Title: Bee Tornado

Author: Chris Sorenson

Release date: July 31st, 2023

For those who fell in love with Sorenson’s horror debut ‘The Nightmare Room,’ book one in his Messy Man series, it felt like an excruciatingly long wait between book two and book three. I mean, not Rothfuss or RR Martin long of a wait for the next in the series, but it was still a solid break and once released, we all devoured it.

And then the next wait began. The wait for Chris’ next book. And when we finally got word on it arriving, earlier this year, we all collectively held our breath. Chris then deployed a fantastic marketing plan for his novel ‘Suckerville,’ which I had the honor of beta-reading. And he knocked it out of the park. But – and this was met with a collective gasp – within days of ‘Suckerville’ dropping – Chris hinted at another book on the horizon. ‘Bee Tornado.’ I shit you not. And, once again, to my sheer amazement and surprise, Chris reached out to ask if I’d like to give it an early read. ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY.

I’m having a hard time remembering the last time we had two back-to-back creature-feature bangers like what Chris has done with ‘Suckerville’ and ‘Bee Tornado.’ It would be akin to going to a drive-in theatre and watching ‘Tremors’ and ‘Lake Placid’ on a double bill. Two different-but-same movies, both filled with heart, some humor and ultimately some of the best survive-at-all-costs-against-the-insane-things-trying-to-kill-us moments.

What I liked: ‘Bee Tornado’ follows Derek. He’s struggling to carry on, after his wife was killed in a horrible accident involving a tornado, leaving him and his early-teenaged daughter to continue. He’s drifting through life, his and his wife’s ‘odditorium’ store shuttered and the bills piling up.

But what he doesn’t know is that someone trying to make a quick buck has disturbed something that had been hibernating in the hills for centuries, and now they’re loose and looking for their nectar.

From that point on, it’s completely a battle between massive bees and those trying their all to stop them. We get some amazing secondary characters, fantastic action sequences and some truly over-the-top deaths which will make anyone who’s ever been stung second guess staying put the next time a bee comes near them.

The ending to this was spot on and really topped the emotional cake with a really nice topper. The father-daughter relationship that we watched weave between poor and poorer throughout came back around and it made for a wonderful way to see this one finish.

What I didn’t like: There are some secondary characters who you immediately know are simply there to be stung and killed off – its expected – but a few of them seem to be a bit more heavily invested in, only for their storyline to mean almost nothing. It happens, but for a few of them it made for an odd moment when you realize some of what you’ve followed won’t be tied up in a neat little bow!

Why you should buy this: I mean, if you loved ‘Suckerville,’ this is a no-brainer. But if you haven’t read that and are looking for a fun, over-the-top, action-packed thrill-ride, look no further. Sorenson is in his wheelhouse here and has created a totally awesome, cinematic horror novel.

Loved it.

5/5