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Book Review: Ratio of Brookes to Ashleys by Wol-vriey

Ratio of Brookes to Ashleys by [Wol-vriey]

Ratio of Brookes to Ashleys by Wol-vriey

Burning Bulb Publishing, 2021

ISBN: 9781948278454

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com  )

 

Where his last novel, Women, was the equivalent of ten cans of energy drink, Ratio of Brookes to Ashleys is equal to a pitcher of sugar-free iced tea.  The gore factor (for Wol-vriey, at any rate) is remarkably tuned down and the sex is minimal.  Instead, this is a dialogue-oriented story, with more focus on the characters than an action-packed narrative.  It’s a decent read, just a change of pace from his usual smashmouth, in your face style.

 

While playing the dating game in his late 20’s, Mike Broadman dates Ashley Brooke Cummins, a vindictive woman with serious mood swings.  He has the good fortune to stop dating her after a couple of months, followed by the misfortune of being cursed by her before her suicide.  The curse?  He can only date Brookes or Ashleys for the rest of his life.  The curse seems to work… too well.  Not only do people Mike knows start getting murdered, people he dates with the correct names start getting killed also.  While Mike is convinced the curse is real, the police suspect an actual human killer.  Or, possibly, a combination? That’s the mystery at the heart of the story, as Mike tries to prevent further deaths and find out the true cause.

 

It’s an original idea, and the story moves at a slower, more measured pace than Wol-vriey’s previous novels.  Character interactions and dialogue account for the majority of the book.   The characters are fairly one-dimensional people in their late 20s, but they are able to carry the story well enough despite the lack of character depth.  The character of Ashley Cummins’ ghost does provide some entertaining contrast, and it would have been nice to have seen her developed into a bigger role.  The Siamese twins (Brooke and Ashley, of course) also provide a bit of extra color.  The violence is at a much lower level that Wol-vriey’s usual work.  There are a couple of messy knifings, but most of the rest of the violence comes from people getting hit by cars; nothing too unorthodox.  It’s minimal enough that readers who dislike splat stories may be fine with this one.  Occasionally, the story does get a bit hokey (finding online hexes that actually work, for instance), and there seems to be an abundance of females named Brooke or Ashley in the book, but hey, it’s fiction.  The story does wind up nicely with a climax that has a twist, and a hilariously amusing curse that causes a real predickament for the person involved.

 

Overall, it’s a fun read, just a different style from the author’s usual work.  This is one the average horror reader can enjoy, but fans of the hardcore stuff may want to stick to his other works.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on December 6, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Anoka: A Collection of Indigenous Horror by Shane Hawk

Cover art for Anoka by Shane Hawk

Anoka: A Collection of Indigenous Horror by Shane Hawk

Black Hills Press, 2020

ISBN-13: 9798674225195

Available: Paperback, Kindle, Audible ( Amazon.com )

The titular Anoka, Minnesota is a small town outside of the Twin Cities with the title of “The Halloween Capital of the World”, a title held since 1937. Cheyenne and Arapaho author Shane Hawk presents his debut horror collection of six short stories exploring themes of family, grief, loneliness, and identity in indigenous life.

In “Soilborne”, a couple’s fussy child Roland is not what the tiny thing seems.

“Wounded” addresses missing and murdered indigenous women. Philip Wounded’s sister 12-year old sister, Pippa, was kidnapped and murdered after he shirked his responsibility in picking her up from school. After that, he took up the bottle, pills, and anything else that could bury his guilt. When he finds an old book in his grandfather’s shed, his problems get worse.

“Orange”, a powerful piece of flash fiction, tells the story of a man who is haunted by the death of his wife and unborn child after a drunk driving accident.

In “Imitate”, a father believes his young son is not who he claims to be. I love creepy kid stories, so this one was right up my alley. Hawk’s descriptions of the son, Tate, are spooky, and a scene where the father comes face to face with…something… in a small enclosed space, was intense.

It would be hard to follow “Imitate” with more scares, but Hawk manages to do just that with “Dead America”. An award-winning author struggling with severe writers block begins to have nightmares about a giant spider and her babies, who accuses him of stealing tales from his people and claiming them as his own. This one has a good dose of body horror for those of us who appreciate it.

In “Transfigured”, Hawk weaves a tale of a werewolf who just wants to belong, to be a part of something that they never could as a child: Halloween.

At the end of each story, Hawk provides story notes that gives the reader some history or inspiration behind these tales of horror. It is a nice touch, especially for people unfamiliar with the legends Hawk refers to. I recommend this collection to horror readers who are interested in genre literature by indigenous authors. The first story I read from Hawk was in Howls From Hell, which I also reviewed for Monster Librarian. I will be keeping this author on my radar. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on December 5, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Women by Wol-vriey

cover art for women by wol-vriey

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

Posted on December 1, 2021 by , Reply
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