Review: The night it got out

The Night It Got Out
By
Patrick James Ryan


ISBN-13 - 978-0- 69232978-8
ISBN-10 – 0-69232978- 1
ASIN - B00XS64R02
Copyright 2015 by Patrick James Ryan
Published by Black Bed Sheet Books
220 pages

Gory; brutal are the only two words to describe what happens when a government interbreeds
animals to enhance killing efficiency, and then interbreeds them with humans to increase
intelligence and skills. Utter mayhem is what happens when one of them escapes in a residential
area populated by unsuspecting citizens. Utter disbelief is what Police Chief Don Girard felt
when confronted by the dismembered bodies of his citizens and the uncaring attitude and lies of
the federal representatives on site who cared only for recovering their ‘weapon’. In many ways,
Girard lost more than anyone else in this enormous federally orchestrated disaster.

What happens when a biological weapons program originally designed to clear Viet Cong and
NVA cave complexes in Vietnam runs amuck? What happens when the CIA brings the ‘father’
of that weapons program, 78 year-old retired Colonel Elliot Harmon back to try to recover the
weapon he created? What happens when the anger of a human-like species toward its CIA and
military manipulators and controllers finally boils over into the fire? According to the author,
brutal uncaring death and destruction happens to any human close by.

The characters are believable and sufficiently developed for the story. Girard is a happily
married experienced law enforcement officer that cares about his community. He is completely
clueless but unwilling for his community to be victimized by the government. Ironically, he is
ultimate victim. Colonel Elliot Harmon reminds me personally of an older clone of Richard
Crenna’s character, Colonel Trautman from the 1982 movie, Rambo: First Blood. The rest of the
characters have little direct involvement with the story except to serve as a supply of body parts
for the monster to scatter around.

Although brutal and gory to the extreme, The Night It Got Out is entertaining and I found myself
wondering what lie the government would tell next. The result is not too difficult to see coming,
but still it provides a bit of a twist to a story that is otherwise predictable. On the whole, it’s
nicely written and edited and should appeal to anyone who loves a good government bashing
conspiracy, extreme adventure or horror novel.

4-stars.
Clabe Polk