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Gale Harbour #2
Revenge of the Space-Surfing Butt Monkeys
Newfoundland, Canada, 1993.
It's been a year since a handful of kids defeated the Psycho Hose Beast in the sleepy town of Gale Harbour, Newfoundland. Our heroes have entered into the era of rollerblades, Super Nintendo and oversized plaid shirts… unless you’re a goth, then it’s the era of Maybelline eyeliner, boots with too many buckles, and infected safety-pin piercings.
Thirteen-year-old Niall O'Neil is navigating a blossoming relationship with his crush, Harper Jeddore. Unfortunately, the power that allowed them to defeat the monster from the deep is still within them, and they are no closer to understanding or controlling it. When just touching your girlfriend can kill innocent bystanders, it complicates the already precarious practice of teenage dating.
But lurking in the backdrop of teenage romance, a sinister power is growing in Gale Harbour, and dangerous people are turning up in the small town with possibly deadly intentions.
Will the kids defeat this new threat? What did the US Air Force leave in the abandoned Hansen Air Force base? What is a space-surfing butt monkey? And most importantly—will anyone get to touch a boob?
It's been a year since a handful of kids defeated the Psycho Hose Beast in the sleepy town of Gale Harbour, Newfoundland. Our heroes have entered into the era of rollerblades, Super Nintendo and oversized plaid shirts… unless you’re a goth, then it’s the era of Maybelline eyeliner, boots with too many buckles, and infected safety-pin piercings.
Thirteen-year-old Niall O'Neil is navigating a blossoming relationship with his crush, Harper Jeddore. Unfortunately, the power that allowed them to defeat the monster from the deep is still within them, and they are no closer to understanding or controlling it. When just touching your girlfriend can kill innocent bystanders, it complicates the already precarious practice of teenage dating.
But lurking in the backdrop of teenage romance, a sinister power is growing in Gale Harbour, and dangerous people are turning up in the small town with possibly deadly intentions.
Will the kids defeat this new threat? What did the US Air Force leave in the abandoned Hansen Air Force base? What is a space-surfing butt monkey? And most importantly—will anyone get to touch a boob?
- GenresYoung Adult
321 pages, ebook
Published May 3, 2022
4 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
C.D. Gallant King
14 books94 followersWriter, tabletop gamer, pro-wrestling aficionado. Dad.
I claim to write stories, but really I just find them in The Closet, dust them off, add a few commas and send them out into the world.
Proudly Canadian, born and raised in Newfoundland, fine-tuned and educated in Toronto and currently residing in Ottawa with a beautiful wife, two wonderful children and various furry four-legged companions.
I claim to write stories, but really I just find them in The Closet, dust them off, add a few commas and send them out into the world.
Proudly Canadian, born and raised in Newfoundland, fine-tuned and educated in Toronto and currently residing in Ottawa with a beautiful wife, two wonderful children and various furry four-legged companions.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 9, 2022
I recently had to take a break from reading due to a lot of stressful "real life" stuff going on and this was the perfect story for me to begin again with! It's adventurous, humorous, and fun with a cast of quirky characters I'd already come to love. It really got me pumped from the get-go, which was exactly what I needed.
In this installment of the series, the terrifying Psycho Hose Beast has been vanquished and our young heroes go on to tackle something that might be just as frightening: teen romance. And not just for the two lovebirds in question! The new relationship between Harper and Niall affects their mutual friend Pius, who has suddenly become the third wheel, desperate to be able to stand on his own.
Fortunately for poor Pius, another supernatural/extraterrestrial threat emerges that allows him the opportunity to prove himself, to himself while Harper and Niall struggle to understand the magical power that tethers them. Unfortunately for the whole, nosy American agents and other suspicious unknown persons have caught wind of the battle against the Psycho Hose Beast and have begun stalking key inhabitants of Gale Harbour, including the kids.
Although I really thought the peak of the story was going to be how the kids navigated around the arrogant adults in order to fight the new ET enemy, the adrenaline kept pumping even to the end! No spoilers, as usual, but with as good as the first book was, I daresay the second is better. Admittedly, this may be a bit of personal preference because while the first book seemed to have more extraordinary things happening in the realm of scifi/fantasy, the second book dealt a lot more with the psychological struggles of the characters. And as most of you know, I am a sucker for the psychological aspect of things.
