Book Report - 'Devolution' by Max Brooks

Coming up on spooky season, I was looking for a new horror book to listen to. I came across a list of book recommendations from someone who claimed to love horror books and figured that was probably a good starting point. I'm a little late to the punch, since it's now November, but it can be my recommendation for NEXT October, or any time you're in a spooky mood.

I skimmed through the list, giving a quick pass through each of the descriptions. Iain Reid’s "I’m Thinking of Ending Things" was quickly dismissed, after a Netflix adaptation baited me into listening to Thirteen Reasons Why and I hated it. Agustina Bazterrica's "Tender is the Flesh" sounded interesting, especially as that blogger's MOST disturbing book, but it was only available from the local library as an e-book, not an audiobook. I started Paul Tremblay's "The Cabin at the End of the World," but the narration was AWFUL.

Going back to the list, I noticed "Devolution" by Max Brooks. At number two on that list, it was still ranked high on the disturbing scale, AND the library had both the audiobook and the e-book. I like to check out both together when they're available, so I can listen and then highlight noteworthy quotes in the e-book for posterity. Beyond all that, I really like Max Brooks. "The Zombie Survival Guide" and "World War Z" have a permanent place on my bookshelf. I'm not typically super interested in Sasquatch lore, but Brooks proved himself as a great author with his other two books that I had read. "Devolution" seemed like a winner.

In contrast to "The Cabin at the End of the World," the narration for "Devolution" was a full cast affair. Each segment, a new format like diary entries or news interviews, was fully narrated by a unique narrator and felt very organic. It also keeps the voices fresh. Even the best narration can feel old after a particularly long book. "Devolution" is only about 10 hours in total length, but individual segments are never more than half an hour.

The general premise of the book is that a tailor made smart community Greenloop is created in a rural area near Mount Rainier. The community is mostly self-sustaining with solar panels, septic systems, and smart home functionality, but connected to the rest of the world via high speed internet. The residents subsist on drone deliveries of groceries and packages. This idealistic society seems perfect until Mount Rainier erupts and the connection to the rest of the world is severed. As conditions become increasingly desperate, a new threat from some unseen creatures escalates to dire levels.

As I listened, especially in that initial phase right after the eruption of Mount Rainier, I felt an ominous familiarity with the story. It felt just like when Hurricane Helene hit the East Coast United States. The dismissive attitude that so many of us approached it with, followed by a week (in some cases) just trying to survive. The absurdity of bright, sunny, mild-weathered days juxtaposed against dealing with the lack of power and internet, and the inability to easily cook food. I can absolutely sympathize with what the residents of Greenloop were experiencing at first, and imagining Bigfoot slowly encroaching on an already tense house absolutely terrifies me.

Beyond the horror aspect of surviving on dwindling resources and combating aggressive assailants, I thought Brooks also offered interesting commentary on our increasing reliance on technology and the convenience of online ordering. No, most of us aren't hours away from civilization where we physically CAN'T go into town, but we have become more comfortable with never or rarely interacting with others in person. Technology undoubtedly makes our lives easier in many ways, but I appreciate the caution of imagining what happens when we depend so much on a tool that can be taken from us so easily.

Even if you aren't into Sasquatch conspiracy theories, "Devolution" is a really good horror/suspense read. If you're comfortable to the writing style (I expected it coming from World War Z), it can be absolutely engrossing to imagine these news reports and diary entries being real. What happens when we're cut off from the rest of the world and the modern creature comforts that we have are immediately stripped away? It's interesting to ponder and I think Brooks did a great job of theorizing how that would look with a unique slice of society.

Resources:
Brooks, M. (2021). _Devolution: A firsthand account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre_. Del Rey.
Hennett, J. (2025a, July 9). _Book report - “thirteen reasons why” by Jay Asher_. Book Report - “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher. https://jakehennett.blogspot.com/2025/07/book-report-thirteen-reasons-why-by-jay.html
Hennett, J. (2025b, November 5). _Hurricane Helene - one year later_. Hurricane Helene - One Year Later. https://jakehennett.blogspot.com/2025/11/hurricane-helene-one-year-later.html
Keaney, Q. (2025, September 29). _The most terrifying and disturbing horror novels, ever_. What Is Quinn Reading? https://www.whatisquinnreading.com/blog/the-most-disturbing-books-ive-ever-read