A few years ago I had read a military fantasy series by Myke Cole called Shadow Ops. More recently I’ve been wondering why can’t I find a good military/horror crossover. That’s not to say there isn’t anything of the sort, I just hadn’t found it yet. I came across Into the Mist, by Lee Murray and I’m pleased to say that if this book is indicative of the rest of the series, I’ve found what I’m looking for.
Sergeant Taine Mckenna, a member of the New Zealand Defence Force and his squad are tasked with providing security for a civilian research team in the Te Urewera National Park. What’s initially seen as a babysitting task turns life or death for not only the task force but local separatists as well. The atmosphere of this book is incredible. The author's love and respect for her homeland shine through in the story, with her descriptions of the setting and her infusion of Māori language and legends. I loved being able to flip to the back of the book and discover the meaning of the unfamiliar words that I was reading, this glossary also extends to some of the military acronyms readers may be unfamiliar with. The book is very well written and contains both likable characters, and one character just begging to be slaughtered. I wish that we had gotten to know more about Mckenna in this book, and that’s about the only issue I have as far as characterization goes. Once things pick up, the book maintains a constant level of tension. Murray does an excellent job of creating a creature that is steeped in Māori legend, while at the same time is based on a native species which in turn leads to a believable killing machine. The creature in this book is death incarnate. Murray writes good action sequences and brings gruesome death to those in the way of this mythological creature come to life.
Into The Mist, by Lee Murray is an excellent creature novel. It’s well constructed, the characters are believable and the creature here is relentless. Murray’s use of the New Zealand setting, local Māori legend and the fusion of military and horror come together to create an amazingly fun read. The story in these pages felt like a cross between Jurassic Park and the Predator. This is one of my favorite creature horrors I’ve ever read, I’m buying the sequels soon and I recommend you buy Into the Mist.
John is a native of Cranston, Rhode Island. He served 4 years in the United States Marine Corps, deploying twice to Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s a lover of all things horror, pizza and cheeseburgers. When he’s not reading or watching boxing he spends his time with his amazing wife and two beautiful sons.
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