The Silence

Stoker and Derleth winner Lebbon (Coldbrook) delivers a chilling and heart-wrenching story that transcends its "yet another global apocalypse" trappings. This time the danger in the not-too-distant future (2016) is from "vesps." These carnivorous flying creatures have been released from a long-sealed underground cave system in central Europe, where they evolved to rely on their hearing to find meat. As the vesps speed towards the U.K., Ally, a Deaf teenager, and her family attempt to escape to a quieter part of England. Ally and her father, Huw, struggle to deal with the unleashed monsters as well as the inevitable horrors committed by other humans in desperate times. Although Lebbon delivers graphic violence and gore, it%E2%80%99s the sense of despair that really creates the terror, as reports from the internet dwindle and the family watches people and animals die. The sacrifices made for survival are brutal, leading to a horrific and intense climax. (Apr.)