|
Righteous Blood by Cliff Burns
pub: PS Publishing. 177 page hardback. Price: £ 8.00
(UK), $14.00 (US). ISBN: 1-902-880-46-3 (softcover); 1-902-880-47-1
(hardback)
check out website: www.pspublishing.co.uk
A
pair of stories under one title:-
RIGHTEOUS BLOOD: A vagrant has a comfortable lifestyle hidden
in the garage of a well-off suburban family.
When the family seems to be breaking down he realises he could
be in danger of losing his comfortable billet and takes drastic
action to secure his future. The family don't realise that their
existence and happiness has been smoothed over by this apparent
guardian angel.
KEPT:
The second story to begin with, appears to be in the style of
Stephen King's 'Misery'. Following an abortive one-night stand,
a vengeful woman holds an innocent man captive. All is not as it
seems.
Maxine, movie camera in hand, is recording the man's agony for
her movie. She is also the caretaker of an apartment block that
is home to an increasingly bizarre range of residents.
The story becomes gradually more horrific, made more intense by
the awareness that you have no obvious heroine or hero to root for
because, like Maxine, her captive is also not what he initially
appears to be.
A gruesome horror story that requires a strong stomach this story
is very graphic and would not normally be my personal choice of
reading. It puts you in a strange position as reader and its conclusion
is as surreal as the rest of the story.
Both are novellas coming in at 76 and 96 pages respectively. They
both pack an awful lot into those pages, which should give pause
to those novelists who take so long to get going.
Each one features a journey of the soul in which we travel with
our protagonist to the depths of Hell itself. They are not comfortable
and I was left with many questions at the end. They are thoughtful
but not laboured. Are these people angels or devils and who will
judge them?
Not Science Fiction but a fantastic journey nevertheless.
This is a limited edition so snap it up.
Sue Davies
|