NNtG: Shivers #15: Pool Ghoul

Time for a swim back into Woo! Party Summer month. And this time it's a trip back to Shivers territory. Been a bit of a while since our last parlay, and with our book covering swimming pools, it's might be a perfect book for our theme. Or it could easily spring a leak, who knows? One way to find out, let's dive into Pool Ghoul.

When you want atmospheric and nightmarish, Shivers always delivers. This is no exception. From the moonlight, the dead trees (in Summer?) the mist floating over the pool to add that foreboding feeling. And then there's the alligator and I love how it's design. How it's seemingly morphing from a pool toy to a real alligator, and the pool or red bloody water suggests danger is imminent. Visually striking, extremely creepy and easily one of my favorite Shivers covers.

Laura Massey returns home from camp. Sadly no supernatural events at the swim camp, just her friend Tiffany and Tiffany's friends being annoying. She gets picked up by her mom and their pet terrier Sammy. She arrives at her home, which was actually the home of her father, a lawyer for a chemical company called Chem Corp. So far things all look nice, but even nicer for Laura is learning that the family installed a pool in the backyard while she was away. It's not filled with water yet, but there is a guy in there. A skull and crossbones tattoo on one arm and a Dixie flag on the other (uh-oh) and a glob of chaw in his mouth. Reader beware indeed.

The man, Mr. Campbell, tells Laura and her dad that the pool should be ready once the garbage is cleared. Laura then gets something to eat and is about to throw a can in the trash when her brother Matt goes into a panic since he's a massive environmentalist. Laura relays the encounter with Mr. Campbell to which Matt reveals that something's up with that guy. He seems to be stalking their mother, throwing trash in the pool hole and even kicked their dog. So, he works for R.L. Stine, then. But it was observing Mr. Campbell's littering that made Matt more determined in cleaning up the environment. 

That night, Laura thinks she sees steam coming from the pool, as well as the sound of a splash, even with no water still inside. The next day, Mr. Massey fills up the pool and readies the chlorine while Laura and Matt get a bunch of pool toys from the Peterson family nearby. After they head home, they see the pool is finished. Laura goes for the first dive in, only to feel like her eyes are on fire. Yeah, blame that one on Dad, though really it was the suggestion of Mr. Campbell to just dump a whole bucket of chlorine into a pool. Reader beware, Laura's going to go albino. Conveniently, rain begins to fall so the family go indoors. However, as if there was some ghostly dome over it, none of the rainwater touches the pool.

At school the next day (because the best time to build a pool is a few days before school starts), Laura ends up running into a tall teenage boy. Matt introduces the kid as Martin Little-Feather. Oh-oh no. I had a feeling we were going there, but I'll wait to see where this goes. Matt is happy as he and Martin, along with the recycling crew are helping clean up the town with the aid of Chem Corp. Because that sounds like a company that's environmentally friendly. While looking at a brochure, Laura sees a picture of the CEO of Chem Corp, Mr. Dudley along with a picture of Mr. Campbell. Martin takes offense to that as he's well aware that Campbell is a known polluter. I mean, the trash in the pool was a sign there.

We learn that Martin's tribe was one of the many tribes who suffered from the Trail of Tears. However, his family managed to live in caves for years before moving out and turning Bluff Ridge into a tourist attraction, which even he admits was selling out to the white man. Chem Corp wanted to buy the land, but Martin's father refused. Mr. Campbell threatened him, but he didn't back down. However, that may have been costly as Martin's father was never seen again. And their homes were taken over by Chem Corp with everyone having to live in the apartments nearby. And, of course, Mr. Campbell is untouchable given he works for Mr. Dudley and Chem Corp has full control. All pretty damning, but Laura says that their dad is the lawyer for Chem Corp, and if Chem Corp is recycling now, how can they be bad? Wait until this kid learns what the world "philanthropy" means and why it's a marketing tool.

Martin mentions that they should check on Sammy, their dog. And sure enough, when Matt and Laura get home, Sammy is dead, corpse floating in the pool. Are we sure Stine didn't write this one? But Martin manages to revive the dog, so Sammy lives! But now Laura's even more certain that something's not right about this pool. As Martin leaves, Matt and Laura hand out recycling brochures. They stop at the home of the eccentric Miss Pincher. They hear a threat saying that they're going to be killed, but it just comes from Pincher's pet parrot. They mention the brochures, to which Miss Pincher can see right through this. The irony of Chem Corp claiming to recycle when they're already killing the town.

