The Hephaestus Plague

This is a pretty mixed bag, and a person's enjoyment of it will most likely depend on how rabid a sci-fi/killer insect fan they truly are.This is one of those novels released for the sole purpose of advertising the movie, and indeed, it says so right on the cover. You have to love a book with an unpronouncable mouthful of a title like The Hephaestus Plague, when it features the blurb above the title begging you not to miss the theatrical release of the film version called "BUG".The intellectual contradiction on the cover pretty much continues through the book as well, as this slim novel contains great sci-fi premises and situations, yet some of the worst characters, dialogue, and pointless transitions you'll ever stumble across in print. This is probably the only instance where I would strongly recommend readers just skip the first chapter entirely to avoid losing hope and abandoning the book right there.But despite the rocky prose, it is interesting, and the truly painful parts are easy enough to glide over for the good stuff, of which there is plenty. So, if you like sci-fi, killer bugs, or just a quick read to pass the time, and don't mind a bit of the "I could have written this better" blues, then this is the book for you.

Forget the cheeseball movie called BUG that was made from this fine doomsday thriller. This book is a fairly creepy sci-fi monster story about a misanthropic entomologist that tampers with a newly discovered, and quite dangerous, cockroach that is unleashed during a small earthquake in North Carolina. These creatures eat pure carbon and can make fire by rubbing their rear legs together, thus creating a food supply whenever, and wherever, needed. When James Parmiter unlocks their secrets, then the true fear, and even greater threat to humankind, really begins. Worthwhile reading for monster fans.