Fur will fly

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both simultaneously .

Any additional comments?

High Moor/High Moor 2: Moon Struck/High Moor 3: Blood Moon by Graeme Reynolds
Audiobook narrated by Chris Barnes

When John Simpson hears of a bizarre animal attack in his old home town of High Moor, it stirs memories of a long forgotten horror. John knows the truth. A werewolf stalks the town once more, and on the night of the next full moon, the killing will begin again. He should know. He survived a werewolf attack in 1986, during the worst year of his life.

It’s 1986 and the town is gripped in terror after the mutilated corpse of a young boy is found in the woods. When Sergeant Steven Wilkinson begins an investigation, with the help of a specialist hunter, he soon realises that this is no ordinary animal attack. Werewolves are real, and the trail of bodies is just beginning, with young John and his friends smack in the middle of it…

With a trilogy of books already released, it seemed to make sense to review all three in one go, because the fact is, I found after experiencing the first, you’ll be dying to get stuck into the rest. I could leave the review at that, and maybe you’ll take my word for it. But what if you don’t?
Let’s talk werewolves. When done right, the embodiment of pure, carnal beast is a formidable horror staple. Reynolds nails the lore from the first bite to the last bullet.
High Moor is thrill ride from start to finish, harking back to 80’s action horror classics whilst maintaining a firm sense of much loved nostalgia. With a group of friends facing off against a seemingly invincible terror, there’s a definite sense of a childhood betrayed, a trope Stephen King has used successfully in several of his Kids vs Monsters stories, and in this, Reynolds brilliantly portrays a struggling northern town to perfection.
Another point I loved is that Reynolds could’ve quite easily ended the novel at several points, and as a reader, I would have been happy. But the action keeps coming, taking the story much further than I ever expected.
Humorous and at times utterly shocking, High Moor sets the scene, with a group of characters you’ll come to love, and love to hate.
Moon Struck takes the story to the next level and introduces a larger pack of werewolves, delving into group politics and further into their history, which makes fascinating reading as we head deeper into Reynolds’ universe. Whilst Moonstruck moves at a slower pace, it soon picks up, especially with the inclusion of a psychopathic werewolf called Connie, who steals the show, literally chewing the scenery (and quite often, characters) with maniacal, blood squirting glee.
Blood Moon completes the saga (for the time being) with an all-out war of werewolves vs werewolves vs humans as species eradication and infighting is rife. This werewolf holocaust is touching at times, as Reynolds succeeds in humanising the monster, creating more than just a community, but families as well, struggling as their lives are turned upside down
But with a story about tooth and claws, it can only end one way; blood, and lots of it. Graeme Reynolds delivers it by the bucket load, satisfying even the sickest of gore lovers. My one gripe is the woefully underused idea of a werewolf super soldier, but there’s always room for another sequel.
Also, hats off again to Chris Barnes for his flawless performance, bringing depths to characters by creating individual voices for each. His ear for accents is uncanny, and hearing him flit between West Country lilt and thick Russian is a joy to behold, keeping me gripped for many a long and lonely drive.
All in all, High Moor is an exhilarating thrill ride of action horror that never threatens to give up the pace, and the entire trilogy is thoroughly recommended, whether it’s in book form or audiobook.
5/5

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2 people found this helpful

Fantastic!

I would absolutely listen to this audiobook again, it's a fast-paced, entertaining story that grabs the listeners attention with characters you can't help but love....and hate. Speaking of loving and hating a character....Connie! If ever their was a character you loved and hated and loved to hate, it is Connie. She is an amazing character and Chris Barnes really did her justice. She is sick, but oh so awesome. Chris' performance was so spot on, I cannot imagine anyone else being able to do this book justice. Most sequels fall short of the original, this wasn't the case with Moonstruck, it was just as good as High Moor, the stakes are higher and the character development was just right. I really hope a book three is in the works because I need more!!!

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1 person found this helpful

brilliant!

What did you like most about High Moor 2: Moonstruck?

The strength of the charachters it has all aspects love, family frendship and revenge..

What did you like best about this story?

A great fast paced story with many plot twists.

Have you listened to any of Chris Barnes’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I love Chris Barne's he has a great voice for audio, he is briliiant setting scenes and making the characters believable and realistic.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Connie and Olivia in the bedroom. Very moving scene.

Any additional comments?

I would love a stand alone book about Connie.

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Great story

Wow..this series is awesome..loved the 1st book..this one was even better..looking forward to the concluding story..very enjoyable

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Bone crunchingly good

What made the experience of listening to High Moor 2: Moonstruck the most enjoyable?

Graeme Reynolds has stepped it up a notch since originally introducing us to the werewolves of High Moor. Moonstruck still has a great storyline but this time, the action rules over it. This isn't a bad thing, not at all. The action scenes are gruesome and bloody and just what you need from this type of book.

What does Chris Barnes bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

As much as I love the sound of my own voice, Chris Barnes brings something new. I can't pull off a Newcastle accent, Barnes can. I can't speak with a believably feminine tone, Barnes can. From Russian, to English, to Scottish, to Romanian, Barnes has got it all.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not only was it a book I wanted to listen to all in one sitting, it was good enough for me to complete 'High Moor' and 'High Moor 2: Moonstruck' in two days. Great fun.

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Great sequel and great story

This story takes what made the previous book work and ran with it, while also making it different enough to feel like it's own story. This story takes more of a focus on the Werewolves, thanks to them being completely established in the previous book it was a nice change of pace as going back to making them mysterious would be ineffective and repetitive.

If you enjoyed the characters in the previous book you will definitely enjoy them in this one as well. I don't think there was one I didn't like, however with many were introduced this time it did get a bit difficult to remember who was who at times.

The performance was still great, if you enjoyed it last time you certainly will this time as well.

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