In a world where serial killers are hot celebrities, a psychotic pharmacist must decide whether to feed his hallucinations with murder or to stand against the hideous violence around him.
America is sicken than ever. Serial killers like Godless Jack Cavanagh are socially accepted and given free reign in designated Safe Zones in every city. Their brutality is marketed, emulated and adored and a subculture called Reap has chosen them as personal idols. Life is more dangerous than ever and the violence is simply considered human nature. Pharmacist Jeremy Jenkins can't stand this, but must kill to avoid the coming of the Dark Ones, extradimensional fiends who have been impregnating young blondes to usher in an era even more dystopian than the current one. He hates the violence, but it is an intrinsic part of his life. When he kills another murderer who he feels has failed to dispose of a victim properly, he feels good about himself, but unsure whether he made any difference. Jeremy is forced to confront a world of both inner and outer demons to find his way in a society with no easy answers.
Fatally Yours
Imagine a future where killing is legal and fashion is dictated by famous serial killers like Jack the Ripper, Gacy, Bundy, etc. and serial killers are celebrities, obsessed over by fans. “Reap Chic” dominates, and Reap kids dress to emulate their favorite serial killers, from Victorian garb for Jack the Ripper to clown suits for Gacy. Serial killers are called “psychopomps” and their kills are celebrated. Cafes and bars serve food like “The Sharon Tate” and the “Mary Kelly” and are decorated with serial killer letters, artwork and blood, much to the delight of most of the population.
This is the sickening future envisioned by Garrett Cook in his slim-yet-no-less-satisfying novella, Murderland Part 1 – H8. In Murderland, serial killers are rock stars, complete with groupies and their own merchandise. Yet, one moves amongst them undetected…and his name is Jeremy Jenkins. Jeremy is sickened by the behavior of most “psychopomps”, especially since he too is a killer…but one that kills with purpose. He is convinced that beings from another dimension are turning women into breeding machines…so he has to kill as many women as he can before they are impregnated by the “Dark Ones”. Jeremy just might be the most successful “psychopomp” out there, but he doesn’t seek celebrity…he just wants to save the world from the “Dark Ones”. Yet, as Jeremy finds himself running into more and more psychopomps, he is driven to kill these worthless “entertainers” as well.
Murderland is a very inventive and dark novella from Garrett Cook. From chapter to chapter it moves from first person to third person…and we also learn there is something else inside Jeremy controlling or guiding his actions. Cook has truly created a memorable world in Murderland. The Reap subculture is intriguing and seems entirely plausible, especially today when people already revere some serial killers (like the huge following behind Charles Manson). I loved Cook’s descriptions of all the crazy Reap kids and their different costumes, from the “Whitechapel whores” (Victorian) to the “Bundy girls” (prim college co-eds) and everyone in-between.
I also loved the progression of the character of Jeremy. Whether viewing him from his own perspective or an outside perspective I could never truly tell if he was just batshit insane or if there really was “Dark Ones” invading the world as he believed. This ambiguity just made the novel even more exciting and kept me on my toes. Also, while he acted like a monster when he killed the “impregnated” women, I actually enjoyed it when he went after the (in)famous serial killers who pissed him off. I also thought he was a very clever killer – killing his victims in different ways, leaving different signatures, etc. I had mixed feelings for Jeremy at the beginning of the novel, but he quickly grew on me and by the book’s end I couldn’t wait to read more about him!
Cook has written a very fast-paced, engaging novella with Murderland Part 1- H8. It ends with a real cliffhanger, and I can’t wait to read the next installment to see what happens next!
Withersin
Murderland – H8 by Garrett Cook and published by Evil Nerd Empire, is set in a futuristic time when killing innocent people has become all the rage. People love to not only watch the news of when a new killing takes place, but cheers the killers on by idolizing them in print and film.
Jeremy Jenkins lives a life of secrecy. He hates what the world has become; a world ruled by the Dark Ones, who try to infiltrate innocents by impregnating them with their kind to do their bidding. At the same time, Jeremy has to face his own moral values as he wanders the streets at night in search of his next victim – not to become a famous killer that’s in the news, but to save mankind from the Dark Ones that are spreading their putrid seed across the land. Deep down, Jeremy knows it’s wrong to kill innocent people but figures if other people are doing it to be famous and he is only doing it to save mankind and not to enhance his own lifestyle, then it’s an ok to do. Up through the end of the novella, Jeremy struggles against himself and the ever-growing voice that’s inside his head.
Not having read anything by Garrett Cook before, it took me awhile to become comfortable with his writing style. At first, I wasn’t quite sure if Cook always writes in this style or if it is just congruent to the story itself. Either way, as I progressed through the novella, I was pleasantly surprised by his use of words, his characters and how they interacted in the futuristic world that he set them in.
It looks like Murderland II: Life During Wartime was just released and I’ll be on the lookout where I can pick-up the next part in this series…and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it just as much as the first.
The Butcher's Boy
- 2011 Readers Favorite Award Silver Medal Winner in Horror - Fiction
A Paranormal/Chiller by Michael Robb
Thirty-one years ago, Buxly the Butcher went to trial for killing h
Did you ever wonder what happened after the Archangel Michael through the demons out of heaven? Let one of them guide you through the origin of evil in the world.
