Wait Your Turn and The Stability of Large Systems
A Double Monster Feature
Eerie stories harkening back to the grand old tales of The Twilight Zone will thrill as they entertain.
With his latest book, Peter Grandbois has offered two retellings of classic movies, bringing new twists to each. In the first novella, he takes the reader inside the head of Gill Man from The Creature from the Black Lagoon. In the second, he brings more depth to André Delambre from The Fly. However, neither story follows the plot of the original movies. In both cases, Peter Grandbois reimagines these stories and weaves in new and creative themes.
“Wait Your Turn” is told from the point of view of Gill Man. In this version, the creature is not merely an actor in a suit. He is an actual monster hired to play the part he was born for. The tale follows Gill Man onto the set where he falls in love with the leading lady. As the creature says, “The early days with Julia were the best of my life.” The story follows the creature’s relationship with Julia and the rest of the cast, as well as a few other people who come and go through his life.
The second story, “The Stability of Large Systems,” follows the trials and travails of André Delambre, a mad scientist. This story takes the reader inside the head of another famous monster and tells of his own struggles with his existence. He is a philosopher, of sorts. His view of science can be summed up in two sentences from his journal: “Science cannot progress without failure. We cannot light the night sky with our ideas, unless we endure burning.”
Grandbois has a flair for telling stories in refreshingly unique ways. The first novella alternates between two seemingly unconnected stories. Gill Man tells his own story, but there are interludes involving an old gentleman and a young boy. The two stories don’t come together until the end, when it all fits and makes perfect sense. The second novella is told through journal entries as André becomes more monstrous and less human. Grandbois shows the evolution of the character changing from hero to villain.
Grandbois has won numerous awards for his previous books, and it is easy to see why. His writing is clear and concise with colorful phrasing and impeccable grammar. His dialogue flows naturally and never seems forced. Indeed, the only thing that could have made this book better would have been the inclusion of one more story, as the book is rather short. These two novellas will be of particular interest to fans of old horror movies, but the writing is so good that it goes beyond genres.
Reviewed by
Jass Elliot
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
