This book is both exactly what I thought it wanted it to be, but also so much more than that.

What I wanted: a tense and fun creature feature involving gigantic worms that eat people. That box is checked for sure.

What I got instead: the giant worms are there, but so are well-developed characters I actually cared about, as well as slower-burn beginning for world building and suspense. The book also takes a turn in the second half that I was NOT expecting. No spoilers, but my jaw literally dropped open when I realized where it was going, and I immediately messaged several people I know who've read the book so I could gush about it. Like the book is instantly elevated from amazing to top 10 reads of the year.

I absolutely love the post-apocalyptic setup for this book. One day it started raining and then it never stopped. Such a simple yet chilling premise. The book starts some 40 days in after the rain began, and is written from the perspective of an elderly man named Teddy. Like any good creature feature we're given unnerving scenes of mysterious incidents to build up to the terrifying reveal of the mammoth worms. It's so creepy, and at the same time it does such a good job of populating the story with multi-faceted and engaging characters.

Like I said, the book takes some turns that shocked and surprised me. It also does a good job of pulling back the curtain some to show destruction on a global scale, while also shrouding the life-altering events in mystery to keep you guessing. It's not necessarily a "fast-paced" read, but it never stops moving and there are plenty of scenes involving intense action and suspense to keep the pages turning. This is my first book by Brian Keene, though I've always known him to be an author whom many consider a master in the field of horror. After reading this I can certainly see why, and I will definitely be seeking out more of his work! ( )

Nobody Apocalypses like Brian Keene. Or as often. Whether by zombies (The Rising, City of the Dead, Dead Sea), a dark zone that appears on the edge of town (Darkness on the Edge of Town), a loud horn-like sound after which a large percentage of the population just isn’t there any more (Take the Long Way Home), giant crabs and miscellaneous other deep sea creepy creatures (Clickers 2-4), or any combination of the above, he does it better than anyone.

In the first Earthworm Gods book (there are 2) he does it with rain....rain and worms. At least to start. Lets just say if the land is bad, you don’t even want to hear about what is going on in the oceans.

And unlike the typical horror story where some scientist or shaman or bulked up guy with a shot gun kicks the monster’s butt and sends it home to whatever dark crevice or dimensional worm hole it came from, the cavalry is most likely a day late and a dollar short if they arrive at all. Keene takes these stories all the way to end.

The worms appear on the first page, folks, and the action just keeps steamrolling throughout the whole novel. Great characters if a bit (ok, a lot) stereotypical. You will care about them anyway. Naaaaasty creatures (the worms are just the beginning). Even nastier humans. Little hope of survival. Satanists on surf boards! I kid you not. Great fights, totally creepy scenes, huge doses of carnage and destruction, edge of your seat action.

A great big bag full of awesome.
( )

Mai avrei pensato che un piccolo libricino Urania potesse piacermi cosi tanto!!! un horror apocalittico veramente particolare, personaggi semplici ma interessanti suspence a mille e descrizioni credibili pur essendo un Fiction...
wooowww!!! ( )

Mai avrei pensato che un piccolo libricino Urania potesse piacermi cosi tanto!!! un horror apocalittico veramente particolare, personaggi semplici ma interessanti suspence a mille e descrizioni credibili pur essendo un Fiction...
wooowww!!! ( )

I am a big fan of Brian Keene's work and I think that this is my favorite.I did not at first really like this book but as I read the second part I really got into the story. I loved Kevin's part of the story with the mermaid and Cthulhu like elder god. I hope that Keene continues to write more in his Labyrinth Mythos, I am running out of his books. ( )