Stinger 

By Robert McCammon  

Open Road Integrated Media, Inc., 2024 

Paperback: $21.99 

Genre: Science Fiction  

Reviewed by Julian Jones 

Last year’s Peacock original series, Teacup, became a must-watch for sci-fi horror fans. However, the inspiration behind the hit series is a masterpiece of science-fiction and horror that is engrossing and captivating. Written by New York Times Bestselling Author and Birmingham native Robert McCammon, Stinger is a third-person science-fiction thriller with the timeless theme of how extraterrestrial contact forces humans to overcome their primitive immaturity. McCammon, who will be inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame in March, has created a tale that highlights the inner struggles of a fictional West Texas community.  

Set in 1988 in Inferno, Texas, Stinger follows animal veterinarian Jessie Hammond, her husband Tom, and their two kids, Stevie and Ray. Their lives become upended with the sudden arrival of an intelligent alien species. The entity shapeshifts into Jessie’s daughter to hide from an alien bounty hunter whose arrival will force their family, members of rival gangs from Inferno and Bordertown, and their community to band together through one night of terror and chaos to protect the endangered and save Earth from total annihilation.  

In Stinger, the human struggle of the fictitious town of Inferno is at the forefront compared to the show’s concentration on the paranoia element. McCammon’s book painted the town awash with the constant issue of racism towards Mexicans and Inferno seemingly on the verge of becoming a ghost town. In comparison, the show focuses more on the tight-knit neighborhood setting in rural Georgia, emphasizing the characters’ personal struggles.  

McCammon’s alien antagonist is a terrifying mix of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, and Predator, shapeshifting into other people and adding other body augmentations to scare or kill whoever is in its path to retrieve its prize. There is an added danger of its species threatening Earth as well. The titular creature of the book had a more threatening presence than the show’s villain, whose appearance was more innocuous. While Stinger did not transform his appearance as extreme in the show, his blending in within the community was an intriguing metaphor for sowing distrust and paranoia.  

Many elements and characters from the show are different in their own right. It did not feel anything close to the setup of the novel. The characters feel more cynical and quicker to distrust in the show versus the large ensemble cast of characters who are terrified of a shapeshifting bounty hunter in the book. The community of Inferno is willing to throw aside their differences for the survival of not only Daufin, the alien escapee, but also humanity. 

The book tells a timely tale about societies’ obstacles hindering progress and how something new, unfamiliar, and life-threatening can change humanity. It is also a story of learning how to find hope and unity in the face of despair and distrust, something that Teacup fails to capture, as exemplified by its mildly dark cliffhanger, which brings more uncertainty and paranoia.   

Stinger is a first-contact story that touches on the human spirit of overcoming our differences in exchange for progress and growth as a species. Fans of McCammon’s work, Teacup, and of the science fiction genre will not be disappointed with this enthralling read.  

 

Julian Jones is a freelance reviewer with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He writes about movies, books, and video games, with a special interest in science fiction.