'Clickers Never Die' – Stephen Kozeniewski and Wile. E. Young (Macabre Ink)


In case you haven't been reading the blog all that long, I love the 'Clickers' series and I'd honestly be hard pressed to come up with another series of books that s as much fun as this one (links to all my 'Clickers' reviews are at the bottom of the page). Seriously, just when you think the books can't get any more enjoyable, something like 'Zombie Clickers' comes along and ramps the whole thing up to new levels of awesome. If I'm having a bad day, these are the books that cheer me up again.

With that said, I was gutted when the series came to an end but of course I understood why it couldn't continue. And then I found out that there was a reboot in the works... :o)

Stephen Kozeniewski and Wile E. Young have got good form, around these parts, for writing just the kind of horror/spooky fiction that I really enjoy (like 'The Perfectly Fine House' and 'The Magpie Coffin') so I was keen to see what they'd bring to a series that is pretty much the ideal setting for their humour, and their happy knack of turning this reader's stomach as well.

It turns out that 'Clickers Never Die' was bloody brilliant, of course it was. You don't have to have read the other books first, to get the most out of this one (alternate timelines and all that) but do yourself a favour and read them anyway. And on with the review...

Washed-up oceanographer Cameron Custer is hoping a mysterious living fossil discovered in the South Pacific could breathe new life into his career. Instead, Custer’s new specimen points him toward a heavily guarded secret—the truth behind the Guadalcanal Campaign. During World War II the U.S. Marine Corps had more than just the Imperial Japanese Army to contend with. They also had to wage a vicious battle against the amphibious Dark Ones and an onslaught of their deadliest servants.

Now, an ocean heaving with blood and guts, a battlefield teeming with rage and terror, a man’s demented love affair with a fish monster, and a boy’s heartwarming friendship with a prehistoric crab monster will all combine to prove that… CLICKERS NEVER DIE!

'Clickers Never Die' is that perfect reboot, a book that totally recaptures the spirit of the original series while also forging it's own path that promises 'Tremors' style developments if Kozeniewski and Young keep things going. I really hope they do.

What we've got here are two different storylines, one looking at a historic Clicker event, during World War 2, while the other builds on this event and looks at how humanity's abuse of the environment could be the tipping point for more of the same. Do the two plotlines gel? I had trouble seeing it at first, mostly because there wasn't time. Kozeniewski and Young set a ferocious pace that is punctuated by Clicker attacks and if you stop to take a breath... I didn't want to, especially when reading about US Marines being chased by baby Clickers underground, that shit was scary (and I was only reading it...) It's a sprint through piles of half dissolved human organs with a Clicker right behind you. And it's hungry... Kozeniewski and Young have absolutely nailed the tone here. Looking back now, I can see the two plots join up and it's all about foundations being laid for future books. Bring em' on.

While the 'creature feature' side of 'Clickers Never Die' is bang on target, what I really enjoyed were the other little ways of exploring what a world with Clickers in it can mean. I loved the no-holds barred, anything goes vibe of the ending but it was the relationship between Doodles and Pinchy that really made my day. I love the whole vibe of 'how can we make Clickers even more weird?' that somehow turns into the 'every child's first pet' theme that ends up as this really sweet plot running counter to all the blood, gore and scares. It's a brave move that could have fallen flat but ends up working.

'Clickers Never Die' is a big ol' clicking bundle of fun that I found impossible to put down. If you enjoyed the original 'Clickers' books (or just 'Creature Features' in general) then you're probably already reading it but it's worth saying anyway, pick this book up and give it a read. You won't regret it.

And here are my other 'Clickers' reviews...

'Clickers'

'Clickers II: The Next Wave'

'Clickers III: Dagon Rising'

'Clickers vs Zombies'

'Clickers Forever'

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