Joseph L. Gilmore - Rattlers

[dem]

Joseph L. Gilmore - Rattlers (Hamlyn, 1978)

Melvyn Grant

Blurb:

Up above, on the mountain-top, the men and machines were clearing the site for Greenbrier Lodge – a massive luxury hotel. The project would cost millions - but would make its owner a fortune.

Down below, in the silent darkness of the earth, slumbered a huge colony of rattlesnakes. Some were young and-small, and easily alarmed. Others were veterans nearly six feet long, and thick as a man's wrist. All were potentially deadly ... Their den was a writhing network of burrows and nests in the depths of the mountain.

As the building proceeded, the snakes became restless, and human fear began to grow. But big Sam DeBlase was determined that nothing should spoil his plans. By the time the first wealthy guests arrived, he would have to exterminate the reptiles.

Yet he could not forget what the expert had said:

"YOU'LL NEVER MOVE THOSE SNAKES!"

And so the horror began...

Sept 29, 2008 9:41:12 GMT killercrab said:

I run across this quite often and have a copy myself. I recall after a quick glance inside that this seemed full of sex. I hope my memory isn't faulty on this issue.

Well I'm fourteen pages in and not even a hint of any hanky panky! Fair enough, there's still a couple of hundred pages for things to liven up, but I haven't got the patience of a saint you know!

That said, it's looking good. Every character so far - especially Big Sam who we're supposed to sympathise with - is revolting! It's the usual Jaws deal: the money men know it's dangerous to open Greenbrier Lodge on account of the massive snake nest, but they're gonna do it anyhow so they can make lots of cash! Can't help but think that the Tony Pelletier character was drawn from life and that the author didn't like him much. The Italian architect is an "effete egomaniac", has an "unpleasant sneer", objects to manly swearing and, being homosexual, is the only character allowed to have "buttocks". I bet whatever happens is all his fault and that he dies horribly!

[killercrab]

Well I'm fourteen pages in and not even a hint of any hanky panky!

Ha ha I'm not vouching overly for my memory here - but then I do recall some racy stuff Dem.

ade

[dem]

Phew! Thank goodness the "extremely pretty", ultra liberated Elaine Bradley has turned up on the scene and saved the day! Next time you read a book, can you make a note of what page the hot sex action occurs on, KC? I wouldn't want to go through all this stress again! Anyway, almost her first words to David Shetland (Zoologist: young: shoulder-length hair) are "So you are the snake man: show me a slithery monster!" or sentiments to that effect, and he certainly obliges! I'm not sure if we're supposed to like him. Unlike ex-Green Beret Big Sam, he was a conscientious objector to the war in 'nam (unlike his best friend, Big San's son, who was killed out there), but when he's not working his hobby is shagging. So's Elaine's, and they're soon going at it hammer and tongs!

On the snakes front. Well, you get all this stuff about a large bull-rattler giving it the big one, but at least 250 are wiped out by a seven-strong team led by local injun piss artist Billy Pierce and his mad dog, and construction of the fabulous complex is on schedule. But then Billy gets taken out by the venomous monsters when he falls down a crevice where they happen to be sunbathing and we get some joyous descriptions of his death agonies and what his corpse looks like afterward.

Opening day approaches ...

[andydecker]

What a great cover!

Snakes do nothing for me as a horror topic, but this cover says "read me!!"

[dem]

Greenbriar Lodge is up and running, so now a hefty section of the book is given over to pen-portraits of the ghastly bunch of rent-a-cliches who are about to be served up as snake-food, and the sooner the better!

Virginia Largley, over the hill movie star, and her far younger live-in companion, simpering Sally. they live together in a mansion where everything is done out in pink. Apart from an improbable variety of sex-aids, Old Virginia also keeps a pampered mutt, "Poochy Pooh". It's virtually impossible to decide which of them you want to see fanged the most.

By coincidence, Gene Gilliam, the man who produced Virginia's single hit movie, the nymphomaniac musical Never Enough. The old girl hopes that sleeping with him will revive her career. Gilliam has his artist wife along, but she's hardly gonna present an obstacle. Valerie, a "big-titted broad" is keen to wreck her marriage so she's looking on the vacation as an opportunity to pick up a man and get drunk around the clock. What Gene does is his look out. Besides, much to her delight, he can't 'get it up' anyhow.

Then there's Ty Bennett, baseball star, and Karen, his bride of a few hours, famed for her recent appearance in Playboy. Ty's the locker-room raconteur and used to holding court over his admiring minions. Karen's a shy, sensitive soul who's worried about her wedding night. Even those with a morbid fear of snakes will suddenly be rooting for the rattlers after witnessing Ty's *snigger* hissy fit in the bedroom.

Senator McDonald, a mega-rich, loud mouthed lush with a heart problem. One of life's survivors, he even came through the Nixon administration without any mud clinging to his blazer. Married to the devoted Ruth.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (!): Relax, they hired a suite but immediately gifted it to friends. Likewise, Mia Farrow is rumoured to be abroad, but we hear no more of her afterward so we have to assume she escaped the drama.

Now everyone's in place, there isn't much book left for the rattlers to do their thing, but once they get into their stride, it's worth the wait. A faulty refrigerator has been shooting ammonia into the den, leaving them no option but to break surface and invade the complex. When De Blase sensibly calls in an expert with a grudge against him to fix the malfunction, the bastard sabotages the system altogether, and runs off gleefully chortling to himself that now Big Sam's in trouble!

The mayhem is short-lived but great fun while it lasts. Tons of people get bitten, swell up, turn black, die in agony, etc. Sadly, boringly dependable Big Sam takes charge of the evacuation just when you're beginning to enjoy yourself, and the ending (as ever) is way abrupt, but that only shows Mr. Gilmore has been paying attention to his GNS.

Not the best 'When Nature Revolts!' novel - there can only ever be one Eat Them Alive! - but there are worse ways of passing an hour or three.

[fullbreakfast]

Fairly kinky lesbian sex in this one isn't there?

Can't say I remember much else about it. Dirty minded little so-and-so that I was when I read this 20-odd years ago!

[doomovertheworld]

Nov 6, 2008 22:40:38 GMT fullbreakfast said:

Fairly kinky lesbian sex in this one isn't there?

i am conscious that i am slightly late in answering this question, but having just finished reading it today i can confirm that there isn't any kinky lesbian sex in it.

It was perfectly fine, but it wasn't as good as my personal favorites in the 'when animals attack' subgenre (The Ants by Peter Tremayne or Croc by David James). it all rather felt like an episode of Dallas/Dynasty with the odd snake attack thrown in

[droogie]

Can anyone identify the cover artist? I see a name at the bottom-right corner but do not recognize it. Thanks!

[dem]

Feb 11, 2017 17:28:25 GMT droogie said:

Can anyone identify the cover artist? I see a name at the bottom-right corner but do not recognize it. Thanks!

Having compared signatures, it's Melvyn Grant, perhaps better known for his Flash Gordon cover paintings for Star paperbacks.