Synopsis:
They would have you believe, (the police and mainstream media), that I, Charlie Macall, and my friends, were the deadliest killers since Manson or Bundy. That’s only half true. Yes, we’ve killed, but to put us in the same category as those two I’ve just mentioned, is wrong, a fallacy. For starters, they’d have to be human for us to be considered murderers, right?
What I’m about to tell you is nothing but the truth, the whole truth, as unbelievable as it may seem. Let it stand as testimony to the brave deeds of the people who have fallen in our task. The people who have died trying to free you all from a prison of no walls.
You’ll have to bear with me on this journey, for if you are to believe me, it’s going to take time, time to unravel the illusion of what you believe to be your normal, everyday lives.
Hell, I didn’t even believe it at first and why should I have? This shit is crazy…
Review:
So, where to start? E H Bradley is one of the founder members of the Dark Veil group of authors. Therefore, when taking up the offer to read this ARC, I was expecting a tale tinged with darkness and horror. Yep. Got that. What I wasn’t expecting was a novel that then wove elements of dark, scifi-cum-fantasy in its latter half. It was as if a switch was turned on halfway. The dark, creeping horror of the initial chapters entwined with the grief and emotional pain of a group of friends was well played. You could ‘see’ where you were being led, and it reminded me of some of Ramsey Campbell’s works where you had to read on to prove yourself right as the foreboding darkness ratcheted up.
And then, boom. To say more would be to spoil the book. Let’s say we move worlds, and the hinted at glimpses of our antagonists becomes very real and very physical swiftly after that. The characters retain their believability, and their anguish. The antagonists, however, were a little too over-the-top for me. Not in the boundaries they crossed, but in the lack of shade in their consistent bitterness and desire to inflict pain.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book. I love being taken by surprise and would recommend indie horror fans, and those on the darker fringes of scifi, to give this a read.
“Bravery is not something that’s born in you, it’s something created out of pure love and the will to survive. I knew in that moment, however foolish my decision was, it was the right choice. Evil cannot be allowed to win, not on my feckin’ watch.”
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