More Than Evil by Bil Richardson is a short read detailing the events that overtake a small mining town after an accident releases an ancient evil. It’s up to Sheriff Harlan to try and defeat the risen horror, with the help of his daughter Jessie and her boyfriend Tom. 

Richardson certainly has a flair for gore! This was good, cheesy horror fun in the vein of Hunter Shea, with a clever take on genre tropes. I get so bored and irritated with stock monsters like werewolves and vampires. There are plenty of other terrifying beasties in the lore around the world, and more were creatures than just wolves. While never actual labelled as a specific creature, these reminded me of ghouls, or even wendigo a little. 

I enjoy the language too. While this is a pretty gore-filled book, there are cool descriptions littered throughout. I loved the comparison of the continuous miner as a hungry dragon. And the opening line of the main story is gold. Definitely a great hook! 

‘Revenge is a wonderful thing. When you are in pain it is your comfort. When you are alone it is your companion. When you are hopeless it is your reason to live.’

I enjoyed the three main protagonists- Harlan, Jessie, and Tom. I had to warm up to Tom though. He was kinda annoying at first. Understandably sullen, but not handling it well. I tried not to get attached to any characters, knowing that in this subgenre of horror, you aren’t even guaranteed that your main character(s) will survive. I’m definitely going to keep an eye out for more by this author. 

****Many thanks to the author & publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Blurbed for the Manhattan Book Review.