his rifle and go on the hunt. The real strength of the novel is the Creature itself.
A good half of the story is told through the Creature’s perspective, as much is told through Thomas’. The primary antagonist of the story (there is a secondary, minor, human antagonist as well), the Creature is built up throughout the novel into a nigh-unstoppable, rapacious force of nature. With each life it claims and each foe it lays low, both Thomas and the reader question whether it can be stopped. The true identity of the Creature is revealed piecemeal, making its build-up all the better and more tense, with the final confirmation of its true nature only occurring amidst the novel’s climax. As a monstrous antagonist the Creature is well-conceived and well executed, ultimately an excellent example for other authors considering similar such stories.
The novel’s primary weakness is in the author’s insertion of unnecessary details. There are times when the flow of the story is interrupted by the author having to state the exact details regarding a vehicle, a gun, or some other piece of equipment.
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Review by Ian Smith