My favorite thing of both books, but even more for the second is how great the author is at character crafting. He puts the effort into making each one of them, regardless of their varying degrees of importance in the story or their amount of "screen time," unique to themselves while also expanding upon their individual emotions and backstories. This along with the nostalgic references of the era and the awkwardness of being newly teenage makes this series quite immersive.
In this installment of the series, the terrifying Psycho Hose Beast has been vanquished and our young heroes go on to tackle something that might be just as frightening: teen romance. And not just for the two lovebirds in question! The new relationship between Harper and Niall affects their mutual friend Pius, who has suddenly become the third wheel, desperate to be able to stand on his own.
Fortunately for poor Pius, another supernatural/extraterrestrial threat emerges that allows him the opportunity to prove himself, to himself while Harper and Niall struggle to understand the magical power that tethers them. Unfortunately for the whole, nosy American agents and other suspicious unknown persons have caught wind of the battle against the Psycho Hose Beast and have begun stalking key inhabitants of Gale Harbour, including the kids.
Although I really thought the peak of the story was going to be how the kids navigated around the arrogant adults in order to fight the new ET enemy, the adrenaline kept pumping even to the end! No spoilers, as usual, but with as good as the first book was, I daresay the second is better. Admittedly, this may be a bit of personal preference because while the first book seemed to have more extraordinary things happening in the realm of scifi/fantasy, the second book dealt a lot more with the psychological struggles of the characters. And as most of you know, I am a sucker for the psychological aspect of things.
My favorite thing of both books, but even more for the second is how great the author is at character crafting. He puts the effort into making each one of them, regardless of their varying degrees of importance in the story or their amount of "screen time," unique to themselves while also expanding upon their individual emotions and backstories. This along with the nostalgic references of the era and the awkwardness of being newly teenage makes this series quite immersive.
May 9, 2022
About a month ago, I had the opportunity to review Book One of this series, Psycho Hose Beast from Outer Space, which I am hoping will be at least a trilogy. In that review (of a book I thoroughly enjoyed), I talked about the classic roots of the series—Stephen King’s Stand by Me, ET, Goonies, and Stranger Things—and the great appeal to the American psyche of middle and high school kids coming together to beat the Big Bad in an inspiring Coming of Age adventure. It’s right up there with the mystique of the Hollywood Western.
Revenge of the Space Surfing Butt Monkeys (as I said about the first book, don’t let the title throw you—there is plenty of substance here) lives up to the myriad pressures that a second book in a series must manage. Similar to the follow-up to a Triple Platinum debut (music is a core part of this series, from chapter subtitles being songs of the era to the characters’ teenage obsession with it, so it’s perfectly apt to broaden out the metaphors) a book sequel must deliver all the things that made its predecessor great, while providing plenty of New. Some recent follow-ups I have reviewed do not manage this as well as does Revenge.
One of the ways to make a follow-up equal to or better than its predecessor is to bring different characters to the table, or to take a secondary or tertiary character and make them central to the story. Usually the Big Bad dies in this type of story, so that’s a good place to start. Is the Big Bad in Revenge more interesting or compelling than the one in PHB? Not for me. Nor is it any less so. But the Big Bad isn’t really the point here. It’s only the catalyst and obstacle for the continuing evolution of the core group of teens. Niall and Harper (who are continuing their relationship with a paranormal blood-tie twist), Pius, and Keith and Skidmark are all back, and in rather fine form. They all have familial problems to navigate and sense to make of previous events while also fighting the Big Bad and its minions. After all, as we all know, parents don’t take a pause in making their teenagers’ lives miserable just because they are engaged in a cosmic battle with the stakes no less than the survival of humankind.
Where Revenge shines brightest as a sequel is in increasing the role of a former tertiary character and bringing new characters into the fold. Characters that I really came to love. First, there is Sergeant Marie-Anne Tanguay. Her care for the kids, Quebecois slang, tender toughness, and street smarts in a small harbor town made me think of Sheriffs Jody Mills and Donna Hanscum from the CW series Supernatural. Tanguay is not only trying to protect the kids and keep secret what happened in Book One, she’s dealing with an array of shadowy government types and Russian agents. Watching her manage it all, despite the growing stakes, was, for me, the best part of Revenge.
