S.W.A.T. officers couldn’t believe their eyes when they first saw the titular monster in Michael Coles’ latest novel. “That’s no dinosaur,” said one. “Maybe not,” said another, “but it’s some kind of lizard. What’s the word? Lizard-like? No, that’s not right … ”

The word they were looking for was “saurian,” a bipedal reptoid with overt human qualities like Killer Croc, Savage Dragon and Dr. Curt Connors. I guess you could call Godzilla and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile saurians too. 

This particular creature was different from all the others because it came from the farthest reaches of outer space. In stasis for many millennia, the saurian traveled through infinity with no self-awareness other than the constant reminder of the taste of blood and flesh.

After millions of years adrift, the saurian finally found a home on Earth. And fortunately for the hungry alien, there was a nice buffet of juicy man-meat nearby at Parker’s Middle of Nowhere Resort in the woods of McClellen, Michigan. 

The only thing greater than filling its stomach with flesh, blood, gristle and viscera, however, was the limitless satisfaction of killing. The saurian was fueled by a deep-rooted desire for violence. “It was an organism designed for killing,” said the author. Just like M.O.D.O.K. 

Without a doubt, the space saurian was a fierce and imposing creature. The scaly humanoid monster was 10-feet tall with a broad iguana-like head and a mouthful of teeth good for ripping and tearing. It definitely wasn’t a dinosaur, but when it moved, it stomped through the woods like a prehistoric Tyrannosaurus rex. When inspired, a gravely roar emitted from the back of its throat. 

Once on Earth, the alien wasted no time attacking the citizens of McClellen, as well as resort guests, various police militia and a gang of motorcycle-ridin’ bullies. To say the killings were indiscriminate would be a severe understatement—after all, the first victim was actually its very own sibling. 

The monster wasn’t nuanced in any way, but that didn’t bother me at all. The creativity of its carnage was thoroughly outstanding. By the end of the novel, the beach at Parker’s Middle of Nowhere Resort looked like Normandy on D-Day. 

One tiny quibble: Many of the victims (and survivors) in Saurian were minor characters pretending to be major characters. Usually I hate that kind of shit. But here, I’m pleased to report that the unlikely hero survives the monster attack and gets a sweet kiss as a reward. What can I say? I’m a sucker for happy endings. 

[ Saurian / By Michael Cole / First Printing: August 2024 / ISBN: 9798335370110 ]