Max Brooks, who wrote about the Zombie pandemic in World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, tackles Sasquatch/Bigfoot in this book.
The narrative revolves around the eruption of Mt. Rainier, a volcano near Seattle, Washington.
View of Mt. Rainier from Seattle, Washington
The disaster should have been predictable and preventable, but human failure - political, economic, and logistical - resulted in many deaths. The mass destruction led to innumerable articles and op-eds, but one story hasn't been told until now....the tale of Greenloop.
As the narative begins, Greenloop is an isolated high-end, high-tech, eco-community within easy driving distance of Seattle. The tiny 'village' has a total of six homes around a Common House and Helipad, with a single road leading in and out.
Greenloop
The residents of Greenloop are:
❆ Tony and Yvette Durant. Tony is the founder of Greenloop, a Greentech community that incorporates planet-saving ideas like solar power and smart homes. Tony believes Greenloop has the best parts of both an urban and rural lifestyle. Tony's wife Yvette is a former model who hosts online yoga classes and is a social leader in Greenloop.
❆ Vincent and Bobbi Boothe - The Boothes are vegan foodies in their sixties who are reminiscent of your favorite aunt and uncle.
❆ Carmen Perkins and Effie Forster - Carmen and Effie are child psychologists who've adopted a Rohingya daughter named Palomino.
❆ Kate and Dan Holland - Kate is the CPA for a wealth management firm and Dan is an unemployed 'entrepreneur in the digital space' who's discouraged by a lack of great job offers.
❆ Mostar - European emigré Mostar is a world-famous glass artist with a 'hard vibe' who's using 3-D printing to make a model of her hometown. Mostar seems to be familiar with extreme hardship.
❆ Dr. Alex Reinhardt - Alex is an academic and author who believes primitive societies don't have the problems of 'so called' advanced civilizations. Reinhardt was the spiritual inspiration for Greenloop.
The incidents at Greenloop are documented in Kate Holland's journal, where she records everything that happens in the community.
The diary begins in the latter part of September, when Kate and her husband Dan first arrive in Greenloop. Kate's first few entries enthuse about the beauty of the region; the comfortable, high-tech house; her daily morning hike in the woods; and the congenial neighbors. The main drawback is Dan, who sits around all day, despondent because he couldn't get the job he wanted.
Things go smoothly for only a couple of weeks because on October 2, Kate wakes up to a loud BANG, like a giant foot had kicked the house. Looking out the window, Kate sees a red glow on the horizon and hears rumbling in the distance. The TV, iPads, cell phones, and laptops aren't working, and the house functions go on backup battery because power from the grid is cut. Mt. Rainier is erupting!!
From Kate's journal, we learn the Greenloop residents gather together and decide to stay put, because the single road out of Greenloop will be jam-packed with traffic. Greenloop founder Tony is even enthusiastic, announcing: 'This is what Greenloop is designed for!! We have power from our solar panels, water from our wells, heating from our own biogas. Is anyone going to starve if we don't get a FreshDirect grocery fix in the next few days?'
Mostar, however- who's clearly experienced adversity - is more realistic. She points out, 'What if it's not a little while? What if it's weeks? Months? What if the roads are gone? We might not just get caught in traffic, we might get killed out there. And winter's on its way. When the weather turns, when the snow starts piling up, we might have electricity, water, and heat, but what about food?'
Most Greenloopers are optimists who think rescuers will arrive soon, and they refuse to consider long-term isolation. Therefore Mostar makes a plan with Kate and Dan: Dan will learn to do maintenance and repair on the smart houses, and Kate will make a food rationing plan, and she'll start a garden with a few Chinese peas and some sweet potatoes.
From the radio, Greenloopers learn the Mt. Rainier eruption was devastating, and lava flows and lahars are causing havoc in Seattle and the surrounding areas. The army and police have their hands full dealing with the death, destruction, and riots....and it's clear rescuer's aren't coming to Greenloop any time soon.
And worse trouble is on the horizon.
In Kate's journal entry for October 4 she writes about taking a walk, and seeing something move in the woods. Kate notes,'It shifted in place, grew, then disappeared behind the trees. I also thought I saw it change shape, lengthen, narrow, and even spread out limbs like a tree. I rubbed my eyes, blinked hard, and when I looked again it was gone.' Kate runs home and says she thinks an animal was chasing her, but most Greenloop residents pooh-pooh the idea.
A couple of days later, a slew of creatures are seen migrating past Greenloop. Squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer - thin, hungry, and nervous - are hurrying away from Mt. Rainier as if something is pursuing them.
As Kate reports, more and more ominous signs appear, such as: sounds of growls, yowls, screams, and animals fighting; bones that have been picked clean, smashed with rocks, and even the marrow eaten; a pervading pungent stink like rotten eggs; footprints that look like HUGE human feet; and more.
To cut to the chase, a troop of Sasquatch were displaced by the Mt. Rainier eruption, and they're on the hunt for food. The Sasquatch are huge, strong, cunning, and merciless.
From here the story is about the Greenloopers vs. the Sasquatch, and you can read the book to see how that plays out. I will say this: If you find yourself in a difficult situation, it would be good to have Mostar and Kate with you.
That said, all the characters in the book are interesting, and they run the gamut from courageous and helpful to ostrich types who stick their heads in the sand.
Kate's journal entries are interspersed with auxiliary chapters that add interest and information to the novel. These include:
❆ Interviews with Kate's brother Frank McCoy, who lent his Greenloop house to Kate and Dan. Frank is searching for Kate thirteen months after Mt. Rainier erupted.
❆ Interviews with Senior Ranger Josephine Schell, one of the searchers who found Greenloop - and Kate's journal - some time after Mt. Rainier erupted. Schell talks about the legend of Bigfoot and the behavior and eating habits of primates.
❆ Excerpts from 'The Sasquatch Companion' by Steve Morgan. Morgan writes about contact with Sasquatch going from a trickle to a flood after WWII, when the population between Northern California and Canada increased due to the expansion of industry, military installations, and infrastructure.
The book is essentially an exciting adventure story, and there are gruesome stomach-churning scenes. The novel also highlights foolhardy notions like the president suspending the National Volcano Early Warning System, and the creation of an airy-fairy community like Greenloop, where residents think they're separate from the real world.
The book has a slow start but the excitement picks up once Sasquatch makes an appearance. If you like exciting thrillers, this is the tale for you.
Do you believe? 😊
Rating: 4 stars
