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Octopus
(Octopus #1)
by
H.P Lovecraft left Him sleeping at the bottom of the South Pacific ocean. Now, Matt Shaw attempts to awaken Cthulhu.
With mounting debt, and her career not going in the direction she'd hoped for, Jessica Ann took a modelling job at the Larsen's lavish party. What should have been an easy evening soon takes a nightmarish turn when she finds herself embroiled in an insane plo ...more
With mounting debt, and her career not going in the direction she'd hoped for, Jessica Ann took a modelling job at the Larsen's lavish party. What should have been an easy evening soon takes a nightmarish turn when she finds herself embroiled in an insane plo ...more
Kindle Edition, 154 pages
Published
February 2nd 2019
by Amazon Media
(first published January 1st 2019)
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Start your review of Octopus
This is the story of an unemployed model experiencing desperation, after working with a photographer who is unimpressed by her portfolio. Her response is to attempt softcore cam modeling. She gets a job offer to attend a party and lay nude on a table with food atop her. But that is not the extent of her humiliation; it gets freakier from there. The porn industry is a backdrop, but not an essential part of the story. It is a McGuffin plot device; however, because of this it may be a possible trig
...more
I've heard good things about Matt Shaw's horror books, but I think I must be picking up duds. I grabbed this one on the basis of the book's synopsis and title - a Mythos-based horror where a cult of whack-jobs attempt to summon Cthulhu. "Extreme Horror," per the title. I was all in.
I should have listened to the reviews that said this was bad writing, bad characterization, a total lack of nerve-tingling dread that comes from attempting any type of visitation from a Great Old One. Instead, what I ...more
I should have listened to the reviews that said this was bad writing, bad characterization, a total lack of nerve-tingling dread that comes from attempting any type of visitation from a Great Old One. Instead, what I ...more
May 23, 2019
Mel
rated it
did not like it
Shelves:
working-for-a-living,
read-in-2019,
horror,
monsters,
tentacles,
creepy-houses,
religion,
sex-worker,
gore-splatter
I did read this all the way through, sadly, because I can never get that time back. It was pretty much misogynist garbage. It wasn't scary, just disgusting, and it was barely horror in my opinion, but it was horrible. It was very pornographic, which doesn't bother me, but all of the porno aspects were also misogynist, so no. Truly awful. I can't recommend this to anyone. I will probably be avoiding Matt Shaw's books now. I hated this book and not sure why I read it until the end, so I will give
...more
I’ve read some bad books in my time, but this is one of the worst. I mean really, really fucking terrible. Full review to come when I’m able to process just how bad it was.
It's extreme all right.
Lovecraft taken to its logical extremes as a desperate model runs afoul of a Cthulu cult. ...more
Lovecraft taken to its logical extremes as a desperate model runs afoul of a Cthulu cult. ...more
Jun 27, 2021
nemo the emo ☠️ (pagesandprozac)
marked it as dnf
(dnf at 15%)
i was excited to get my teeth into some more erotic horror but the writing was just too terrible to continue lmao
i was excited to get my teeth into some more erotic horror but the writing was just too terrible to continue lmao
This one was a bit of a slow start. The first half of the book is character building and establishing they are poor women, will to either sell or show their bodies for money.
Then the party starts. It's more a sex thing than
violence... Still fun.
The third part,the ritual, hooked me and convinced me to continue with the series.
I wish there had been more gore but I'm speculating that Shaw will have plenty of violence in the next books since it's labeled extreme horror ...more
Then the party starts. It's more a sex thing than
violence... Still fun.
The third part,the ritual, hooked me and convinced me to continue with the series.
I wish there had been more gore but I'm speculating that Shaw will have plenty of violence in the next books since it's labeled extreme horror ...more
This should have been named Eyes Wide Shut
If you have seen the movie Eyes wide Shut with Tom Cruise and his ex wife Nicole Kidman, the first 3/4 of this book is similar and then it takes a hard left.
If you have seen the movie Eyes wide Shut with Tom Cruise and his ex wife Nicole Kidman, the first 3/4 of this book is similar and then it takes a hard left.
The only good thing I have to say about this one is that it was short.
I don't know why I keep reading anything this author writes. Maybe I'm just waiting for one to actually be scary--after all, it's supposed to be "An Extreme Horror Novel".
But this wasn't scary. It was gross. Super gross. I don't even mind the weird sex party and all the other strange sexual things, it was just stupid and gross. And the writing wasn't even that good--Matt Shaw has a terrible habit of explaining/telling us thing ...more
I don't know why I keep reading anything this author writes. Maybe I'm just waiting for one to actually be scary--after all, it's supposed to be "An Extreme Horror Novel".