The new characters are Todd, a super-geek tech wiz who lives and does his experiments in a smelly basement in the early days of home computing, and Keenan and Anna—sort of like the Frog Brothers from The Lost Boys but in a velvet top hat and a one-size-too-tight corset, respectively. These two Vampire: The Masquerade–playing (which made D&D look tame to the Satanic-Panickers of the 1990s) supernatural sleuthing Goths are a highlight of the book and help to provide information and motivation to the Gale Harbour quintet, who are (understandably) disinclined to take on another set of cosmic monsters.
Speaking of, I vigorously applaud the author for making the implausible plausible just by having his characters talk about it so much (pay attention, writers of fantastical fiction). After all… yet another Big Bad from outer space in such a tiny, out-of-the-way town? The Gale Harbour quintet are far more reluctant to believe it than any reader is ever going to be. After all, we really want to, because “the willing suspense of disbelief” is what makes such fantastical storytelling work.
Like in PHB, Gallant-King provides us with a series of intermèdes, although they serve a different function in Revenge. Instead of giving us inner monologues from the Big Bad, they function like film flashbacks in a closely connected B story that figures prominently into the climax.
I mentioned that the title shouldn’t fool you. Even more so than in PHB, Revenge brings the heavy along with all its quirkiness and humor. For our hero Niall especially. Gallant-King makes brave choices as far as character outcomes to give the story a necessary gravitas. If you think about the genre films I listed in the opening paragraph, Death hovers over them like a spectre and it doesn’t care a bit about the fact that they’re only teenagers. Whatever doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger—especially when it kills someone to whom we are close.
Or if we are convinced that we’re the ones responsible.
So what are you waiting for… grab Revenge (it’s just come out on Amazon, etc.), take the ride, and let the author know we’d all love to see this quirky quintet return.
Revenge of the Space Surfing Butt Monkeys (as I said about the first book, don’t let the title throw you—there is plenty of substance here) lives up to the myriad pressures that a second book in a series must manage. Similar to the follow-up to a Triple Platinum debut (music is a core part of this series, from chapter subtitles being songs of the era to the characters’ teenage obsession with it, so it’s perfectly apt to broaden out the metaphors) a book sequel must deliver all the things that made its predecessor great, while providing plenty of New. Some recent follow-ups I have reviewed do not manage this as well as does Revenge.
One of the ways to make a follow-up equal to or better than its predecessor is to bring different characters to the table, or to take a secondary or tertiary character and make them central to the story. Usually the Big Bad dies in this type of story, so that’s a good place to start. Is the Big Bad in Revenge more interesting or compelling than the one in PHB? Not for me. Nor is it any less so. But the Big Bad isn’t really the point here. It’s only the catalyst and obstacle for the continuing evolution of the core group of teens. Niall and Harper (who are continuing their relationship with a paranormal blood-tie twist), Pius, and Keith and Skidmark are all back, and in rather fine form. They all have familial problems to navigate and sense to make of previous events while also fighting the Big Bad and its minions. After all, as we all know, parents don’t take a pause in making their teenagers’ lives miserable just because they are engaged in a cosmic battle with the stakes no less than the survival of humankind.
Where Revenge shines brightest as a sequel is in increasing the role of a former tertiary character and bringing new characters into the fold. Characters that I really came to love. First, there is Sergeant Marie-Anne Tanguay. Her care for the kids, Quebecois slang, tender toughness, and street smarts in a small harbor town made me think of Sheriffs Jody Mills and Donna Hanscum from the CW series Supernatural. Tanguay is not only trying to protect the kids and keep secret what happened in Book One, she’s dealing with an array of shadowy government types and Russian agents. Watching her manage it all, despite the growing stakes, was, for me, the best part of Revenge.
The new characters are Todd, a super-geek tech wiz who lives and does his experiments in a smelly basement in the early days of home computing, and Keenan and Anna—sort of like the Frog Brothers from The Lost Boys but in a velvet top hat and a one-size-too-tight corset, respectively. These two Vampire: The Masquerade–playing (which made D&D look tame to the Satanic-Panickers of the 1990s) supernatural sleuthing Goths are a highlight of the book and help to provide information and motivation to the Gale Harbour quintet, who are (understandably) disinclined to take on another set of cosmic monsters.
