Black Tide is cinematic horror tour de force by a brilliant new author K.C. Jones. It's a story about an alien invasion - from the point of view of just three characters, and their most horrible day spent at the beach. And it's a hell of a page turner.

It's not only the action and the scare factor of the weird, almost Cthulhu meets A Quiet Place alien invasion that causes one to turn to the pages quickly but the attachment to the characters. Our main characters, Beth and Mike, aren't perfect but are highly empathic. Their paths cross early on in the story—Beth is house sitting next door, and Mike is staring off into the distance like he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Both of them are complete messes in different ways. Beth, for her part, can’t seem to keep her life on the rails. Every time she finds something good, she seems to destroy it. Or at least that’s what her mom tells her. She’s accepted it as her lot in life, and she’s bound to make the most of this job before she moves onto the next one.

Mike, on the other hand, seems like a stable guy on the outside. He’s a movie producer who owns a nice car and a big house. He’s got bottles of champagne to spare, but he’s been more than just a little melancholy since his wife walked out (or did she walk out?). Since then, he hasn’t had much interest in this little thing called life.

The two hookup that night, and it’s the start of something for both of them. But when they wake up the next morning to the reality that the heavens are falling and aliens are invading...it's their survival that truly brings them close together and allows for them to grow.

To say much more would ruin the book. Just know that Black Tide is a suspenseful ride and one harboring tale of survival. The characters are crafted perfectly, the story is cinematic, the horror tangible. Do yourself a favor and read it.

Many thanks to Tor Nightfire for the advanced reading copy. ( )

This is much less a book than a movie treatment. better written than most though.

It's in the running for a Compton Crook Award and I am a voting member of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. ( )

There was a point, early on, where I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book because, honestly, I really didn't like either of the main characters.

Such is the strength of Jones's writing that the story swept me up in its black tide (see what I did there? Of course you did) and carried me along.

I'm actually quite jealous, as this is a deceptively simple story, in the way that King's Gerald's Game and Cujo are. There's a set up, there's a tight focus on a character or two, and they're trapped in a claustrophobic situation. And Jones absolutely smoked it.

I'll absolutely read more from him. ( )

Black Tide definitely had a lot of potential, and there were a lot of moments in the book that I really liked. I did think it would have worked better as a novella as certain scenes tended to drag and I did not see the purpose of adding a kid, Natalie, to the story, except as a way of getting them off the beach which seemed like a weak plot point to me. I really enjoy seeing authors put a different twist on cosmic horror so it was nice to read about something that is not the usual, typical zombie apocalypse fare.

I thought the characters were actually the weakest part of the book. Beth did grow on me towards the end, but that isn't saying much as I found her very annoying for the first half of the book; it was difficult to develop empathy for her when you listened to her whining inner monologue. I don't mind it when the main character is a bit of a mess as they can be very interesting to read about and makes room for a lot of character development, but I felt like the author tried too hard to make her seem that way and it came off poorly. I did like Mike and thought his job as a film producer was interesting, but he was sort of lost in the maelstrom of Beth's emotions and thoughts so I never really felt like I got to know his character very well. Jake, the dog, my favourite character!!

I did think the plot was interesting, and I like the fact that neither Mike nor Beth had any idea about what was happening, therefore the reader had to learn with the characters. Both Mike and Beth were dealing with personal issues (Mike grieving the loss of his wife, Beth just being Beth), so when they arrived at the beach, they were completely taken unaware and caught unprepared. I personally loved it that Beth didn't pack very well for a picnic which left the two of them in a difficult situation when they finally realized they were in a dangerous position. No super hero main character to MacGyver the situation in this book. I liked the reason for which the world ended and liked learning about the aliens as the characters learned about them. To be honest, I am still not sure I understand anything about them.

That being said, there were definitely some things that I don't think added to the tension. The addition of Natalie, the young girl, felt like the author couldn't think up any more unbelievable ways to get the couple off the beach so this solution was the only viable one. In a book full of unbelievable events, why does this one matter? I can't explain it other than it made me roll my eyes and just didn't seem to fit into the story. And the sex scene stuck right in the middle here? Really? You are injured, with little water, stuck on a beach with aliens, and that's what you are thinking about? Sure, makes sense.

Verdict
Black Tide had some good moments that were full of tension; having two people trapped on a beach with the rising tide and a bunch of aliens can definitely be tricky. There were quite a few unbelievable moments, but I went with it because it was interesting. It did seem like the author changed focus partway into the book and decided upon a different course of action and the ending definitely feels like there could be potential for a sequel. I would definitely be interested in learning more about these aliens and following Mike and Beth on further adventures. ( )

DNF at the 15% mark because I really do not like Beth and can't get interested in the story because I only care about the dog