But this wasn't scary. It was gross. Super gross. I don't even mind the weird sex party and all the other strange sexual things, it was just stupid and gross. And the writing wasn't even that good--Matt Shaw has a terrible habit of explaining/telling us thing ...more
No. Just no.
I find it difficult to believe Mr Shaw has ever spoken with a sex worker in his life, and I question how many female friends he has.
I made it a quarter of the way through the book before I couldn't do it anymore. While I love a good erotic horror, the sex scenes were tedious and badly written, the characters were bald stereotypes, and everything seems to happen 'because the plot.' ...more
I find it difficult to believe Mr Shaw has ever spoken with a sex worker in his life, and I question how many female friends he has.
I made it a quarter of the way through the book before I couldn't do it anymore. While I love a good erotic horror, the sex scenes were tedious and badly written, the characters were bald stereotypes, and everything seems to happen 'because the plot.' ...more
Just not good.
While I usually enjoy Mr. Shaw's books, this one just junk! It's not a novel, but an excuse to print porn. I was very disappointed. ...more
While I usually enjoy Mr. Shaw's books, this one just junk! It's not a novel, but an excuse to print porn. I was very disappointed. ...more
It was ok.
I skimmed most of it. In my opinion not his best but still ok. If you have an hour or so and like screwed up sex and death then go ahead.
I skimmed most of it. In my opinion not his best but still ok. If you have an hour or so and like screwed up sex and death then go ahead.
Slow burn to nothing
Where do I even start with this? Matt Shaw: known for the black cover "extreme horror" novels (quotations very much necessary--check one of my other reviews). This time, with OCTOPUS, he attempts to hone in on the Lovecraftian, atmospheric horror scene. It's not very effective. The only things Shaw has in common with Lovecraft here are an octopus and a cult. And possibly a hatred of "Americanisms." He is not a master of the slow burn. Like, at all. In OCTOPUS, he makes the au ...more
Where do I even start with this? Matt Shaw: known for the black cover "extreme horror" novels (quotations very much necessary--check one of my other reviews). This time, with OCTOPUS, he attempts to hone in on the Lovecraftian, atmospheric horror scene. It's not very effective. The only things Shaw has in common with Lovecraft here are an octopus and a cult. And possibly a hatred of "Americanisms." He is not a master of the slow burn. Like, at all. In OCTOPUS, he makes the au ...more
This book reminded me why female biology grosses me out. It took an extreme horror novel about an octopus to make me want to curl up in a ball in empathy for the fairer sex. Sometimes, I wonder what repeated exposure to books like this does to us more adventurous readers subconsciously. What really happens when we put the entertainment medium or a genre of fiction before the appreciation for human wellbeing? I can't say this book wasn't well written compared to other things I've read by this aut
...more
DNF 41%
I picked up this book for the nice cover and the claim it was an extreme horror novel but it really was a chore to get through before I gave up.
The book was mainly just mechanical sex scenes and random violence. I get that its leading to something big at the party but this book doesn't do eerie darkness well.
The characters are flat. The setting is underdeveloped. Just all around meh. ...more
I picked up this book for the nice cover and the claim it was an extreme horror novel but it really was a chore to get through before I gave up.
The book was mainly just mechanical sex scenes and random violence. I get that its leading to something big at the party but this book doesn't do eerie darkness well.
The characters are flat. The setting is underdeveloped. Just all around meh. ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I simply do not know what to say! How do I rate this?I liked the flow of the book, the plot was cool, and the characters were perfectly sinister. It was very entertaining until the last 7% of the book, then it was WTF did I just read?! Since it left on a cliffhanger, I will read the next one, because I’m too invested now to not see how it’s going to turn out.
Horror at its best
Matt Shaw doing what he does best...extreme horror at its best..bloody, gory, and violence to the extreme, never to why a way from Hard hitting writing. It seems his books just get better and better .
Matt Shaw doing what he does best...extreme horror at its best..bloody, gory, and violence to the extreme, never to why a way from Hard hitting writing. It seems his books just get better and better .
Firmly set in erotica with just a splash of Horror. The Lovecraftian twist was an interesting idea, but the author seemed to get bogged down trying to push an "Extreme" edge into the story.
...more
Awful and poorly written.
I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, as it took until 70% in for anything to really happen. But when it did happen I didnt want it to end. So, I will definitely be indulging in some more Octopus with book 2 🐙🖤
I read another review on this book where the reviewer stated that those that are haters must have really liked this book, otherwise they wouldn't have read through the whole thing. If there are haters who have read through the entire book and left bad reviews it's not because they liked the book that they read through the whole thing. It's because they've invested money into the book and like me they are reading the book so they can give it the proper rating they think it deserves. The sexual na
...more
🐙Gods And Monsters🐙
I'm probably going to be crucified for this, but... here goes - I've never really been a fan of the Cthulhu mythos. There, I've said it. Let the procession of shame begin...
