Classic '70s Bigfoot Horror

I love that Valencourt Books have been rereleasing classic horror stories from the '70s and '80s as part of their Paperbacks from Hell line. It's a great way of checking out books that - until now - have been long out of print.
The Spirit is an absolute gem. Written by Thomas Page, it was originally released in 1977. The story follows the adventures of a native American by the name of John Moon, and Raymond Jason - a millionaire with anger issues - as they desperately search for the mythical bigfoot.
Matt Godfrey's narration is a pleasure to listen to. He does a great job of differentiating between characters.
Loads of fun! Highly recommended!

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Just The Spirit!

Take a truckload of anger and repression, a helicopter, a Vietnam Vet, throw in some archery lessons and a ski resort and you've created a dream recipe for a meditation on obsession and spirituality.

Add Raymond Jason (a man so manly he has two first names) and a guy called John Moon (a Native American who doesn't so much avoid a stereotype as much as hit it square on and stare it down) and you're just asking for trouble.

Throw Bigfoot into this potent mix and you have 'The Spirit' by Thomas Page.

A novel of it's time (Translation: stereotypes ahoy and paper-thin females characters) The Spirit's cocktail of testosterone, violence and fun, shallow pyschological insights unravels at a swift pace and builds to several impressive action set-pieces. What it lacks in depth it makes up for in the thrill of the ride - the sheer joy of realising that this story exists in the universe is only matched by the knowledge that in the world of The Spirit your head could be torn from your body by a frustrated vegetarian.

This excellent audiobook adaptation read by Matt Godfrey manages to capture the growling, broody characters and matches the intensity of the slightly mad action scenes. The Spirit is a little bonkers but a lot of fun.

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Trashy horror

The ‘Paperbacks from Hell’ series from Valancourt Books is trashy, pulpy, low-brow, dated and politically incorrect. This book is no exception, and this may be a positive or negative depending on your taste in horror fiction.

I would liken ‘The Spirit’ to McDonalds' food – it’s fast and momentarily tasty, but not very memorable or satisfying. Do not come to this book expecting three-dimensional and fully rounded characters, a believable plot, naturally-sounding dialogue, a keen sense of atmosphere and suspense, or lush and vivid description. Immediately before listening to this audiobook I read ‘Hidden Pictures’ by Jason Rekulak which has all of the above in spades, and the difference in quality between these two books is significant.

The narrator of this audiobook did an excellent job. I could understand every word, the pacing was neither too fast nor too slow, the character voices were not distracting, and at no point was I pulled out of the story by poor narration. This audiobook is a perfect example of a good narrator elevating so-so material.

In summary, if you want a quick shot of undemanding horror, this book is for you. Personally, I think I’m now over trashy horror fiction and want something more substantial.

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A Gripping Page Turner of a Story

I thought that this Book written in 1977, is an absolute classic of Mid Seventies Horror. There have been lots of Books about the Legend of The Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti etc. This book by Thomas Page is one of the best. I bought and read this some years ago in a second hand book shop. When it was rereleased by Valincourt part of the Paperbacks from Hell series of reissued 70s & 80s horror books I was absolutely joyful. I have been a Horror Freak since the 1970s, and I love these books. I’m not going to give any spoilers. However if you love good horror / Creature Features and are not Bothered by PC, woke or any other rubbish then you are in for a treat because this has the suspense of Jaws, the bloody outdoors of Grizzly, plot twists and turns to keep you hooked and of course edge of your seat thrills, also the characters and plot then go and read / Listen to this. Especially if you want great Escapism as well.

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Quite a Twist

I thought it was interesting that the author clearly makes reference to the cultural assimilation of Native Americans which was rampant across America, with regards to the character John Moon. It is very common for Native people to be misdiagnosed with mental illness because there is no understanding or interest in their normal cultural behaviour/spirituality, hence why Moon was labeled schizophrenic, was subjected to horrible ECT treatment, and had Christianity enforced upon him in order to remove his cultural connections. Moon came across as a likable, polite, sweet but justifiably sad character, despite the things he was led to do during his spiritual journey. The author makes a point of Moon continuously trying to reconnect with his culture which forms the foundations of this story. I also wasn't surprised at the author highlighting the subtle racism he was subjected to throughout i.e, going in a store to buy food and the owner automatically putting her hand on her gun while having a non-threatening polite conversation with Moon, or having a number of men placed around him just in case he got violent despite having no evidence of this.

Soon after Moon connects with his Spirit, it quickly moves into an action packed storyline. The antagonizer Jason becomes the hunter after some of his friends come face to face with the Bigfoot, leaving him alone to take revenge. When you mention the word 'Bigfoot' you think such stories run a common sequence, this book does not. It had a twist I wasn't expecting, or rather it kept hinting at it every time Bigfoot was physically described but I didn't want to acknowledge it. When the 'twist' was finally revealed, unwanted images of Mountain Men popped into my consciousness and wouldn't go away!

This book is very male dominant. Other than the shopkeeper, there was only one other female character introduced later on in the book, but her part was so insubstantial it really wasn't worth her input. She had the promise of being a strong character with special insight into the Bigfoot sightings, but just ended up falling flat.

The book is well written, kept my interest and the narrator did a great job at bringing the characters to life. I was given a copy of this book for free of my own choosing and have voluntarily left this review.

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bigfoot

really enjoyed this series of paperbacks from hell by valencort and this one is the best so far .
bigfoot with mild horror and suspense ,a cool blending if pseudoscience and native American myth .
Great characters and the tracking feel kept me glues to it .
loved it

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