THE GROWTH
Adam Hulse
Raven Tale Publishing
May 17, 2022
Reviewed by Brian “Skull” Lewis

Hey there horror fans, it’s your old pal Skull with some cool independent horror! THE GROWTH from Adam Hulse and Raven Tale Publishing not only features a terrifying creature but gives readers a hard look at humanity once the thin veil of politeness is flung asunder by calamity. Speaking of stories, it’s pretty cool how I came to be the happy owner of an author signed copy of this novella. Adam was doing a giveaway of The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias on Twitter and I just happened to be the lucky winner. That was awesome in itself, but it was a mega-bonus to also receive a copy of THE GROWTH! I was immediately intrigued and dug in…

Finding myself on what I thought was a prehistoric beach, but as I read more realized was the present for victims of The GROWTH. Unfortunate people are attempting to leave an island so that they can get away from the strange dark mass that continually attacks them. The huge body of evil follows any body of water to reach its prey, so being surrounded by water is not a good thing. This fact is found out in a terrifying fashion by some municipal workers in the UK who are cleaning sewer tunnels of waste that refuses to break down in water. They’ve never had the waste physically fight them back until THE GROWTH arrives, turning the water an oily black color, confusing their minds, and harvesting their bodies…

Above ground we make the acquaintance of Tax “the inevitable man”. Just like taxes, when this sturdy fella hunts you down, it’s gonna end in tears and pain. While he’s not an overly bright person, Tax is super strong and has the instincts of an animal when it comes to staying alive. All of which is good news when he decides to help a disgraced Army scientist make a very important journey. But it’s not just the boys who’ve got a fighter. Emma is an ex-Olympic boxer who is searching for her missing girlfriend. She’s having to rely on her physical strength and training to stay alive and travel the wastelands that cities have become. It would perhaps be a bit easier if THE GROWTH was all she had to worry about, but humanity is showing its true self during these dark days. Crazed gangs of thugs roam the streets looking for victims. Some of their motivation is hunger driven, but mostly it’s the high brought on by making others suffer. Thanks to them and the ever growing evil mass called THE GROWTH, no one is safe at any time anywhere.

The action picks up speed as the novella rockets along and it seems like evil is winning. But while the fighters for good seem dwarfed by their foes, they refuse to let the fire of freedom die. As the conclusion of the story arrived, I found out that this is actually a two-book series and that is a very good thing because we’re at real cliffhanger situation folks! To remedy that, I have ordered part 2 THE GROWTH LIVES so that I can give you the full scoop in the near future. Which brings us to: What did Skull think of the book? Glad you asked! Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer gives THE GROWTH by Adam Hulse a hearty FIVE STAR RATING. Your old pal Skull really enjoyed this book. Hulse’s writing paints vivid scenes and gives us a great cast of diverse characters that are strong and believable. I found myself rooting for the good characters, being sad for those lost, and despising the villains. At 166 pages, THE GROWTH is the perfect size for travel reading, be it at the beach or on the bus to work. Highly recommended!

To find out more about Adam Hulse, visit him on Twitter @HULSEADAM . You can also check him out on linktr.ee/adamhulseauthor to see his other titles available, or contact him directly at: HULSEADAM979@gmail.com

You can also follow your old pal Skull at www.damagedskullwriterandreviewer.com for news and reviews and my mortal host Brian James Lewis is on Twitter@skullsnflames76 He has been reviewing books since 2016 when he started writing for Hellnotes and has been featured in both Aphotic Realm and Gallows Hill, Brian’s writing and poetry has most recently appeared in Trajectory Journal, The Siren’s Call e-Zine, and JMWW. He has been included in multiple HellBound Books anthologies as well.

IN A TIME WHEN POLITICIANS ARE TRYING TO BAN BOOKS AND STEAL OUR FREEDOM, BE A REBEL AND READ MORE INDEPENDENT HORROR