Speaking of, I vigorously applaud the author for making the implausible plausible just by having his characters talk about it so much (pay attention, writers of fantastical fiction). After all… yet another Big Bad from outer space in such a tiny, out-of-the-way town? The Gale Harbour quintet are far more reluctant to believe it than any reader is ever going to be. After all, we really want to, because “the willing suspense of disbelief” is what makes such fantastical storytelling work.
Like in PHB, Gallant-King provides us with a series of intermèdes, although they serve a different function in Revenge. Instead of giving us inner monologues from the Big Bad, they function like film flashbacks in a closely connected B story that figures prominently into the climax.
I mentioned that the title shouldn’t fool you. Even more so than in PHB, Revenge brings the heavy along with all its quirkiness and humor. For our hero Niall especially. Gallant-King makes brave choices as far as character outcomes to give the story a necessary gravitas. If you think about the genre films I listed in the opening paragraph, Death hovers over them like a spectre and it doesn’t care a bit about the fact that they’re only teenagers. Whatever doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger—especially when it kills someone to whom we are close.
Or if we are convinced that we’re the ones responsible.
So what are you waiting for… grab Revenge (it’s just come out on Amazon, etc.), take the ride, and let the author know we’d all love to see this quirky quintet return.
April 19, 2022
I was fortunate to get my hands on an advanced copy of “Revenge of the Space Surfing Butt Monkeys” by C.D. Gallant-King.
This is the third of Gallant-King’s books I have read, and once again, I was thoroughly entertained.
We return to Gale Harbour and the kids from “Psycho Hose Beast From Outer Space.” Niall, Harper and Pius are three teenage friends growing up in rural Canada in the 1990s. They’ve survived their first encounter with the supernatural, and now, a year later, another extraterrestrial threat has come to their small town.
Gallant King does a good job capturing the voices of the teens as they deal with the usual pressures of growing up, as well as the supernatural threats. The book has a feel like “Stranger Things” or “The Goonies” or “Stand by Me.” Solid, well written young people forced to confront the occult.
The kids dialogue is authentic, the side characters are great. I absolutely love RCMP Sergeant Marie-Ann Tanguay, and the 1990s setting will scratch that nostalgia itch. Not just in terms of pop culture references, but of the semi feral way we children of the 80s and 90s grew up.
If you want a nice blend of humor, horror and Gen X/Millennial nostalgia, you should grab a copy of this book.
This is the third of Gallant-King’s books I have read, and once again, I was thoroughly entertained.
We return to Gale Harbour and the kids from “Psycho Hose Beast From Outer Space.” Niall, Harper and Pius are three teenage friends growing up in rural Canada in the 1990s. They’ve survived their first encounter with the supernatural, and now, a year later, another extraterrestrial threat has come to their small town.
Gallant King does a good job capturing the voices of the teens as they deal with the usual pressures of growing up, as well as the supernatural threats. The book has a feel like “Stranger Things” or “The Goonies” or “Stand by Me.” Solid, well written young people forced to confront the occult.
The kids dialogue is authentic, the side characters are great. I absolutely love RCMP Sergeant Marie-Ann Tanguay, and the 1990s setting will scratch that nostalgia itch. Not just in terms of pop culture references, but of the semi feral way we children of the 80s and 90s grew up.
If you want a nice blend of humor, horror and Gen X/Millennial nostalgia, you should grab a copy of this book.
April 27, 2022
I enjoyed the blend of science fiction action horror and normal family life that made up the first Gale Harbour book, but the pieces didn’t come together in a satisfying whole in this second outing.
In Psycho Hose Beast from Outer Space there was just enough horror to keep me engaged, but the stakes are much lower in this book, and while hints are sprinkled throughout the book, the main science fiction action only gets going in the last 20% of the book. I’m afraid it was too little too late for me.
I also found the children’s behavior to be much older than 13. I missed the interaction of the group, the juxtaposition of the normal family routine with the weird goings on, and there was too much about 13 year olds thinking about sex.
