A thriller set in the deep jungles of the Brazilian Interior, with the possibility of giant monster attacks - Count me in.
Hell's Gate was written by Bill Schutt, a vertebrate zoologist and research assistant at the American Museum of Natural History, and cave explorer J.R. Finch.
In 1944, a three hundred foot Japanese submarine is found marooned in the jungle below the Mato Grosso Plateau. When Army Rangers sent in do not return, intrepid Captain MacCready parachutes in to discover the Japanese and Germans are there. In the jungle, he reunites with an old friend presumed dead for years, who is living with his mysterious native girlfriend amongst her people. When they discover the Nazi's are in cahoots with the Japanese to construct a massive weapon, MacCready enters their camp to learn more and come up with a plan to stop them - Indiana Jones style.
Off in the nearby caves, a darker force waits for night, to attack and feed. Yes, there are large caves filled with prehistoric, telepathic, vampire bats (!) as large as a raccoon and with a ten foot wing span, they can snatch whatever they like into their claws and paralyze them with a single bite. When people begin to disappear, the bats are discovered and a new plan is hatched by the evil Nazi scientists - to use the deadly venom of the blut kinder (blood children) as a new unstoppable weapon in the war.
An adventure tale very much in the style of James Rollins (who loved this book) you might enjoy this thrill ride. I found it silly and (besides a night our hero has to spend hiding in the bat cave covered in live maggots) not that exciting. My main gripe would be - it takes place in 1944 yet there is no sign in language or action that indicates this! If you replace the Germans with Russians, it could be taking place today. It needed some conversation of the time or comments that placed the action during the war. I think the only reason to place it in that time period was to have evil Nazis' on hand.
I am the market for this kind of giant monster wartime adventure in the jungle! I am always hoping it will be a terrific ride, but this quickly became disappointing. Not completely awful, but I'm surprised it got so many good reviews.
2016 / Paperback / 405 pages
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