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A review by lilyn_g
The Hematophages by Stephen Kozeniewski
4.0
My first book experience with Stephen Kozeniewski gave me a zombie detective and aborted fetus mob boss. I was fascinated and disgusted. It was like a train wreck. I wanted to look away, but I just couldn’t. It was such a unique experience that I couldn’t decide if I actually liked it or not. As a result, I actually stayed away from Kozeniewski’s work until very recently, although I’d had ‘The Hematophages’ sitting on my Kindle for a while. But, what can I say? I’m a sucker for a book that promises disgusting sci-fi horror, so I had to eventually give it a try.
‘The Hematophages’ has elements that make it interesting even without considering the horror element. Like the fact that a conspicuous part of the human race is completely absent from the novel. There’s no explanation for it, and I was so intensely curious that I actually ended up corresponding with the author about it. (Not that I’m going to tell you what he said.)
About the horror element though – Kozeniewski delivered in spades. This is a sci-fi horror novel that will leave you shuddering. You are engrossed in the story before a single scary thing happens. So when stuff does start happening, it takes you by surprise. And it’s done in such a way that you’re left blinking and wanting desperately to scrub the image from your mind. But you can’t (and you probably never will.)
The pacing, the dialogue, the characters – everything about ‘The Hematophages’ is sound. For a novel featuring a main cast of female characters, the author doesn’t write just tits with no wit. Instead he writes actual characters (including one that I think may possibly be a psychopath.) He even nails the ending – which is amazing considering I thought he was walking me in to a “yep, totally expected this”. Instead, he ends the book with one of the most disturbing scenes I’ve ever read. And he writes in such a way you can’t NOT see it. So enjoy reading this book and having that image haunt you for weeks.
‘The Hematophages’ has elements that make it interesting even without considering the horror element. Like the fact that a conspicuous part of the human race is completely absent from the novel. There’s no explanation for it, and I was so intensely curious that I actually ended up corresponding with the author about it. (Not that I’m going to tell you what he said.)
About the horror element though – Kozeniewski delivered in spades. This is a sci-fi horror novel that will leave you shuddering. You are engrossed in the story before a single scary thing happens. So when stuff does start happening, it takes you by surprise. And it’s done in such a way that you’re left blinking and wanting desperately to scrub the image from your mind. But you can’t (and you probably never will.)
The pacing, the dialogue, the characters – everything about ‘The Hematophages’ is sound. For a novel featuring a main cast of female characters, the author doesn’t write just tits with no wit. Instead he writes actual characters (including one that I think may possibly be a psychopath.) He even nails the ending – which is amazing considering I thought he was walking me in to a “yep, totally expected this”. Instead, he ends the book with one of the most disturbing scenes I’ve ever read. And he writes in such a way you can’t NOT see it. So enjoy reading this book and having that image haunt you for weeks.