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Nicor!
Nicor the mythical water demon…
The monsters straddled the bay, giant black rowers, spurring flame far into the tropical night. From the belly of each a long, sharp proboscis stabbed down into the sea bed…
Oil rigs. Slashing, whirling teeth biting greedily into the ocean floor, sucking deeply of its secrets. Secrets that should have remained forever buried in those peaceful waters.
Oscar Blumen, a drilling superintendent is working aboard one such oil rig - ES 127. A semi-submersible anchored in the Caribbean Sea.
His job, and the job of his fellow employees aboard the oil rig, is to drill a new hole…
For in those Caribbean depths lurked something beyond the feeble powers of man, an abomination that the oilmen's relentless probing would provoke into a violent frenzy of retribution and surging…
Amid murders, disappearances, police investigations and mysterious attacks on the oil rig itself, the crew must fight for their lives against a seemingly unreal and unbelievable monster…
“Mesmeric stuff.” - The Times
“Tremayne is bloody good!” - Penthouse
“Peter Tremayne is established as one of Britain’s leading horror fantasy writers." - Retail Newsagent
“He brings to the writing of fantasy detail and dedication…scrupulous skill…” - Space Voyager
“Tremayne weaves no less engrossing tales than Edgar Allan Poe.” - Ashbury Park Press
Peter Tremayne is the fiction writing pseudonym of the Celtic scholar and author Peter Berresford Ellis. Peter Berresford Ellis is a historian, literary biographer and novelist who has published over 90 books to date under his own name and that of his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 95 short stories. His non-fiction books, articles and academic papers have made him acknowledged as one of the foremost authorities on Celtic history and culture. Under his Tremayne pseudonym he is the author of the international bestselling Sister Fidelma Mystery series. His work has appeared in 25 languages.
The monsters straddled the bay, giant black rowers, spurring flame far into the tropical night. From the belly of each a long, sharp proboscis stabbed down into the sea bed…
Oil rigs. Slashing, whirling teeth biting greedily into the ocean floor, sucking deeply of its secrets. Secrets that should have remained forever buried in those peaceful waters.
Oscar Blumen, a drilling superintendent is working aboard one such oil rig - ES 127. A semi-submersible anchored in the Caribbean Sea.
His job, and the job of his fellow employees aboard the oil rig, is to drill a new hole…
For in those Caribbean depths lurked something beyond the feeble powers of man, an abomination that the oilmen's relentless probing would provoke into a violent frenzy of retribution and surging…
Amid murders, disappearances, police investigations and mysterious attacks on the oil rig itself, the crew must fight for their lives against a seemingly unreal and unbelievable monster…
“Mesmeric stuff.” - The Times
“Tremayne is bloody good!” - Penthouse
“Peter Tremayne is established as one of Britain’s leading horror fantasy writers." - Retail Newsagent
“He brings to the writing of fantasy detail and dedication…scrupulous skill…” - Space Voyager
“Tremayne weaves no less engrossing tales than Edgar Allan Poe.” - Ashbury Park Press
Peter Tremayne is the fiction writing pseudonym of the Celtic scholar and author Peter Berresford Ellis. Peter Berresford Ellis is a historian, literary biographer and novelist who has published over 90 books to date under his own name and that of his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 95 short stories. His non-fiction books, articles and academic papers have made him acknowledged as one of the foremost authorities on Celtic history and culture. Under his Tremayne pseudonym he is the author of the international bestselling Sister Fidelma Mystery series. His work has appeared in 25 languages.
- GenresHorror
211 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
14 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Peter Tremayne
206 books474 followersPeter Berresford Ellis (born 10 March 1943) is a historian, literary biographer, and novelist who has published over 90 books to date either under his own name or his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 95 short stories. His non-fiction books, articles and academic papers have made him acknowledged as an authority on Celtic history and culture. As Peter Tremayne, he is the author of the international bestselling Sister Fidelma mystery series. His work has appeared in 25 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 18, 2017
Nicor is a novel about a water serpent/monster and a murder mystery which lacks the monster and the mystery. Reading it was quite a gruelling experience, as I expected to see a reason for this 80's relic to be getting republished in 2017, when the horror genre is widespread and versatile. Alas, I found none.
The book is a slim one and yet it manages to spend the bulk of its pages on exposition, weak writing, and, puzzlingly, not on the titular Nicor. In fact, it takes the characters about 75-80% of the book to finally get their wits together and figure out what's happening. Well, that's some strong wording as they don't really put the clues into a big picture, they just finally see the monster and go "Oh, so this is happening".
The decision to hold off on actually properly introducing the creature into the plot doesn't just give a poor result, it also gives a perfect example of just how bafflingly out of touch with the genre the novel is. The monster is barely featured, the climax is anticlimactic (and not remedied by strong earlier chapters, the way it happens in more competent books), the exposition is as clumsy as it gets, reminding the reader of a wikipedia article being pasted into the middle of the narrative.
