'Clickers' – J.F. Gonzalez & Mark Williams (Deadite Press)

I told you that it wouldn't be long before I did a re-read of the 'Clickers' series and finally sorting my Kindle out hastened the day :o)

The 'Clickers' series first came to my attention when I was ploughing my way through the works of one Brian Keene (a favourite horror author of mine by the way, definitely check him out if you haven't already). That led me to 'Clickers 2' but clearly that was no place to start so I went back a bit further and started from the beginning.

That was a long time ago though, long enough that I'd pretty much forgotten the ins and outs of 'Clickers' when I picked it up a couple of days ago. Having finished it last night... Well, 'Clickers' won't put me off eating a nice bit of lobster but I had a great time reading it and I can't wait to get going properly with the series.

Click Click Click Click.
Phillipsport, Maine is a quaint and peaceful seaside village. But when hundreds of creatures pour out of the ocean and attack, its residents must take up arms to drive the beasts back. They are the Clickers, giant venomous blood-thirsty crabs from the depths of the sea. The only warning to their rampage of dismemberment and death is the terrible clicking of their claws. But these monsters aren't merely here to ravage and pillage. They are being driven onto land by fear. Something is hunting the Clickers. Something ancient and without mercy.

A lot of the books that I read, and talk about here, are judged partly on the basis of how they help me cope with the grim monotony of my daily commute (especially now winter is here). 'Clickers' is one of those rare books where I hardly noticed the journey to work at all. In fact, I actually had to force myself to look out of the window every now and then, just to make sure that I didn't miss my stop.

So why was that...? Gonzalez and Williams are masters of setting the scene, in the prologue, and spicing it up with a little tension (you don't actually properly see a Clicker until the first chapter) to get you hooked. And then, because apparently they really like to draw out the tension, they dial everything right back and you're suddenly reading about Rick Sycheck's introduction to the sleepy little town of Phillipsport. The Sheriff is a bit of a bastard but this could be just the place to help Rick overcome a case of writer's block. And then...

And then...

BANG!

Everything just kicks all at once and we're into b-movie territory as the Clickers invade. The gore is liberally applied and there are some genuinely scary moments as people are cornered and the inevitable happens. What struck me though is how tightly Gonzalez and Williams keep a hold on the plot. All of this stuff is happening but things still move forwards. Everything is under control and not only is this the case but you can also feel how much fun Gonzalez and Williams are having with the scenario they have come up with. So much fun in fact that they essentially pull the same trick two more times and do it all over again. What's great here is that it feels fresh every time they do it., purely because they're having such a great time writing it.

Gonzalez and Williams are also not afraid, at all, to bow out at the end having stretched our hero to the absolute limit of what he can deal with. I've read 'Clickers' before but even I felt like I'd been punched in the gut (again) after reading the last few chapters. No wonder Rick was in the state he was in during the events of 'Captivity'...

'Clickers' is a lot of fun in all the best pulp horror traditions and I would recommend it, in a heartbeat, to anyone. Now, onto 'Clickers II: The Next Wave'...