The author writes well, and he is talented at depicting small town life. Unfortunately this book was too much of a drama with humor that didn’t land and not enough of an alien action horror.
There was an interesting story playing out in the interludes, and I would rather have followed those characters the entire time than keep up with Harper and friends, who didn’t really seem to have a place in this story.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC through Booksirens. I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.
In Psycho Hose Beast from Outer Space there was just enough horror to keep me engaged, but the stakes are much lower in this book, and while hints are sprinkled throughout the book, the main science fiction action only gets going in the last 20% of the book. I’m afraid it was too little too late for me.
I also found the children’s behavior to be much older than 13. I missed the interaction of the group, the juxtaposition of the normal family routine with the weird goings on, and there was too much about 13 year olds thinking about sex.
The author writes well, and he is talented at depicting small town life. Unfortunately this book was too much of a drama with humor that didn’t land and not enough of an alien action horror.
There was an interesting story playing out in the interludes, and I would rather have followed those characters the entire time than keep up with Harper and friends, who didn’t really seem to have a place in this story.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC through Booksirens. I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.
March 25, 2022
The Gale Harbour series is back with a bang after the phenomenal first book.
A year after battling the Psycho Hose Beast, Niall, Harper, Pius and Skidmark attempt to put events behind them.
While Niall and Harper’s young relationship blossoms, a new evil surfaces, once again threatening the sleepy town of Gale Harbour. Hunted by mysteries CIA agents, Russian arms dealers and their own government, the friends must once again put their lives on the line, harness Niall’s growing power and sacrifice all to save their home.
Once again the author, C.D. Gallant-King, weaves an entertaining story peppered with dashes of nineties nostalgia, snappy one liners and perfectly captures the teenage angst of the main characters.
This book is ideal for fans of Stephen King and Stranger Things and like book one, is not to be missed.
A year after battling the Psycho Hose Beast, Niall, Harper, Pius and Skidmark attempt to put events behind them.
While Niall and Harper’s young relationship blossoms, a new evil surfaces, once again threatening the sleepy town of Gale Harbour. Hunted by mysteries CIA agents, Russian arms dealers and their own government, the friends must once again put their lives on the line, harness Niall’s growing power and sacrifice all to save their home.
Once again the author, C.D. Gallant-King, weaves an entertaining story peppered with dashes of nineties nostalgia, snappy one liners and perfectly captures the teenage angst of the main characters.
This book is ideal for fans of Stephen King and Stranger Things and like book one, is not to be missed.
April 16, 2022
I absolutely love this crazy book and it's equally crazy characters! :) With that said let me say that I'm weird enough to somehow believe that enough unbelievable things happen that now I'm waiting for the space surfing butt monkeys to show up! LOL! Really a great fun read and I can't wait for more to come with these amazing people (characters)!! I highly recommend this series! !
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. But I would definitely buy this book!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. But I would definitely buy this book!
April 23, 2022
Loooved this book! I also enjoyed the first in the series, Psycho Hose Beast from Outer Space, but this story works well as a standalone.
I don’t make a habit of reading YA—not casting shade on those who do, it’s just not usually my cup of tea—but this hilarious tale of adventure, horror, aliens, and friendship was a delight from start to finish. Gallant-King handles the teen protagonists with such insight and tenderness. Skidmark was my favorite of the monster-hunting gang.
Fast-paced, original, and laugh-till-you-cry funny. Gallant-King’s horror/comedy is wonderful. Highly recommend. And for 90s kids nostalgic for their childhood, it even comes with a 90s playlist! This 70s kid enjoyed the added atmosphere. Highly recommend!
I don’t make a habit of reading YA—not casting shade on those who do, it’s just not usually my cup of tea—but this hilarious tale of adventure, horror, aliens, and friendship was a delight from start to finish. Gallant-King handles the teen protagonists with such insight and tenderness. Skidmark was my favorite of the monster-hunting gang.
Fast-paced, original, and laugh-till-you-cry funny. Gallant-King’s horror/comedy is wonderful. Highly recommend. And for 90s kids nostalgic for their childhood, it even comes with a 90s playlist! This 70s kid enjoyed the added atmosphere. Highly recommend!
