Legendary genre writer Shaun Hutson has once again tackled a Hammer classic (his last one was Twins Of Evil) and has turned his hand to another respected Hammer shocker, X The Unknown from 1956.

In a quiet field in Buckinghamshire, a huge crack has appeared in the earth's surface. And people are dying. Incinerated beyond recognition. At the same time, hospitals have noticed an increase in catastrophic deformities in foetuses, and cancer levels soaring.

Dr Adam Royston, a scientist working at the nearby military base, thinks he knows what it is; a creature as old as the earth that slumbers for centuries, then wakes to feed on the energy and radiation produced by humans. But if he's right, and they can't find a way to destroy the creature roaming the countryside, then it's not just Buckinghamshire that could be in danger, but the whole world.

By updating the original premise, Hutson has delivered a stunning piece. Well worth investing time in.

Fingers crossed Hammer release more of these books.