Damien Kane: Book Review: Devour by Paul Adams (1981)

I had a beautiful time in the 1980's with three respected writers called Guy N Smith, James Herbert, Stephen King. There were other writers, but they didn't enjoy the same popularity. I admit to skipping them from time to time. The fact that I was 10 was no excuse.

The plain fact today, now that I'm in my 30's, is that I am tracking down these older books from the 80's to read. Some bring back memories and others I've plain forgot until I find it again sitting on a rococo shelf in a dilapidated warehouse of books.

So, to Devour (c)1981, where 27 years have now passed, he chuckled.
As a preferred reader of Guy N Smith, I believed this novel would transcend my usual boundaries and requirements for a good read and although the ecological factors were sound in principle, the novel didn't have that magic I like to call resonance. In fact, it took me a very long time to read it because the characters were unbelievable and placed themselves in situations no sane person would do. It was difficult to latch on to any of the characters, because they tended to die, and when a stronger character came in, I felt reserved, knowing that his death was inevitable. The fact I was wrong made me feel cheated.

This killing is valid throughout the whole novel. The first words of Chapter 1 read, 'For a man about to commit murder ..." which I would usually sit up and take note, but the more I read, the longer the back story in those first few pages, I put Devour in my 'To read with force' pile. Whether that force would be a cattle prod, broken down train, A-bomb: it was there.

Well the day came when the A-bomb came out and I returned to full time work from chronic fatigue syndrome. Being a short publication, I thought it was the perfect novel: easy to read, don't have to concentrate on characters because they die and then tell you their life - easy.

The book failed to convince me that my thoughts were wrong. One of my 'poison' words is the word 'chuckle'. I hate it, yet, Paul Adams chuckled his way through hundreds of pages, regardless of the character, regardless of whether they were being eaten alive by fish larger than human beings. Not twenty pages in, another character chuckles while knee-deep in water, surrounded by killer fish. He chuckled himself to death, and he wasn't the only one.

There is very little in this novel to give credit for, as the theme calls for a an industrial plant to pollute the waters that genetically enhance the pike. It didn't make sense that it would be so quick and nobody would have found out about these 3, 5 8, 10+ foot monsters when there are plenty of people fishing and ambling along the waters. Don't get me started on Eureka moments when the problem suddenly flashes into play and the book closes soon after. I ain't chucklin' about that one.

Another pet hate of mine is adverbs. I've just opened the book at random to page 113 specifically looking for adverbs -ly. There are 6 adverbs and one chuckle. There's nothing to like about this novel apart from how people die; how does Paul illustrate death? Sometimes, he does well. At other times, it reads like a newspaper.

Everybody is talking. There is little descriptive about the here and now, where they are and what it looks and smells like. I want places to breathe out of the page and into my face, and Devour doesn't do that. The characters are about as stale as the atmosphere they create, and despite some research into the subject matter, there is little else for this book to go.

It is with irony that most reviews recommend Devour by Paul Adams. Perhaps in its time, it was a groundbreaking story full of new, inventive tips and tricks. Today, it is a good example of how not to write a book.

To Mr Adams, I humbly ask you refrain from taking the above too personally. Like any industry, writing has merged, evolved, changed, morphed, and outgrown well-used tropes. They are like computers and soon go out of fashion, but it doesn't mean they are any less entertaining. By far: there is a lot to learn in this novel and what pitfalls are out there for the aspiring writer, so to Mr Adams, thank you for the opportunity to read.

Overall, the book was second hand and cheap. Characters bumbled around like bingo balls and the plot seemed to kill off many characters before it became a solid and commensurable rapport with the reader. There was very little pace and the ending was too rigid and in the right place at the right time for my taste. I identified with no characters. I disliked all their back stories and the overwhelming amount of chuckling and adverbs made me roll my eyes every time.