"What Lurks Beneath" Book Review

The older I get, the more I side with those who are generally considered the antagonists in horror films and books. Mainly because the protagonists are doing jerky things. For example, I’m pro-Sawyer family from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Honestly, these jackass teens just went in the Sawyer’s house uninvited and started snooping around. Who does that? I don’t care if you do need a phone, this wasn’t an emergency to justify just waltzing into a house. And, c’mon, Franklin was so annoying. I think we all did a little dance at his reckoning. And don’t get me started on Don’t Breathe. This home owner is blind for God’s sake. And a veteran!! And some jackasses thought it was okay to break in his house and steal from him. Zero sympathy from me.

Ironically, though, as I get up here in age, I’m also finding that while I’m no doubt going to be a “get off my lawn” sort of guy eventually, there’s a certain compassion I’m developing more and more for the have nots. It could be I can empathize because of my past. Or it could be I have more friends from a variety of backgrounds than I did growing up. So it’s not often when some sort of media can play to both of these aspects of my life. But I’ll be damned if Eddie Generous’ What Lurks Beneath doesn’t.

In his latest creature feature, Generous introduces us to Anna and her son Max. Anna works at a travel agency, and when she sets up a vacation cruise for the town’s local crazy scientist fella, she decides it’s a good time to see if the rumor about him having tons of cash in his house is true. So she and her boy make a plan to do some exploring while the scientist is living the high life.

Let’s see; a mad scientist, an abandoned house, and uninvited guests. We’ve all seen this before. But that doesn’t matter, because in the hands of someone like Generous, you could have seen it a hundred times; you’ll still enjoy it because it will still be fresh.

As Anna and Max explore the house, things go south, literally, when the floor collapses and the two find themselves in an underground lair. That’s when the party starts, and the guests are giant monsters. Will our two trespassers escape certain death? Or will they fall prey to the beasts chasing them? You know the rest; read the book and find out.

Now, to get to the point I set up in those first two graphs, I have to give Generous some credit with what he does here. At first glance, Anna is someone you would judge the hell out of. You’d see her in her pajamas in your local Walmart and immediately come to a conclusion. She certainly doesn’t help her case by breaking into someone’s house (with her damn son in tow, no less). And, yes, at first I was just waiting for her to become fodder. Sure, the scientist is a dick and ultimately he deserves losing what he’s gained, but she didn’t know that before she decided to rob him. But as time went on, and I learned more of her story, I started rooting for her. This is what a skilled author can do. They can make an unlikable character likable, and Generous is a very skilled author.

Don’t get me wrong, ultimately this is a book with monsters running amok, and as always, Generous delivers that in spades. However, you can’t just drop some beasts in a book and think that’s all you need. It is critical to have characters you can root for. And, like always, Generous delivers that too.

I highly recommend you take the time to find out What Lurks Beneath. It’s another winner in Eddie Generous’ ever-growing catalog.