Women by Wol-vriey

Burning Bulb Publishing, 2021

ISBN: 9781948278430

Availability: paperback, Kindle edition (  Bookshop.org | Amazon.com  )

The Nigerian splatmaster Wol-vriey’s latest novel of enterpainment, Women is a solid, fast-paced story, but fair warning: it contains scenes of cruelty and sadism unmatched by anything ever written before.  Unlike the somewhat toned-down material in his last novel, The Final Girl, this is the author back with a full-throated roar.  This is ultra-hardcore, and for adults ONLY.

The story runs two plot threads concurrently that tie together partway through.  Megan Kemp tracks a friend of hers who is late on paying back a loan, and the trail leads to a mansion in Raynham, Massachusetts.  She goes in to confront him, and winds up in a hell that nothing could have prepared her for.  Five other women are gathered there preparing to end the life of John Miller, the millionaire who married and divorced them all while dodging any sort of alimony payments.  They all got nothing due to their infidelity, which Miller facilitated by hiring a porn star to seduce each of them, thus violating the terms of their respective pre-nups.  While the women plot, Miller is held captive in the basement and subject to the machinations of Mrs. Pain, the mansion owners’ henchwoman for hire. Megan finds herself in a fight to save her life and sanity, while also trying to save John Miller.  Megan is a rare character in the modern world: she has a conscience and wants to help John, even though she has no prior involvement with him.

Wol-vriey’s books are usually extremely fast-paced, and this is no exception: the story fires through its 216 pages without a slowdown.  It’s a nice split between action and dialogue to fill out the characters, and there’s enough backstory to evoke feelings of sympathy (or disgust) for the five ex-wives.  Instead of weaving their backstories into the narrative, the author simply inserts a backstory chapter for each of them where appropriate.  It’s a style that works well; they function successfully as interludes to the plot.  It wouldn’t be a Wol-vriey story without a few plot curveballs, and John Miller’s fate, along with that of some of the other main characters, provides them.  Suffice it to say, this is NOT the standard hack-and-slash revenge plot, and the plot twists keep the interest level high.

Mention has to be made again of Mrs. Pain, one of the most psychotic characters I’ve ever encountered on paper.  Her acts of sadism make the infamous ‘Animal’ from JF Gonzalez’s landmark horror novel Survivor look like a wimp.  Her actions are what make the book unsuitable for anyone but mature adults, but they do serve a purpose: readers will be praying for her demise in a painful fashion by the end.  She doesn’t spare old people, kids, or fetuses, and grenades, chainsaws, and hedge clippers are tools of her trade.  She is what nightmares are made of.

Women is another creative entry in Wol-vriey’s catalogue of excitement and splat, and is perfect for readers of insane fiction who want the boundaries of conventional horror fiction shattered.  Recommended.

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson