In a small town, mysterious forces try to protect the gallows from being
torn down as an evil entity possesses the bodies of the living.
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The town disaster is told through the eyes of a former writer who has been imprisoned by his personal fears and a young girl ruled under her father, who also happens to be the town wacko. Underneath the small town is an ancient sort of demon, called a “Wyrm”, which is accidentally released from it’s chamber and it’s up to the remaining town residents to stop it.
The plot itself isn’t that original but Laws injects enough passion into it to make it worth a read.For a horror novel, the atmosphere was dark enough to serve it’s purpose.
Michael, as the ex writer with fears bigger than Baltimore, makes a delightful protagonist to read about.
Christy, the ‘waving’ sweet town honey, is a bit stereotypical but overall helps propel the story to where it needs to go. Iris is a little predictable herself in some points but provided me with a strong anchor with morals to latch on to.
The sheriff was my favorite character, he came across as very real and with an undeniably appealing personality. The only bad thing about him was that he insisted to turning to Michael for advice, because the man had wrote about fear in the past. It was a bit convenient that Michael knew what a “Wyrm” was, but as a plot device it’s basically a necessary tool to be used. Overall Laws wrote characters I cared about that worked, even if some of their major and minor traits were a bit too stereotypical.
The pace was a bit slow at first, but quickly propelled to the conflict. The “fight” itself lasted awhile and then abruptly exploded. Laws writing style doesn’t leave much out; I always knew what was going on.
While not an award winner, The Wyrm is a book worth hunting down. It tells the story of an ancient creature letting loose its havoc on a small town, killing and terrorizing many. The Wyrm speaks of pure evil, and, while done with a one-dimensional touch, manages to entertain after all.