That being said, this story rocked.
If it had been any other author, I'd probably have passed up the book. As it is, I feel I already waited too long before giving it a go. (The end of THE PACK gave me the last nudge I needed.)
Now I'm on my merry way to get part 2!
*Is "Re(make) Me" a real podcast? ...more
I'm probably going to be crucified for this, but... here goes - I've never really been a fan of the Cthulhu mythos. There, I've said it. Let the procession of shame begin...
That being said, this story rocked.
If it had been any other author, I'd probably have passed up the book. As it is, I feel I already waited too long before giving it a go. (The end of THE PACK gave me the last nudge I needed.)
Now I'm on my merry way to get part 2!
*Is "Re(make) Me" a real podcast? ...more
I'm a bit torn about this one. It's too well written and engaging to be a three star read, but it didn't have a whole lot of story and took a long while to get anywhere. I also think the title is a mistake, for reasons explained below.
As I say, it's well written. I had been led to expect sex scenes from the blurb. These were most definitely present and weren't hilariously bad, as can too often be the case. I had been led to expect Lovecraftian shenanigans and tentacles from the blurb. These too ...more
As I say, it's well written. I had been led to expect sex scenes from the blurb. These were most definitely present and weren't hilariously bad, as can too often be the case. I had been led to expect Lovecraftian shenanigans and tentacles from the blurb. These too ...more
I got this for free somehow. I think Prime somehow gave it to me as a promotion or something. Well, it wound up costing me my time so I still wound up paying for it.
What can I say? It’s poorly written, with misspellings and typos and improper grammar, and use of lazy shortcuts, though to be fair, at least that last one winds up keeping this steaming heap short enough that I was able to read it on a single flight from Houston to Orlando. The characterization is wretched; I wonder if Matt Shaw has ...more
What can I say? It’s poorly written, with misspellings and typos and improper grammar, and use of lazy shortcuts, though to be fair, at least that last one winds up keeping this steaming heap short enough that I was able to read it on a single flight from Houston to Orlando. The characterization is wretched; I wonder if Matt Shaw has ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Matt Snore...
Matt Shaw does Lovecraft, and in the process proves that he's no Lovecraft.
I enjoy extreme horror. I'm not easily turned off by uncomfortable subject matter, and I'm certainly not prudish. That being said, I find myself scratching my head in amazement that Shaw is as popular as he is. I can only assume that people like niche markets, and this author seems to have cornered his.
My first complaint regarding this book would have to be the sheer volume of errors and typos. I understand t ...more
Matt Shaw does Lovecraft, and in the process proves that he's no Lovecraft.
I enjoy extreme horror. I'm not easily turned off by uncomfortable subject matter, and I'm certainly not prudish. That being said, I find myself scratching my head in amazement that Shaw is as popular as he is. I can only assume that people like niche markets, and this author seems to have cornered his.
My first complaint regarding this book would have to be the sheer volume of errors and typos. I understand t ...more
Shaw sure knows how to shock
Described as his most extreme novel yet, and slated by a few of his readers who found this too disgusting to describe, I had high hopes for this book but, unfortunately, actually found this tamer than many of the previous novels I have read by Shaw.
Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was very well written, highly imaginative, and great fun to read, but I did think it wasn’t as bad as all the hype made it out to be.
It takes a fair while before we get to the truly horrible ...more
Described as his most extreme novel yet, and slated by a few of his readers who found this too disgusting to describe, I had high hopes for this book but, unfortunately, actually found this tamer than many of the previous novels I have read by Shaw.
Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was very well written, highly imaginative, and great fun to read, but I did think it wasn’t as bad as all the hype made it out to be.
It takes a fair while before we get to the truly horrible ...more
I don't really know what to say.
You start reading, you know something is going to go very wrong from the beginning, you just do not know exactly what. But the book is called "Octopus" and there is definetely some reference to Chtuhlu at some point, so you start guessing...
Still, some scenes were very hard to stomach.
I have been starting very recently to read a whole series of Horror books that are different from what I generally read in the past. I used to go for the psychological ones, but I h ...more
You start reading, you know something is going to go very wrong from the beginning, you just do not know exactly what. But the book is called "Octopus" and there is definetely some reference to Chtuhlu at some point, so you start guessing...
Still, some scenes were very hard to stomach.
I have been starting very recently to read a whole series of Horror books that are different from what I generally read in the past. I used to go for the psychological ones, but I h ...more
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Biography
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life a ...more
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life a ...more
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Octopus
(3 books)
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