I usually find pluses in even the weakest books that I read, but I'm struggling to come up with something here. I suppose the setting is somewhat unusual? And there was a seeming attempt at not being completely fridgey with the female characters, but it feels half-hearted and, honestly, the female protagonist was the least of this novel's problems.
If you're looking for a B-movie creature feature - give this a pass.
If you're trying to find an older horror story - give this a pass.
If you want a short, unrewarding, weak book - give this a pass anyway, there are things that fit those criteria and aren't as much of a chore to read.
Digital copy received from the publisher via Netgalley
The book is a slim one and yet it manages to spend the bulk of its pages on exposition, weak writing, and, puzzlingly, not on the titular Nicor. In fact, it takes the characters about 75-80% of the book to finally get their wits together and figure out what's happening. Well, that's some strong wording as they don't really put the clues into a big picture, they just finally see the monster and go "Oh, so this is happening".
The decision to hold off on actually properly introducing the creature into the plot doesn't just give a poor result, it also gives a perfect example of just how bafflingly out of touch with the genre the novel is. The monster is barely featured, the climax is anticlimactic (and not remedied by strong earlier chapters, the way it happens in more competent books), the exposition is as clumsy as it gets, reminding the reader of a wikipedia article being pasted into the middle of the narrative.
I usually find pluses in even the weakest books that I read, but I'm struggling to come up with something here. I suppose the setting is somewhat unusual? And there was a seeming attempt at not being completely fridgey with the female characters, but it feels half-hearted and, honestly, the female protagonist was the least of this novel's problems.
If you're looking for a B-movie creature feature - give this a pass.
If you're trying to find an older horror story - give this a pass.
If you want a short, unrewarding, weak book - give this a pass anyway, there are things that fit those criteria and aren't as much of a chore to read.
Digital copy received from the publisher via Netgalley
April 24, 2021
Kaiju Venezuela.
When an offshore oil rig accidentally drills into a deep sea pocket of prehistoric ocean (as oil companies are wont to do in underwater monster stories), they release Peter Tremayne’s Nicor! -- a giant kaiju that quickly goes about sinking ships, eating divers, and trashing petroleum-connected infrastructure (as underwater monsters are also wont to do).
To be clear, there’s not a whole lot to separate Nicor! from other Godzilla-inspired pastiches. Tremayne does tack on a murder plot -- largely to give his protagonists something constructive to do while the giant kaiju tears apart their oil platform like a little erector set – but despite being in very familiar waters, I found myself liking this one. Tremayne doesn’t oversell his plot, keeping this to a lean 200 or so pages, and his easy prose keeps things moving fast enough that you can reasonably overlook the silly parts.
(Silly parts … obligatory hurricane approaching to helpfully knock-out communications just as kaiju attacks; going to your cabin for naps and showers before you’ve apprehended the serial killer stalking your oil platform; and the paleo-ignorant Professor Huston who uses his cracker-jack degree to equate a 300 foot kaiju with a Permian proto-alligator that maxed out at 10 feet, was only semi-aquatic, and lived freshwater swamps and ponds. Small wonder this geologic genius had his oil crew drilling for kaiju lairs instead of crude).
Take this one for what it is – a 1950s classic monster movie – enjoyable enough if you are in to this sort of thing -- not bad for a plane ride, a rainy afternoon, or helping you through the hours (and the side-effects) of your second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
May 20, 2019
I enjoyed this read as it's a subject I hold close to my heart. All of the creature content is mostly well executed and well paced. The murder mystery aspect of the story I struggled with at the beginning, but grew into it and together with a fantastic setting, made for a solid finale.
May 29, 2017
This was a fun book. I am all about monster, kaiju type stories, but this one was a light, fun read. The 'romance' part of it seemed a bit forced and disjointed- totally unrealistic, but the rest was pretty good, to say the least.
If you want a light, fun romp with monsters from the deep, this book is for you!
If you want a light, fun romp with monsters from the deep, this book is for you!
July 19, 2017
Nicor
Pretty good book , if you like sea monsters...Throw in a crazed worker on an oil rig in Venezuela's sea and you've got a mystery in the making
Pretty good book , if you like sea monsters...Throw in a crazed worker on an oil rig in Venezuela's sea and you've got a mystery in the making
October 19, 2017
A beast beneath the waves. Now that sounds interesting.
When men drill too deep into the ocean sea bed they awaken an ancient beast. That’s when it all starts. People disappear. Mysterious attacks are made on the oil rig. And then the beast shows itself. It’s every man for himself when the killing really begins.
I’ve seen several movies and read plenty of books with this story line. Never gets old for me.
And while this one didn’t blow me away, it was a fun creature story. I can’t resist monsters from the deep. And this one is a water demon. Something different for me.
