Review: Hammurabi Road - Steve Vernon's Classic Novella
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 31, 2014
There was a time when only a handful of horror authors could make me wring my hands in anticipation of their newest release. One of those authors was Steve Vernon.  While I have come to appreciate many more horror authors than just that handful over the years, I’m happy to say that Steve Vernon remains on that list.I remember when Vernon’s novella collection, Hard Roads, was first released.  After reading the two novellas’ that made up Hard Roads, I proclaimed to anyone who would listen that it was my favorite work of the author's, and it remains so until this day.While the first novella in the book, Trolling Lures, continues to be my favorite tale by the author, the second novella, Hammurabi Road, also would be firmly lodged in my top five choices of Steve Vernon stories.Like most of Vernon’s tales, twists abound in Hammurabi Road, and the plotting is a bit more complicated that what it appears to be.  To summarize the plot, three men kidnap another, and then the three take their victim for a car ride deep into the woods.  The man they have kidnapped may be an arsonist who has killed one of the three men’s brothers, or he may not be.  The violence that eventually comes - comes quickly.  The violence that eventually comes - is gruesome.  And, as is typical in Vernon’s stories, the violence that finds its way onto the pages of Hammurabi Road  - is jaw dropping and often hilarious.If you’re new to Steve Vernon, Hammurabi road is a damn good story in which to get acquainted with the man’s work.  If you like it, then strap yourself into a seat and then start reading the other novella in the original Hard Roads release, Trolling Lures. The one-two punch of these novellas cannot be beat.So yeah, I would recommend dropping Hammurabi Road into your kindle as soon you can, and when you're finished with it, download Trolling Lures for the complete experience.  While Hammurabi Road and Trolling Lures are two distinct tales, and you do not have to read one before starting the other, Hammurabi Road is a bit more mainstream, and it will prepare you for the existential theme of Trolling Lures.  Hammurabi Road and Trolling Lures are Steve Vernon at his absolute best.