Overall, I actually quite enjoyed this one, though I have some issues overall.

Let's start with the things I wasn't crazy about. And yeah, the first two will likely not sit well with some, but..

First, don't expect any strong women in this story. There's none. They're either partners who get upset if hubby's late for the dinner she's spent the afternoon cooking, or they're just there to complete a task. I would have loved one significant female role.

Second—and yes, I understand this is going to sound a bit odd for a novel written by an Indigenous author—is that it felt a bit "White Saviour-ish" having Sheriff Skip Harding (who we find out is one-quarter Indigenous) is the guy that is the only hope to take on the Crota. But hey, I'm an old white guy, so I don't necessarily have a lot of skin in the game. It's just my perception.

Third, there were times when the pacing felt off. This book starts off with a fairly decent bang, and then keeps banging for a bit. But then there's a couple of long stretches where we're fed a lot of information that likely could have been dialed back, or even removed altogether. This novel felt like it should just be one of those lean, mean creature features (as much as I loathe that term, it does feel apt here). Instead, we got a bit more than we needed, with some really odd plot decisions. As an example, with no spoiler, why was the chest hidden in the way it was (you'll know when you get there)? There's literally no explanation for it, other than Harding couldn't find it before then without messing with the plot.

Finally, the ending. It should have been big. It should have been epic. It should have left me breathless. Instead it was more of a, oh! Here it comes! Here it...oh. It's over? Already? Okay.

That being said, I have to make it clear that, despite some weird decisions, overall this book was a blast. Imagine Jaws crossed with The Manitou and you're getting close.

Definitely worth the read, and I'll absolutely come back for more Owl Goingback books. ( )

The reason I picked this up is because it won a Bram Stoker award the year I was born, 1996.

A really gore heavy and gruesome monster story. Great tale of ancient evils reawakened to take vengeance on man. The heroes of the story are likable but just shy of being fantastic and lovable. They both felt slightly lack luster. The overall lore and soft world building around this monster was pretty cool.

If Owl Goingback had spent some more time getting me invested in the characters I could see this being a perfect book, but alas… they were killed off too quickly. ( )

I had heard about this book for a while, which was originally published in the 1990s. My overall impression was that it was adequate but not particularly gripping horror. The story is about an ancient creature of evil called the Crota, which had been trapped underground but was released by an earthquake and went on a killing spree. There is a lot of gore and Native American mysticism, based on the author's native heritage. While I liked the premise, I found the story overall to be flat and the characters to lack depth. I never got invested in the characters' outcome or felt really scared by the Crota. ( )

4.5 stars...

Another good creature feature- this one is based on Native American folklore which was interesting. The hunt for the Crota also leads through subterranean caverns which I think always makes for a nice atmospheric background. ( )

Question: How can Dean Koontz have some 77,000 readers here on Library Thing and Owl Goingback 116? It boggles my mind. I myself only found out about him recently through a recommendation here on this site. So I will in return help spread the word and hopefully influence some of you to search out his books.
Traditional horror has far too few great authors to ignore such a talented newcomer. As a first novel Crota has some flaws, some of the story's mechanisms are fairly standard, and several of the characters are cut from a straight-forward Stephen King mold. But in its Native American aspects, and an original and interesting monster, the story shines. Once into it, the story will engross you to the end. ( )