Review: A Fast-paced and Gripping Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 18, 2012
I must admit that this was the first book by Tom Piccirilli that I've read; he's been one of those authors who I've heard great things about but never got around to reading. This novella was an excellent read and I look forward to reading more of Piccirilli's work. The only complaint (and a miniscule one at that) about the book was the ending; otherwise, a fast-paced and gripping story which will have you eagerly turning the pages.The background to the novella is inspired by true events, the 1984 murder case of a teenage boy by Ricky Kasso, also known as The Acid King, who was a self-proclaimed Satanist. The novella deals with Ricky Kasso in Part 1, and then the consequent "ghost" of Kasso which follows the protagonist and narrator in Parts 2 and 3.The nameless protagonist of the story is all the more intriguing because the same dark and violent elements, which his antagonists exhibit, also dwell within him constantly threatening to rise to the surface. The latent occultic aspects of the main character make him the antihero of the story, but he clearly has the potential to be one of the bad guys, obtaining just as much pleasure from sadistic and violent acts.The first-person, present tense narrative draws the reader deeper into the novella. Piccirilli's straight-forward and fast-paced writing style were also a pleasant surprise; I abhor long, drawn-out narratives which take forever to get going and where the author insists on using twelve dollar words in order to appear fancy. Those elements are fine in some genres, but not in horror or thrillers in my opinion.The only complaint was the ending, and it's not really a complaint. I usually don't mind if a story ends with no complete resolution, but this story just seemed to hit a brick wall and stop. The final part of the novella (only a couple of pages) is basically an epilogue of sorts, but I still wanted more once I was done reading. Maybe I just hated to see the story come to an end.