Book Review: Stinger by Robert R. McCammon

Stinger By Robert McCammon

538 pages

Pocket books

Robert McCammon is one of the few writers I can say has not delivered a stinker yet. Now I have not read every book he has written but I trust the man to deliver. Stinger was a novel I had held off on because I had not heard as much good stuff as some of RRM's classics like say Boy's Life or Swan Song. But Mine is an overlooked novel in his back catalog I love that one so at some point I was going to read it.

I am glad I did. First things first this is a very different novel from RRM's early work. It is a Crossover of Science Fiction and horror. I think I expected a creature feature but it's foundation is a much more solid Science Fiction base than I was expecting.

Of course RRM novels move fast (even when they are long) and normally have very strong characters. The characters are as strong as always but I would say that this novel is not quite as well paced as most of his novels. This is the first time where I found myself thinking (this could be a little bit shorter.)

Set in a isolated bordertown between Texas and Mexico the setting is vivid and draws you in. Two towns in rural part of Texas along the Rio Grande becomes the battle ground between alien forces. I went into this novel totally cold on the plot so I would suggest that here, but if you need to know more...

An alien ship crashes in the desert and we learn it is an alien rebel on the run from monstrous bounty hunter that she calls Stinger. I say she because the rebel Alien assumes the body of a young girl.

I am sure some of these plot elements with the rivial gangs are a little out of date now as this was written in the 80's. If there is a weakness to the novel, besides being a tad long is that the dynamic of Daufin body snatching the body of the child is not as explored as I hope hoped. That could be me projecting as I just finished watching BBC America's The Intruders which did that masterfully.