The Equinox

By: MJ Preston

Narrated by: Scott Cluthe

It has existed for centuries.

A dark curse held captive by an ancient ritual, a creature of insatiable hunger possessing the ability to change shape at will. During the spring and fall equinox it would break through the walls separating our worlds to feed.

Now it walks among us, unrestrained, and very hungry.

Daniel Blackbird has been chasing the murderous shapeshifter known as The Walker across North America for over a decade. From north of the 60th parallel to the city of Chicago and into the heartland of a small midwestern town in Manitoba, Blackbird follows unrelenting, obsessed with vengeance. In its wake, the Walker leaves a bloody trail of eviscerated victims along the path. Blackbird finds himself drawn to the prairie town of Thomasville where a string of child murders is being investigated.

There, the chief of police, David Logan has uncovered a mass grave in the cornfield of a local farmer named Stephen Hopper. Hopper has confessed, even identified the graves, but claims that he is merely the caretaker of this macabre burial ground and that a creature who he thinks is the devil is responsible.

As Chief Logan grapples with the unthinkable, Blackbird sets out for the prairie town which, as the equinox approaches, is destined to become a killing ground where cultures and worlds will collide.

Will he get there in time? And who will believe him?

©2019 MJ Preston (P)2019 WildBlue Press

The Equinox

This was a wild story. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. Not sure if it was due to the narration or the story itself. The ending was good but I kinda pegged it early on. The idea of tying in traditional monsters from mythology to modern-day adventures is a really fun one and I am glad I had a chance to listen to this book even with the issues I had with it. I had a hard time keeping track of the characters and found myself going back over passages to fully realize the narrative. That isn't an issue in and of itself, but it happened repeatedly and it threw off the continuity for me. I enjoyed the action and the mythology of the monster. Most of the conversations were good, but some of the interactions seemed forced. It was a good book overall though.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

well done story

really good story. liked the characters. narrator was enjoyable to listen too. only thing was there was a little too much detail on some of the more unimportant scenes, but the quality of the writing made up for it. worth a listen

Carnage filled fun

Great story. Lots of carnage, action, and a great mythos story.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Native American Themed Horror

The Equinox is an engrossing novel that jumps between the perspectives of Blackbird, a Native American exiled from his tribe so he can confronting an ancient evil, and small-town Chief of Police, Logan, who investigates a series of child-murders. This allows for a mix of mythology and police investigation, told in really distinct scenes with a good sense of place and personality and build-up to the final confrontation with evil. The story might remind you of some of the 1980s-1990s horror novels which played with Native American monsters and vengeful shamans, but don't be put off, Preston is not derivative. Cluthe's deep voice works well for Logan and I'm glad he didn't do a stereotypical Native American accent for Blackbird's chapters. There did seem to be a bad edit around 8 hrs 48 mins. Overall, a big recommend for a Halloween read.
I was given this free review copy at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

Enjoyable but end drags out a bit

Towards the end, the narrative felt a little repetitive and tiresome. Also there is no meaningful gender diversity in this book. So few women contribute to the story, in fact, it disrupted my suspension of disbelief. However, if you're in the mood for a good, 1980s style gore-filled pulp this will deliver for sure.