THE CORRODING
by Ty Tracey
Miners unearth an evil entity in Tracey’s horror novel.
An Ohio mining operation blasts out a basketball-size, glowing, red crystal orb from one of the salt rock faces thousands of feet beneath Lake Erie. The object begins leaking a black, skin-melting substance and emitting irradiated, laser-like flashes of “phantom energy” that incinerate everyone at the site. From the ashes of that horrific event emerges an ancient, inhuman creature bent on planetary destruction. Inexplicable events, including mysterious explosions, vanishing towns, mutilated corpses, societal unease and panic, and fires across the skies, become commonplace across the globe. Crime scene investigator Lori Cruz appears on the scene to solve a series of bloodless, surgically precise killings devoid of a motive or a murder suspect. Lori is aided by stoner collegiate cohorts and genius-grade scientific AI geeks Dimitri and Andy, and by expert mathematician Keenan, who’s developed a device to measure the saturation of paranormal energy. Together, they work to solve the riddle of this population decimation and stop it before civilization is completely ravaged by the evil entity (elegantly named Allister Smoke). Tracey expertly builds layer upon layer of dread, haunting suspense, and malevolence in the form of a shadowy, fedora-wearing specter with midnight-black eyes. While the exciting story never seems to slow down, some readers may feel that the novel is a tad overstuffed with details and superfluous exposition. Nevertheless, the pages fly by as the menacing apparition goes about systematically extinguishing all of the world’s minds and bodies. The story is marvelously character-driven with pitch perfect dialogue; the insidious supernatural elements are finely developed and sharpened with brutal precision. An expansive, devilishly creative, genre-bending work incorporating horror, fantasy, and science fiction elements, this 600-page doorstopper requires a healthy attention span and a true appreciation for all things sinister.
A complex, cinematic, engrossing horror novel with thrills and chills galore.