Evilution by Shaun Jeffrey
01/08/2003 . Source: Donna Jones 

pub: The Invisible College Press. 292 page enlarged paperback. Price: $14.95 (US), $23.95 (CAN). ISBN: 1-931468-13-3.

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check out website: www.invispress.com and www.shaunjeffrey.com

Chase Black is stuck in the deepest rut of her lifetime. She has no job, no money and the offers of work aren't exactly flooding in.

Her boyfriend even left her without so much as a goodbye. So when a letter arrives telling her she has won a house in the country by entering a competition she doesn't even remember taking part in, Chase is understandably sceptical.

Storm Enterprises take her to her new home and things are made even stranger by the unrelenting bank of fog surrounding the village, Paradise. The village is strange, the occupants even stranger and it disconcerts its new arrival.

When her best friend who has accompanied her disappears, Chase becomes severely worried about her decision to stay.

While this is going on, two teenagers have wandered into the fog that permanently hangs like an ethereal demarcation round the village. The teenagers know the stories about the fog but it's nothing compared to the situation they eventually find themselves in.

‘Evilution’ is Shaun Jeffrey's debut novel. It's not a debut novel to be sniffed at either. The fundamentally great thing about this book is that it hooks you from the moment you read the first chapter and then it doesn't let you go. It's an easy read so you can, if your hands won't let you put it down, read it in a day.

The characters are easily recognisable adding to the weirdness of the overall story. They are at times a little underdeveloped though it doesn't detract from the book. The detail of the actual reasoning behind Paradise's problems could have done with a little more research from Shaun Jeffrey. Again, it isn't something that stops you from finishing the book and enjoying it.

I liked the touches of irony in there. Very British sensibilities about the whole issue of our weather. The fog has actually been around for nearly two years and no one really seems to make a big deal of it...only in Britain, huh!

Also, there is a reference to the rationed food from the army because supplies cannot get in or out. They are emblazoned in a standard white label that merely has the name of the food stencilled on the side. This made me think of supermarket's own brand goods in their value ranges, I had to laugh!

What I found most impressive is that the style of writing was like a diluted version of James Herbert's books, ‘The Fog’ and ‘Haunted’. I can see that given the chance Shaun Jeffrey has the potential to become a successful horror writer in his own right. Let's hope he's given that chance!

In my opinion, this is a great piece of fiction from the horror genre. I find that good horror is hard to find and thankfully this is nothing like some of the recent turkeys I have had the unfortunate luck of buying and ending up regretting the purchase.

Go and buy this book, you definitely won't regret it!

Donna Jones