April 30, 2022
This book was a blast and a worthy sequel to Psycho Hose Beast. Another chance for CDGK to show off his ability to get inside the heads and hearts of proper weirdos and create some massively entertaining and unique POVs. The story was page-turning fun as usual - shadowy govt agents, a past that won't stay buried, adults who act like children oblivious to a surfacing (or in this case descending) threat, and children who try to act like adults but are far too stuck in their own heads. CDGK writes immaturity really well and injects a ton of humor into the action - highlights for me included Pius's terrible heist execution and Brian/Skidmark's infatuation with the older Anna.
Comparisons with Stranger Things are unavoidable - lots of early 90s nostalgia, kids pulled into shadowy battles while trying to not end up at the very bottom of the popularity heap at the middle school - and I think CDGK delivers that same sense of wonder and humor. Highly recommend the series for readers looking for page-turners with unconventional characters.
Comparisons with Stranger Things are unavoidable - lots of early 90s nostalgia, kids pulled into shadowy battles while trying to not end up at the very bottom of the popularity heap at the middle school - and I think CDGK delivers that same sense of wonder and humor. Highly recommend the series for readers looking for page-turners with unconventional characters.
September 20, 2023
Excellent!
I really hope that there will be another one!
If you were old enough in the 90's, you'll smile a lot about the souvenirs that the author brings back to your memory. A great coming of age tale, and even if I didn’t recognize everything (I was in my twenties in this area, so there's some of the stuff that didn't impact me that much), there were enough to remind me of my “golden years”. Fun fact: each chapters bare the name of famous songs from the early 90's, from pop to grunge, metal and hip-hop. I didn't find them all, since I was into not mainstream music, but it was fun to try.
And please note that despite the funny title and illustration on the cover, this is not a comedy book but a great horror/science-fiction tale, nevertheless. And if you're a french québécois like me, you'll notice some grammatical errors when Tanguay speaks in french. Nothing annoying as it was pleasant to see that the author made the effort to include some québécois slang.
I really hope that there will be another one!
If you were old enough in the 90's, you'll smile a lot about the souvenirs that the author brings back to your memory. A great coming of age tale, and even if I didn’t recognize everything (I was in my twenties in this area, so there's some of the stuff that didn't impact me that much), there were enough to remind me of my “golden years”. Fun fact: each chapters bare the name of famous songs from the early 90's, from pop to grunge, metal and hip-hop. I didn't find them all, since I was into not mainstream music, but it was fun to try.
And please note that despite the funny title and illustration on the cover, this is not a comedy book but a great horror/science-fiction tale, nevertheless. And if you're a french québécois like me, you'll notice some grammatical errors when Tanguay speaks in french. Nothing annoying as it was pleasant to see that the author made the effort to include some québécois slang.
September 20, 2022
Our favorite bunch of Nova Scotian teenage nerds, bullies, and weirdos are back. This time it’s the Revenge of the Space-Surfing Butt Monkeys. After defeating the Psycho Hose Beast Form Outer Space, Niall, Pius, Harper, and their friends are once again called on to save the world. C.D Gallant-King’s second novel of his Gale Harbor series is just as fun and exciting as his first early 90s flashback. Any Gen-Z reading this needs the look back to an earlier time. The chapters are names of some favorite 90s songs, and the mention of movies, games, and activities are from a much simpler time. This second book of the series is just as excellent. Fast-paced and action-packed, this thriller is as hard-hitting as a kick from a pair of Doc Martens. So don’t be such a “Dork-Pie,” throw on some Nirvana or Smashing Pumpkin, and enjoy Revenge of the Space-Surfing Butt Monkeys.
October 10, 2022
I needed something fun to read and this hit the spot. An excellent sequel to the first book and I feel a third coming on, which I'm totally down for. This book has made a clean transition from middle grade to YA by the end, so I'm thinking whatever comes next may have a slightly more mature, yet laid back, feel, but I'm just speculating. As for this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love these characters, even when they aren't at their best. The humor in this book is perfectly balanced with the serious elements that inevitably happen due to the nature of these adventures. This ending is a bit darker than the first book but, like I said, I feel a third book coming on.
Highly recommended to fans of humorous dark fantasy/sci-fi. Suitable for kids, teens, and adults.
