To be clear, I’ve read a handful of novels by Michael Cole and they’ve all been pretty good. If you’re looking for straightforward, fast-paced monster action (dinosaur, cryptid, alien or otherwise), Cole’s oeuvre is the place to start. 

But I have to say, despite the dueling “super-giants,” the military response, the unforgiving cryosphere and the (somewhat) quirky characters, I didn’t particularly enjoy Cole’s latest effort. It was bigly disappointing.  

Colossal is the story of two prehistoric creatures caught in the web of a wacky plan from environmental extremists. Damon Caine, the leader of the group, isn’t your typical Greenpeace activist; however, he is more of a religious ideologue who wants to purify the world and anoint himself as its savior. 

Right away readers learn that Damon Caine is a delusional madman. With a name like that, how could he not be? He’s a Batman villain with a Glenn Danzig song playing in the background. Also, for what it’s worth, he has a raspy voice like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

Caine doesn’t make an appearance until late in the book, but his presence is felt on every page. He’s not much of a covert operator though—characters know who he is and they talk about him endlessly. At some point, I was simply turning pages waiting for him to show up. 

Once revealed, Caine doesn’t last long. His diabolical plan is undone in a scant nine pages. Unfortunately for the 10,000 people living at Camp Boreas (representing McMurdo Station no doubt), they must deal with the consequences of his reckless actions. Because of him, there are now two giant monsters ready to smash their Antarctica home. 

First up is a giant praying mantis. Don’t laugh. A 200-pound mantis is no joke, says Cole. Should its characteristics be anywhere near its chibi counterpart, the super mantis would be a force to be reckoned with. It possesses a strength beyond anything equal to its size. In the history of planet Earth, no creature has been as ravenous or deadly as the praying mantis—and this one was filled with a malice carried over millions of years.  

The super mantid isn’t the only monster threatening Camp Boreas with destruction. There is also a 400-foot lava-spitting Dragon Snake in the neighborhood. Its brown, translucent scales are not dissimilar to medieval shields, helmets and armor. 

The fight between the two behemoths begins with a heavy rumble that rocks the entire continent. On the sidelines, a paleontologist named Dr. Patricia Weldon gasps at the sight before her. She’s an expert on the ancient Antarctica titans and knows she is witnessing the world on the brink of extinction. Who will win the titanic battle? Honestly, I couldn’t care less. 

[ Colossal / By Michael Cole / First Printing: March 2026 / ISBN: 9781923663190 ]