Down on the Farm

In 1809 an alien creature alights on Earth and burrows into the ground for a long hibernation, preparatory to a campaign of subjugation and murder. But in the next few decades a barn is erected over the spot, presenting a problem to the alien when it awakens in the 1980s. One of the alien's aspects, a giant centipede strong enough to tear the limbs off a young bull, digs its way out; but the essence of the alien, a red ovoid, remains trapped, since it is incapable of anything but vertical motion. Through the control of minds, the inflicting of pain and murder, the centipede endeavors to liberate its essence. Bloody scene piles on bloody scene, but without strong effect. First-time novelist Stchur has taken an idea fit for a novelette and, by dint of overwriting and repetition, produced a horror novel severely vitiated by the padding. (December 22)