Highly recommended to fans of humorous dark fantasy/sci-fi. Suitable for kids, teens, and adults.
April 7, 2022
Thanks to the author for the gifted copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I was thoroughly surprised and impressed by the first book in this series, “The Psycho Hose Beast from Outer Space”, so I was very happy that I have the sequel.
There’s still a great amount of ‘90s nostalgia which makes it very familiar for us readers who were around in that time.
The thing that stood out for me in this book and the previous one, is that even though it is very fantasy and very sci-if, it still feels very real and conceivable.
This one is sillier - I mean, there’s butt monkeys for crying out loud - but I mean that in a good way. It gives adult readers the chance to resort back to being a child and just to have fun.
I admit I did prefer the first book slightly. Yet this is entertaining and completely captures the awkwardness of teenagers. It is a series not to be missed.
I was thoroughly surprised and impressed by the first book in this series, “The Psycho Hose Beast from Outer Space”, so I was very happy that I have the sequel.
There’s still a great amount of ‘90s nostalgia which makes it very familiar for us readers who were around in that time.
The thing that stood out for me in this book and the previous one, is that even though it is very fantasy and very sci-if, it still feels very real and conceivable.
This one is sillier - I mean, there’s butt monkeys for crying out loud - but I mean that in a good way. It gives adult readers the chance to resort back to being a child and just to have fun.
I admit I did prefer the first book slightly. Yet this is entertaining and completely captures the awkwardness of teenagers. It is a series not to be missed.
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December 16, 2022Review coming soon! : )
January 23, 2024
Full disclosure, I received a copy of this book via Booksirens, however, have voluntarily chosen to write a review. All opinions are my own
Another year, another otherworldly threat
In the small town of Gale Harbor things are nothing if not unpredictable. Beginning with the events of the prior year when a long-forgotten sea witch returned to seek her revenge if it weren’t for a group of teens and a few adults the town would have succumbed to the wrath of the “Psycho Hose Beast”. Now, just as things are seemingly as normal as it can get in this deceptively quiet little burg the June bugs arrive, but they are not your normal June bugs. This species is huge and mean and they are looking for something. As the harbingers of something more sinister Harper, Niall, and Pius along with a few goth newcomers to the town attempt to decipher the diary of a long dead witch so the new threat can be thwarted. But finding and eradicating the “Butt Monkeys” will not be easy with mysterious Russian assassins and their own government trying to unravel the clues first.
Revenge of the Space Surfing Butt Monkeys is the second in the Gale Harbor themed series of books by author CD Gallant King. With the action taking place about a year after Psycho Hose Beast from Outer Space the core teen friend group remains pretty much intact with the addition of one-time bully Keith Doucette. Harper and Niall are exploring feelings other than friendship but when sparks fly in a not so endearing way, this becomes a bit concerning. Pius is navigating issues of his own when his attempts to help his father better his career results in potential disaster for his family. It really seems as if these kids can’t catch a normal break. When Anna and Keenan appear out of nowhere and are aware of the entire Psycho Hose Beast drama from last year at least the kids feel like they are not crazy. Honestly, I liked the whole goth influence and couldn’t help but imagine what was currently playing on their cassette player as part of the soundtrack.
Goths aside, for me this just felt like this book was not up to the level that Psycho Hose Beast delivered. The first book in the series really pulled out all the stops resulting in a book that was as suspenseful as it was hilarious. While this one had its moments, I felt like I was left waiting for the big twist that would completely change the game. It almost felt as if the events of this book took place too close to the events of the first. With a few years or even decades between the events instead of a year, this could have allowed for a deeper story.
Even with that being said, Revenge of the Space Surfing Butt Monkeys is not a bad story, and I did enjoy reading it. I was already invested and familiar with the characters through the first book so was able to dive in quickly, but for all the drama and doom, this story just didn’t seem to pack the punch that the first book delivered.
Will I read more in this series if there are any? Absolutely. Gale Harbor is nothing if not a source for unique inhabitants and crazy scenarios in a time before cell phones and the world wide web. The nostalgic pull of this strange town and its inhabitants are a draw in itself. I just hope that if there are future books in this series that CD Gallant King is able to recover the unique spark of the first one again.
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