What the hell did I just read?

30781267Anyway, Stuart, the author wrote to me and was like- “I can’t tell you much about the story so I don’t give anything away.”

So I thought- yes, this is some good intrigue and makes the book sticky… you know, sticky.. as in you’ll want to see what it’s about or it’ll annoy you until the end of days and a year!

Stuart offered to send me a copy and I really liked the cover so I said- I like me a bit of madness, went to Amazon and bought a copy. I like to give back to society at times. Yes, it’s peanuts but still… keep Lady Karma happy, you know?

Not only rang Stuart’s words true- he couldn’t really say much for fear of giving away the ‘grand prize’, I don’t think I’m able to put it into a comprehensible paragraph to explain what goes down in this novella. And I freaking love it. I so absolutely and totally enjoy a chaotic reading experience. I enjoy not knowing what the author is going to tell me… Every page is a surprise and up yours overused tropes and unoriginal plots. Although, weak stomachs and upturned noses for horror, gore, graphic content will not want to torture themselves with it. Then again, go on, step out of your comfort zone! 🙂

Here’s the blurb:

Venus and her sister planet concludes their 3,000 year cycle. Stargazers amass to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event, but not Mark, his life is about to change.

Mark’s chance encounter with the cold but intangibly-carnal Kiko sets him plummeting into free-fall. Kim, his emphatic but emotionally-charged wife moonlights with a shadowy organisation whose intentions are far from transparent. She needs to blame someone for the disappearance of their daughter twenty years ago. No solace is offered by her egocentric therapist who’s engrossed in his own agenda.

Plagued by visions, Mark struggles to maintain his grip on reality and descends into a vividly-violent web of darkness. As Mark’s world spirals beyond his control, it’s quite possible this cycle will not end smoothly.

Marked is a mix of horror, fantasy and sci-fi. In layman’s terms this book will make you feel like your subconscious produced a demon and it’s now coursing at high speed through your brain planting a proper trippy nightmare. The novella starts off with a scene whereby a child goes missing and you may think a who dunnit chase will go down. No. Nope. You’ll be spun around in circles just to confuse you, and pushed into a direction and Japanese underworld that paints a very vivid picture in your mind and you want the vivid picture to stop playing when the horrors begin. Graphic times 2843556345745.

The teenagers stared as Mark threw the skin on the passenger seat of his vehicle, exposing his peeled chest. He climbed in the driver side, clicked in his seatbelt and started the engine, kicking the radio into life.

Sorry, what? Clicked in his seatbelt… over his peeled chest? Yeah, gag!

This is Stuart’s attempt at writing even though he claims he’s not an author and it’s bloody good. He knows how to capture you into the story’s web and keep you in the environment, no matter how much you squirm and try to get free. The sounds, the images, the feelings- they’re all so crystal clear. So very clear. If I was to ever write a book, I would want to have Stuart’s skill in painting a picture with words. Brilliant.

My Rating: 5 trippy, possessed, blood dripping stars.

Amazon UK — Amazon USA

Goodreads

Author website