Your Last Stop - A Book Review of "Terminal" by Michaelbrent Collings

"In a nightmare, only the strange can comfort, only the unusual is at home."

TERMINAL has a familiar set up, of sorts. A group of strangers all come together in a single location, where things quickly go to hell. But where most authors would fall into cliches, Collings elevates the premise and delivers a surprisingly innovative story.

First things first, a real horror novel--you know the ones that actually work--have characters that either you care about or despise. Great horror novels have both. And while at first with TERMINAL you feel like you've seen these characters before, there's a depth the author is able to weave into each backstory, trickling out the information a bit at a time while still wielding the deck of cards in his hands. It's not an easy feat, but the way information is revealed AND concealed in this novel is masterful. Like an intricately designed clockwork piece, each cog and gear and character must tick at precisely the right time to cause the avalanche to follow.

And when this avalanche gets started, there's no stopping it.

With outside conflict caused by the supernatural elements of this story and the just as frightening conflict occurring due to the characters' decisions, TERMINAL is like jumping onto a freight train that's already moving at several hundred miles per hour. To say the author sticks the landing is an understatement, and once again proves that Michaelbrent Collings is at the top of his game.

These are the type of stories that will always keep me coming back to this genre. A definite recommend.