The Silence

April 6, 2015
Stoker and Derleth winner Lebbon (Coldbrook) delivers a chilling and heart-wrenching story that transcends its "yet another global apocalypse" trappings. This time the danger in the not-too-distant future (2016) is from "vesps." These carnivorous flying creatures have been released from a long-sealed underground cave system in central Europe, where they evolved to rely on their hearing to find meat. As the vesps speed towards the U.K., Ally, a Deaf teenager, and her family attempt to escape to a quieter part of England. Ally and her father, Huw, struggle to deal with the unleashed monsters as well as the inevitable horrors committed by other humans in desperate times. Although Lebbon delivers graphic violence and gore, itâs the sense of despair that really creates the terror, as reports from the internet dwindle and the family watches people and animals die. The sacrifices made for survival are brutal, leading to a horrific and intense climax.

April 15, 2015

Watching a nature program, deaf teen Ally is horrified when spelunkers exploring a deep cave system in Moldova are suddenly attacked by flying creatures that kill everyone in the area. Faster than anyone thought possible, the beings, dubbed "vesps," spread across Europe and even make it to its Western edge, Britain. Vesps are attracted to sound, so Ally and her family pack their car intending to reach a remote area of Scotland, but the road is full of perils. VERDICT Creature-feature horror is a staple of the genre for good reason. Lebbon's (Coldbrook) latest hits all the notes you would expect as the family pulls together, faces a rolling parade of crises, sees the worst of their fellow man, and, of course, fights creepy, vicious monsters. Ally's disability means that her family is better prepared than most for a world in which any sound can bring flying death upon you.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.