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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: The Things in Heaven and Earth by Michael Scott Hopkins

cover art for The Things in Heaven and Earth by Michael Scott Hopkins

The Things in Heaven and Earth by Michael Scott Hopkins

Black Rose Writing, 2021

ISBN: 9781684337118

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

 

The Things in Heaven and Earth is a good read the first time around, but it may take another read in order to understand all the details; some of the early chapters make a lot more sense the second time through.  That said, it’s still a good, imaginative take on the conflict between God and Satan (although those names aren’t really used) being played out through intermediaries on Earth.

 

Nash Baxter is a character with a convoluted life.  He shot and killed his family as a child, became a personal injury lawyer, then quit to become a paranormal hoax-buster and best-selling author, and somehow he is the repository of some of Satan’s life force.  If that isn’t enough, Nash can see real ghosts, and the demons that bind the ghosts to this plane of existence.  Sound complicated?  It is, both to the reader and to Nash.  When explanations are provided, Nash has an engaging habit of telling characters to give it to him in plain English, instead of using metaphysical jargon.  Some parts may still not make complete sense to the reader, but there’s enough to get the gist of it and follow the story.

 

As twisting as the plot is, it keeps you engaged through the uncertainty, to keep turning the pages to see where the story goes next.  Nash is a good leading man, and you’ll find it easy to relate to his down to earth manner.  He meets an assortment of odd companions along the way: his supposedly dead brother, a doctor who is granted mystical healing powers, real people with phantom personalities… quite the eclectic collection.   Somehow, the story holds all of them, and threads together nicely, keeping the interest level high.  The adversity faced by Nash and Co. is also unpredictable; a lightning bolt alone can provide three instant demon enemies for Nash and his friends.  The reader won’t be sure who the antagonists are in the story until close to the end; the author does a good job painting both sides in mystery.  Eventually, all becomes (mostly) clear, and the story wraps up nicely with a final confrontation between Nash and his enemies.

 

It’s a strange, convoluted tale, but it’s an entertaining one, although it might be a bit much for readers who like their fiction straightforward and easy to comprehend.  If you want a story that veers all over the basepaths yet somehow still crosses home plate in style, The Things in Heaven and Earth is for you.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on November 3, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: The Son of Abraham (Diabhal #3) by Kathleen Kaufman

cover art for The Son of Abraham by Kathleen Kaufman

The Son of Abraham (Diabhal #3) by Kathleen Kaufman

Turner Publishing, 2021(to be released Oct. 26)

ISBN: 9781684425389

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

 

Note:  The Son of Abraham is the third book in a trilogy.  I haven’t read the other two, but this book, for the most part, can be read as a stand-alone.

 

Cults are always good material for horror stories, since some of the ones seen over the past thirty years (Branch Davidians, Heaven’s Gate, etc.) have truly been stranger than fiction.  The Son of Abraham is a fresh take on the idea, if you like end-of-the-world tales, this book will make the grade for most readers.

 

The first 55 pages detail the hours leading up to a large-scale bombing of Los Angeles, by the Son of Abraham cult that kills 10,000 people, and this section is told from the perspectives of multiple people.  The rest of the story takes place ten years later, and is told primarily for the viewpoint of two characters.  One is Esther Robertson, the only surviving offspring of cult leader Alan Robertson; the other is Cooper Carlson, a news reporter who gets personally involved in the story.  Their adversary is the still-alive Alan Robertson, who is locked down at the Supermax prison in Colorado.  Cities start getting destroyed again, and signs point to Alan and his cult being involved, despite his being behind bars.  Esther and Cooper get pulled into a race to stop Alan Robertson from destroying the entire planet, and the big question becomes: are they really acting on their own to stop him, or are they simply puppets Alan pulls the strings on in his quest for domination?

 

The dynamic between Esther, Cooper, and Alan is a big part of the book, and is a lot of what makes the story fun.  Most people like to see the good guys win, but most readers of The Son of Abraham will be asking if Esther and Cooper even have a chance at all, as Alan is clearly no ordinary man.  Unnatural destruction and murder in his presence do a good job of driving the point home.  He’s a manipulative man, as the small character parts involving his followers, and the sacrifices they make for his ambition, demonstrate.

 

Esther and Cooper make excellent “heroes that don’t want to be heroes”, as they each have their own problems to deal with.  Cooper isn’t sure if his news coverage of Alan is helping or hurting the general population.  Esther is trying to save a world that has a lot of people that want her dead, only because she is Alan’s daughter.  She had nothing to do with the LA bombing and the general public knows that, but it doesn’t matter in the age of sensationalistic news and social media.  Their journey around the country chasing Alan’s web of destruction is fast-paced, striking a good balance between action and story development.  The author adds another level of intrigue by re-writing the whole concept of the afterlife with the “Night Forest”,  which ties into Alan Robertson’s desired goal of domination.  It’s a more creative scenario for a religious leader, and it lifts the originality of the story.

 

Short version: if you like fast-paced Armageddon stories, you will like Son of Abraham.  Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on October 18, 2021 by , Reply
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