The Scary Reviews

Genre: Action & Adventure
Length: 161 Pages
Publisher: Severed Press
Release date: September 9, 2018
Synopsis:

Paleontologist Grant Coleman and environmentalist Janaina Silva, lost in the Amazon rain forest, discover an isolated logging camp, and the chance to hitch a ride back to civilization.

But the workers uncover a fossil of a giant snake, almost fifteen meters long. Grant is thrilled, but the superstitious workers believe they have let loose a demon.

That night, the world begins to unravel. A mysterious creature attacks the camp, kills several men, and sinks the only boat that can get them home. Soon Grant and the others are in a battle against colossal spiders and a descendant of that great fossilized snake.

The key to survival might lie in the lost pyramid of the Aztec Viper King, hidden deep in the rain forest. But they need to get there alive, and one member of the crew has an agenda that doesn’t include Grant and Janaina ever getting home.

Will anyone survive the curse of the Viper King?

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review

The Viper King kicks off by picking up where Monsters in the Clouds left off. I had hoped to see where Grant’s trip home would lead! We also get a quick connection to Grant’s previous adventures from years ago, and a recap of how he ended up in the Amazon forest. As a reader who loves to follow characters in multiple books, I appreciate those tiny connections and backstories that give the protagonist more depth and keep them alive in the readers mind.

Grant Coleman is a great character and Russell James steps right back into Grant’s shoes with ease. The mythos created surrounding The Viper King was well crafted and fun while Russell mixes a bit of Aztec history in for good measure. The adventure for Grant and Janaina is far from over, and their quest to get home keeps slipping farther away. They must defeat the giant snakes and spiders, but knowing Grant, somehow he’ll get it done and be off on another adventure soon. This was a fun read and I await the next adventure from Russell James.

Link to purchase The Curse of the Viper King

Russell James, Biography-

Russell James grew up on Long Island, New York and spent too much time watching Chiller, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and The Twilight Zone, despite his parents’ warnings. Bookshelves full of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe didn’t make things better. He graduated from Cornell University and the University of Central Florida.

After a tour flying helicopters with the U.S. Army, he now spins twisted tales best read in daylight. He has written the paranormal thrillers Dark Inspiration, Sacrifice, Black Magic, Dark Vengeance, and Dreamwalker. He has several horror short story collections, including Tales from Beyond and Deeper into Darkness, as well as some science fiction collections. Now, Q Island, released July 7, 2015 and he’s already under contract for his next book for 2016.

His wife reads what he writes, rolls her eyes, and says “There is something seriously wrong with you.” He and his wife share their home in sunny Florida with two cats.

To find out more about Russell R. James, please visit his Website or follow him on Facebook! Join him on Twitter, @RRJames14. Also, feel free to drop him at a line at rrj@russellrjames.com.