Jamie's Reviews > Mass Hysteria

In May of this year, I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Patrick Hicks in person at StokerCon. Up until then, I had only read his novella BROKEN SHELLS, which I loved. After that read, I knew that I wanted to explore more of his writing. Meeting him in person only increased my interest, as he was so kind and cool to talk to. At the convention, I picked up a copy of MASS HYSTERIA, knowing that it was perhaps his most brutal story to date. I try not to read a lot of reviews until I've read a book for myself and form my own judgments, so I had only seen a few blurbs about this novel prior to jumping into the story. I was aware that it fits within the splatterpunk category, and unsure if this is something I'd be into.

Well, let me tell you something. It turns out that I do enjoy this subgenre, as long as it makes sense within the story, and the writing is done well. Hicks is an excellent writer, and reading this story was like viewing a full length horror film in my mind. There were a few scenes that I found difficult to stomach, and had it been a movie, I would've averted my eyes during those scenes. However, those cringeworthy moments never made me want to put the book down. The action starts early on, and it doesn't let up until the end. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's a thrill ride from start to finish, with some extremely vile characters, yet protagonists that had me invested. Also, I have serious love for stories that are set here in Michigan, so that piece added to my interest in this work (and made for some fun bookstagram opportunities). I was able to picture a lot of the locations mentioned in the book, and that made it come to life for me.

I'm so glad I took a chance on this one, and I'm excited to check out more of Mike's work in the near future!