Review: A stark, gripping debut!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 29, 2014
Consumed. The word has many meanings but in modern day society, consumption is associated with greed, excess and gluttony. Fight Club said it best: "Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy s*** we don't need." It's a fair summary of life nowadays what with the internet and excess at our very fingertips. People don't need to go out and get it when it's hand delivered to you and, hell, sometimes they don't need it full stop. The human race succumbs to this on a daily basis. Consumerism. The downfall of humanity.Which is the basic premise for Kyle M. Scott's horror debut. Five short stories, all tackling the word Consumed from a different perspective. Religion, an inbred mountain man and a pizza delivery guy are some of the simplistic highlights on display here. Right off the bat, these stories are fresh, unique and very violent in places. As each story progresses, it's refreshing to see the author tackle different styles and characters, some innocent, some unfortunate and some downright evil. It keeps the flow going and each story benefits from this, keeping it fresh and alive.Each story also stands alone as an excellent horror short story, with shades of Laymon, Herbert and King all present, and it's clear that the author is a horror fan, reader and writer and is influenced by the greats. The combination is an excellent one and Scott tackles the stories with expertise and originality. I was disappointed when the book finished, I blazed through in one sitting.Being a debut author myself, I know how hard it is to release your first book and get it noticed. This book needs/deserves to be noticed. If Scott continues to write material like this, he will be a force to be reckoned with in the indie horror scene. Consider me a fan.5*, of course. With a debut this excellent, the only way is up. I'm already looking forward to Scott's feature length novel, which is tantalisingly teased in Consumed. If you like horror, this deserves to be read. Excellent work!