Of course the kids, who have familial bias but maybe should clue in by now, aren't willing to hear slander about their dad. Miss Pincher says it's all fine they build new parks and schools and provide employment, all while polluting the rivers. That it killed the animals and ruined everything. And they don't want the average joes to know about it. Of course the kids still don't believe her, thinking that there must be a positive to this. They talk to their dad who says that yeah, some of it's true. They were polluting for a while, but they've TOTALLY changed. And while there have been stories about Mr. Dudley, from Mr. Massey's perspective he's been nice to him, so how bad can he be? 

The family hear another splash, but Mr. Massey says that it's just their pool cleaning device. Suddenly the device shoots up and into the pool, which calms Laura down enough to think that maybe she was overreacting. She invites Tiffany and the others to a pool party the coming Friday. That night, Matt and Laura check out the pool and swear they can see the pool noodles forming the word NO. The next day, things surprisingly escalate further. A group of protestors protest Chem Corp, despite Mr. Dudley saying they cleaned up the toxic waste. No chance of any more pollution, perish the thought. As Miss Pincher protests, Mr. Campbell grabs her and drags her off. As their parents are distraught, Matt and Laura notice a Chem Corp recycling truck nearby. Only instead of taking litter, it's dumping it on the street.

The pool party arrives and everything seems fine. Even Laura finally gets in the water. Tiffany grabs an inflatable shark pool toy and starts to play with it, when suddenly the shark comes to life and drags her down into the pool before coming back up and hurling Tiffany out of the water and on to the concrete with a hard thud. Laura tries to tell her parents and Matt, but none of them believe her because... Look, I get why, because it would be absurd to think pool toys came to life, but, I dunno, maybe she has a reason to be worried... but because Shivers parents. But Mr. Massey then notices something really concerning. The pool's water has become blood red. Now he totally believ-Of course he doesn't. Chalks it up to a soil leak or something.

Laura goes hiking with Matt, Martin and their scout troop when she suddenly starts to sink into the ground. Martin tells them that they're above one of the caves. And, given you don't really say "no" to a cave exploration, the trio head down into the catacombs. They soon run into an area filled with trash and a man with a gun holding Miss Pincher hostage. That man being Mr. Campbell. Marin vanishes as Mr. Campbell captures the kids and ties them up alongside Miss Pincher before leaving in a Chem Corp truck. Thankfully Matt's a scout, so he has a knife in hand to free the three of them. 

As they try to sneak off, they get caught again by Mr. Cambell, ready to fire a shotgun at them, but Martin shows up in time to deflect it. He then grabs the gun and holds Mr. Campbell down long enough for Mr. and Mrs. Massey and the cops to arrive. Martin had left the group so he could run off to get help in time. They all breathe a sigh of relief, but Martin says this isn't over. The next day, Martin shows up at the pool and it's all clean now. He tells the Masseys that this was the work of his people. As a warning about what Chem Corp was doing. Mr. Dudley arrives and says that he legitimately had no idea that Mr. Campbell was polluting, but now that Campbell's in jail he'll be true to the recycling plan. And the book ends with Laura finally feeling as if the pool is fine.

So this one took a turn. We didn't get as much "evil pool toys" as I thought going in. And it was more of a book with a political message. A very overt one at that. Not just the "give a hoot don't pollute" message, but book that covers the Trail of Tears, colonization, the evils of the confederacy, pollution, two-faced politics and, time remaining, some stuff about native spirits. I will say I had my worry the plot was going to be full on native stereotypes, but it was ultimately more fair than I expected. I also worried the pool was a burial ground or something, but thankfully that's not the case.

Honestly, I commend the book for trying for a more environmentalist route, even if at times it does feel heavy handed. And in the end, we're supposed to buy the head of a chemical plant on his word of really trying to change for the better of the environment. Now that's the most unbelievable thing here. It's a book with some decent messages, even if some get muddy. Honestly, it would be a book that, if released now, would be considered, and god I hate even using it but, "woke". It would be torn down as propaganda or attacking the confederate flag or some junk. And if it could make one of those dorks mad then this book's a winner in my book.

Laura and Matt are decent protagonists. And while they don't believe Miss Pincher about Chem Corp's literal crimes, I can at least buy their naivete. They don't want to believe their dad would represent someone evil. Even though, I mean, he is a lawyer for a corporation. I mean, maybe not cartoonish super villainy, but it's still there. Martin is interesting. Written slightly stereotypical, but still pivotal to the events of the book. Miss Pincher is a decent adult character who is actually on the side of good for once. And Mr. Campbell works as a villain too. Overall, the pieces all fit, even if the book does feel like it leans too hard on stereotypes at times. But thankfully nowhere as bad as I worried. 

So, with a decent enough story, despite a lack of strong scares outside of the toy shark attack, this one goes on the recommend pile. Shivers continues to entertain me with very few hiccups so far. It's a series that so far has been swimming in success. Pool Ghoul gets an A-.