Relict: As If South Dakota Wasn't Bad Enough Already...

A new book with ties to North Dakota, written by a queer author, and with plenty of sci-fi/horror? Yes, please!

I've always said that the only thing worse than North Dakota is South Dakota, and this book by Minot-based author, Cody Blotter, hasn't done anything to change my mind. When I heard that one of my "theatrical colleagues" had written a new novel, I knew that I wanted to pick it up to support them. Lucky for me, this roller coaster of paleontological research and mythical creatures come to life is well worth the price of admission.

The book follows a team of researchers searching for fossils in the hills of South Dakota, a team of government agents commandeering the site for questionable purposes, and something mysterious lurking just under the surface that defies everything we think we know about evolution. And it's got quite an appetite...

If you're a fan of Jurassic Park (the Crichton novel specifically, although the movies are good too), this will definitely satisfy an itch for something in that vein that's a little bit of horror mixed with a whole lot of imaginative science. Some of the science went a bit over my head and I kept Google at the ready, but it wasn't so dense that I couldn't enjoy the story, and the action had a steady enough pace that if I felt like I was learning too much (heaven forbid!) it wasn't long before the stakes were raised yet again for our slowly diminishing team of explorers.

Although a blend of sci-fi and horror, the book stays pretty firmly grounded in the land of the former; I could have handled a little bit more blood and gore from my marauding creatures, as some of the death scenes have a fade-to-black quality that left me wanting more. If you like softer horror, this book will give you some thrills and chills without taking it too far. If you're a fan of books like The Troop or The Deep by Nick Cutter, you may end up wishing for a little more blood to go along with your scientific exploration.

I don't want to give away too much in this review; I usually abhor spoiler warnings, but this is a new book by a North Dakota author (who is also a friend), so I would rather keep this write-up mysterious and suggest that you pick up a copy for yourself. It's a lot of fun and definitely worth the read!