A parent’s worst nightmare is to lose a child. It is even worse when the child is murdered. The parents are left wondering if there is something more they could have done, anything they could have done to save their child’s life. This story is set around the abduction and murder of Billy’s son and how he deals with the accompanying grief and horror. At least that is what it appears to be, but so much more going on in this story than is apparent at the beginning.
Billy wants revenge on the one responsible for his son’s murder, and Dr. Verity, a divine being, promises to help him get that. But is she who she really claims to be? Is she going to help or hinder?
Billy’s marriage to Megan falls apart, and as he searches for his son’s killer, his life spins out of control. His search for his one who killed his son takes him to Benton Lake where he begins a new life with a new partner and a new son. But his pleasant life is about to turn very unpleasant again.
The author’s descriptions throughout the book are awesomely vivid and create horrifying pictures in your mind. To me, the creepiest part of the book was when Rena was in the house with her baby son, and a friend is keeping her company. The power goes out. She can’t find her friend, but she hears chewing. You will not understand the horror of that until you read the book, but trust me, the sound she hears is horrifying. What happens after that isn’t exactly pleasant either.
I will admit that I had trouble figuring out exactly what was going on until the end of the book when everything was explained. Then it made perfect sense. Even though the book was a little confusing at times, I still enjoyed it. This one deserves a second read now that I know what is going on.
If you love a good horror book, this one will not disappoint. I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like your own copy of Wasteland Gods, I have provided an Amazon link for you below.
Amazon Link: Wasteland Gods
Recommended Article: My Process and the Importance of an Editor – Guest Post by Jonathan Woodrow
wishing imagination, featherz1 deviantart com
Favorite Sentences:
Any sound the beaks made as they hammered down was dampened by the softness of whatever they were pecking at.
The dirt around them was moving again, heaving up and down as though it were breathing, chewing frenzied.
A foul smell was beginning to creep into his nostrils—a sickening cocktail of dead rodent and feces.
The walls crumpled in and out, and Billy got the sense that a giant mouth was chewing the house from the outside.
dictionaries, wikipedia
New Words Learned:
abattoirs – slaughterhouses
angostura – the bitter, aromatic bark of either of two South American citrus trees, Galipea officinalis or G. cusparia, used in medicine and in the preparation of liqueurs and bitters.
bourgeois – conventional; middle-class
poseur – a person who strikes an attitude or assumes a pose in order to impress others
surreptitious – done, acquired, etc, in secret or by improper means
About the Author:
Originally from the oldest recorded town in England, Jonathan Woodrow hopped the pond and now lives with his wife and three young children in a quiet village on the outskirts of Toronto, Ontario, where he spends his time writing dark, mostly speculative fiction.
His short stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Blight Digest, Apotheosis, Cranial Leakage, and many others. Wasteland Gods is his first novel.
