I just finished reading this amazing novel again. As far as Bigfoot fiction goes, The Shadowkiller by Matthew Scott Hansen is my all-time favorite. The writing is as good as anything I’ve ever read and I guarantee it’s one you won’t be able to put down.
Normally, I abhor anything that portrays Bigfoot as a “monster”. But in this, his first book, Matthew Scott Hansen has somehow managed to include all the horrific violence and suspense of a Stephen King novel, with a justifiably angry Sasquatch as the antagonist. The violence – and there is a lot of it – is woven into the story so brilliantly that it never appears gratuitous, despite the very creative ways this creature finds to exact its revenge on the puny humans who caused it such angst.
The two things that are imperative in any good fiction story are a reluctant hero and an antagonist who’s difficult to hate. Hansen has mastered both.
Hansen has an ability, within a few short paragraphs, to introduce a character, make him or her so real that you swear you’ve known that individual or someone just like them intimately, and then kill them off in the most gruesome fashions imaginable. *grin* Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, the author infuses such intricate detail into the setting that you can smell the mist rising off the forest floor. He’s obviously done his research about the bigfoot phenomenon as well; amazingly accurate details about the creature’s behavior are intertwined so believably into the dialogue and action that Hansen manages to create an entirely unique yet representative Sasquatch that practically breathes down your neck as you read. The grasp he has on the intricacies of the subject is simply amazing.
Simply put: this is a bigfoot novel written by “one of us”. *grin*
One of the best things about this book is the afterword. Hansen takes it upon himself to spend several pages on a lengthy and articulate discussion about the bigfoot phenomenon for those readers who aren’t familiar with the details. Kudos to you, Matt, for using the fiction platform to further educate the public about our favorite subject!
One word of caution, though: If you live anywhere rural, I wouldn’t recommend reading this book after dark. It’s probably also not a good choice of reading material if you’re planning on reading by flashlight in your tent in a dark forest somewhere. ;)
Click here to read an October 2007 interview with Matthew Scott Hansen by Oregonbigfoot’s own Scott Davis.
The Shadowkiller is available at Amazon.com.
