In the 90’s, there was one author who dominated the children’s market. His name was R.L. Stine. Even if you weren’t a reader, you read Stine’s Goosebumps series. They were individual horror tales with cliffhanger chapters and bittersweet endings that didn’t sugarcoat the genre for its young readers. Zach Waymire’s Terror Times series pays homage to Goosebumps starting with the first book in the series, The Swamp Monster. This book contains a story with the familiarity of its famous predecessor but with a unique plot that makes the story its own.
The Swamp Monster plot summary
Brandon is not happy about his family’s move from Wisconsin to Arkansas. His dread is confirmed when they pull up to their new home, a rickety old house surrounded by creepy woods. From the moment he steps through the front door, Brandon feels uneasy. There are scratches on the floor, and the stairs seem to want to swallow you up. What’s worse is that only he seems to feel the eeriness around them.
When strange things begin to happen, his parents blame Brandon for the noise and damage caused from his interactions with these paranormal events. Searching for answers, he finds a journal written by a boy who used to live in the house. This boy experienced the same strange occurrences. He also seems to have vanished mid-entry. Determined to put a stop to the swamp monster who seems to be behind it all, Brandon ventures into the woods armed with his trusty pocket knife. But will he escape the monster’s grip? Or will he be doomed to a fate worse than death?
Story strengths
For a first installment in a series, it would be easy to start with a more traditional horror villain, such as a ghost or a vampire. But Waymire kicks off his Terror Times collection with a more unique villain. The Swamp Monster is more than he appears to be, along with his minions who terrorize the home and woods. And the big reveal as to how they came to be is in intriguing tale that also calls back to some famous Goosebumps stories.
The story itself is fast-paced and a fast read. The action kicks in right away, borrowing Stine’s cliffhanger chapter endings technique. Sometimes it’s a bait-and-switch method, but in any case, it keeps you reading to find out what happens next.
Waymire’s narration is very descriptive, choreographing the cat-and-mouse game that Brandon plays with the swamp monster. This highlights the isolation he feels as the result of not being believed by his family, especially his father. I think this is a very common feeling that young readers can relate to. Not being seen or heard, especially when they are trying to share something particularly important, is a realistic fear to have.
Brandon’s story definitely plays into those fears of feeling like a loner. Both his fear about moving to a new place and the fear of being the only one who sees the danger around them makes for some of the scariest elements of the story.
Rookie mistakes
The story’s main weakness is its voice. Despite being told in the first person, Brandon doesn’t sound like a kid. He uses very formal language and flowery similes in order to tell his story. Certain chapters switch to his sister, Heather’s, point of view. Her voice sounds more like a teenage girl. However, I feel like switching to a third person point of view would have made a little more sense for the style of the narration and the switching perspectives throughout the story. Even the journal entries that are used to tell the back story don’t sound like the characters who have written them.
The story also would have benefitted by better establishing the family and their relationships with one another. For instance, Brandon’s dad is quick to not believe him when he denies breaking certain items or scratching up the floor. There is no mention that Brandon has a reputation for lying or that his relationship with his father is strained or misunderstood.
The parents feel very one dimensional until they learn that Brandon really is in trouble. Then, they suddenly turn into action heroes. It’s a very jarring character shift, despite contributing to the big climax.
There is also the relationship between Brandon and Heather. Brandon describes his sister as a kind of bully, one who he envies for being able to readjust easily to their new home but who also feels tortured by her teasing. Meanwhile, Heather describes Brandon as the world’s best little brother, and she will do anything to save him. A little more interaction between these two before and after the events of the story would have been a nice subplot to explore further.
My recommendation
Overall, this story is well-plotted and pays homage to R.L. Stine’s writing style without copying any specific plot points or characterization. The Terror Times series is definitely heading in the right direction with unique stories and tightly-packed, fast-paced action. It’s nice to know that the Goosebumps tradition can live on in this series for both curious kid readers and nostalgic adults.
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