Review: `Being undefeated had made him enemies.'
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 19, 2014
Louisiana author D. L. Denham comes to his debut novel well prepared. He has degrees from Southeastern Louisiana University including a Masters Degree in History, he teaches and he writes. He is a talent developing and a talent to watch.Denham opens his short story with extraordinary atmosphere. The year is 2083, the place is a prison holding cell where we meet Reho, our main character, who has been captured and accused of murder of one of the subordinates of Soapy, a crime boss and the chief of racing (Reho is not under Soapy's control and has been the consistent winner of races). Raging, Reho is pacified by an old man in the same cell who urges Reho to gain control of his anger management. In a few short pages we traverse the world of crime, heinous fights to the death, the introduction of beasts, a proposed fight for his new friend and mentor etc.Denham's writing style is raw and cannot really be adequately judged on the basis of a short story. But he writes with conviction and infuses the words with the right tenor to make them credible in an incredible situation/fantasy. He is well worth watching. Grady Harp, June 14