I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

A small town becomes infested with mutant ticks in author Christopher A. Micklos’s “Tick Town.”

The Synopsis

Welcome to Tick Town

Tomahawk Hollow has a huge problem. Slaughtered livestock. Disappearing townsfolk. And something in the woods hungry for blood. When a young reporter and her boss investigate, they discover a band of giant mutant ticks have made the rural Wisconsin tourist town their feeding ground.

Now, with the annual Harvest Moon Jubilee about to begin, Emmaline and Jackson must race to find the queen tick and her nest before a massive clutch of monster eggs hatch…and thousands more terrifying ticks are unleashed into the world!

Bursting with cinematic action, horror, fun, and suspense, TICK TOWN is an old-school, pulse-pounding pulp horror adventure. If you like classic creature feature horror fiction like JAWS and NIGHT OF THE CRABS or b-movie monster mayhem like THEM! and STARSHIP TROOPERS, you’ll love TICK TOWN!

The Review

I loved this pulp horror novel. The instant I was hooked on this narrative, I was transported back to my youth, when my family and I watched the pulp horror meets creature feature Eight Legged Freaks, with giant spiders taking out a small town. The author perfectly captures this same theme, tapping into the everyday fears people associate with insects and the inescapable feeling of trying to outrun threats far bigger than ourselves. The vivid imagery and the fast pacing of the narrative instantly transport the reader into the action, getting lost in the growing threat these creatures pose and the dangers they pose. 

To me, the true heart of this book was in the fantastic attention to detail the author put into making classic horror tropes work, making them feel both classic yet fresh in this narrative. From the small town setting of Tomahawk Hollow, to the teens hanging out in the woods they know they shouldn’t be in, to the abandoned building no one goes near but these kids do, and so much more, this novel oozes the iconic horror tropes that have made people such fans of the genre. The characters felt familiar, from the out-of-town visitors who seemed up to no good, the citizens put into the role of heroes, and even the laughable and reviled characters you either love or love to hate.

The Verdict

Haunting, thrilling, and entertaining, author Christopher Micklos’s “Tick Town” is a must-read pulp horror classic in the making, and one horror novel readers will want to watch out for this summer. The twists and turns in the narrative and the mixture of fun and horror readers get when delving further and further into the narrative will stay with them long after the story ends. If you haven’t yet, be sure to preorder your copy today or pick up your copy on June 24th, 2025. 

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

Christopher Micklos is a life-long horror junkie, an award-winning filmmaker, and a frequently published writer of horror-themed fiction and non-fiction. A member of the Horror Writers Association and the Wisconsin Writers Association, Christopher recently received the Wisconsin Backbone of Horror Award for “crafting amazing horror experiences” and “supporting Wisconsin horror.” His two feature films, THE NURSERY and THE HEADMISTRESS, are widely available streaming and on DVD; and his writing has appeared locally in numerous national outlets, including Rue Morgue Magazine, Sci-Fi Lampoon Magazine, and many others. . Christopher lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife, daughter, two frisky ferrets, and their monstrous mini-labradoodle Ygor.

https://christophermicklos.com/