When men drill too deep into the ocean sea bed they awaken an ancient beast. That’s when it all starts. People disappear. Mysterious attacks are made on the oil rig. And then the beast shows itself. It’s every man for himself when the killing really begins.
I’ve seen several movies and read plenty of books with this story line. Never gets old for me.
And while this one didn’t blow me away, it was a fun creature story. I can’t resist monsters from the deep. And this one is a water demon. Something different for me.
March 22, 2019
Well????
Not bad, it was ticking along nicely. The story is ok a little predictable. It just ends too quickly. Only my opinion.
Not bad, it was ticking along nicely. The story is ok a little predictable. It just ends too quickly. Only my opinion.
August 14, 2019
Exelant
Enjoyed the book, wasn't farfetched as some, great sea monster, liked the ending, characters laid out well, defiantly early be purchasing more books
Enjoyed the book, wasn't farfetched as some, great sea monster, liked the ending, characters laid out well, defiantly early be purchasing more books
March 23, 2013
I have previously read Tremayne's rather interesting Dracula Unborn and subsequently learned that he is also the author behind a series of Sister Fidelma mysteries based in Ireland, that his parents were from Cork (where I now live) and that he still seems to visit Ireland frequently. In other words: Tremayne (also known as Peter Berresford Ellis) is practically a local author.
Thus when I came across Nicor in a second hand book store my curiosity was piqued and I grabbed it straight away.
It's a straightforward and not very surprising middle-of-the-road animal on a rampage horror novel. When an oil rig accidentally releases a pre-historic sea monster all hell breaks loose. The thin plot is getting more stretched and diluted by a totally unnecessary and also not really surprising murder mystery on the mainland that is remotely linked to the oil rig.
Not really bad but most definitely not great either.
Thus when I came across Nicor in a second hand book store my curiosity was piqued and I grabbed it straight away.
It's a straightforward and not very surprising middle-of-the-road animal on a rampage horror novel. When an oil rig accidentally releases a pre-historic sea monster all hell breaks loose. The thin plot is getting more stretched and diluted by a totally unnecessary and also not really surprising murder mystery on the mainland that is remotely linked to the oil rig.
Not really bad but most definitely not great either.
March 28, 2017
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
With an unknown monster unleashed by deep sea oil drilling, the waters of Venezuela are troubled. The drill rig is threatened not only by this creature, but also by the elements as a huge storm blows in. With murder, jewels, and a little romance, this book is quite good, but, in my opinion, much too short. I feel more could have been put into it to "flesh it out." Only my opinion.
With an unknown monster unleashed by deep sea oil drilling, the waters of Venezuela are troubled. The drill rig is threatened not only by this creature, but also by the elements as a huge storm blows in. With murder, jewels, and a little romance, this book is quite good, but, in my opinion, much too short. I feel more could have been put into it to "flesh it out." Only my opinion.
April 4, 2017
3 stars
Nicor is a giant sea monster who dwells under the sea. An oil rig drilling a new hole disturbs the monster who then rises to the surface to seek vengeance. Meanwhile a killer is stalking the men on the rig.
The first half of this book is rather slow. I usually read these kinds of books to get an adrenaline infusion. I was a little bored with the beginning of the book. The second half is more exciting wherein we get to learn about Nicor and his (her?) doings.
The men on the rig must struggle against the sea monster while also putting up with murders committed by men and an intrusive investigation by the police.
This is not a bad little book. It would have been better if the first half of the book were more interesting. The writing is okay; I would give it a “B.”
I want to thank Netgalley and Endeavour Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.
Nicor is a giant sea monster who dwells under the sea. An oil rig drilling a new hole disturbs the monster who then rises to the surface to seek vengeance. Meanwhile a killer is stalking the men on the rig.
The first half of this book is rather slow. I usually read these kinds of books to get an adrenaline infusion. I was a little bored with the beginning of the book. The second half is more exciting wherein we get to learn about Nicor and his (her?) doings.
The men on the rig must struggle against the sea monster while also putting up with murders committed by men and an intrusive investigation by the police.
This is not a bad little book. It would have been better if the first half of the book were more interesting. The writing is okay; I would give it a “B.”
I want to thank Netgalley and Endeavour Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.
May 2, 2017
I received this from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
It started a little slow, but it did pick up in pace about half way thru. I really enjoyed this book, although there was a murder mystery thrown in with the monster story, that at times was a little confusing. The ending felt a little rushed, but it also felt like a cliffhanger. If the author is willing to do a sequel I would be more than willing to read it.
It started a little slow, but it did pick up in pace about half way thru. I really enjoyed this book, although there was a murder mystery thrown in with the monster story, that at times was a little confusing. The ending felt a little rushed, but it also felt like a cliffhanger. If the author is willing to do a sequel I would be more than willing to read it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews