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A review by ruesparks
Bang to Begin by Lynda Bartlett, Jethro Weyman
*NOTE: I read the audiobook version*
I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into when I pressed 'play' on Bang to Begin. That's probably for the best, because nothing I would have imagined would have prepared me for the reality.
The opening story started innocuous enough, though with an eerie atmosphere that left me supposing all was not well. Sure enough, everything soon became disjointed and frail at its seams, taking an intense and catastrophic turn in the story "After the End" that deftly clinched this title into its 'horror' genre. Each subsequent story a new terror, until about halfway through, the tells started to take shape. Like a slow revealed blueprint, a picture takes form that ties all the disparate tales together.
I'll be blunt: if you're squeamish, this is not the book for you. There's gore, disturbing images, kidnapping, murder, assassinations ... but an ending that oddly sets a tone that almost erases that which comes before. That said, in order to get to the end, you do have to get through a lot of darkness, so be prepared.
As far as the writing itself, it's quite a strange combination of sparse and detailed. It takes some getting used to in a few of the stories that are more disjointed. Because of that, as well as the plot, this isn't a set of stories that you can tune in and out of and be able to follow along. I'd dedicate some time to listen to this in small spurts rather than binging it.
Overall, if you're a fan of horror, dark fantasy, or science fiction with a twilight zone twist, I'd take a chance on this audiobook.
I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into when I pressed 'play' on Bang to Begin. That's probably for the best, because nothing I would have imagined would have prepared me for the reality.
The opening story started innocuous enough, though with an eerie atmosphere that left me supposing all was not well. Sure enough, everything soon became disjointed and frail at its seams, taking an intense and catastrophic turn in the story "After the End" that deftly clinched this title into its 'horror' genre. Each subsequent story a new terror, until about halfway through, the tells started to take shape. Like a slow revealed blueprint, a picture takes form that ties all the disparate tales together.
I'll be blunt: if you're squeamish, this is not the book for you. There's gore, disturbing images, kidnapping, murder, assassinations ... but an ending that oddly sets a tone that almost erases that which comes before. That said, in order to get to the end, you do have to get through a lot of darkness, so be prepared.
As far as the writing itself, it's quite a strange combination of sparse and detailed. It takes some getting used to in a few of the stories that are more disjointed. Because of that, as well as the plot, this isn't a set of stories that you can tune in and out of and be able to follow along. I'd dedicate some time to listen to this in small spurts rather than binging it.
Overall, if you're a fan of horror, dark fantasy, or science fiction with a twilight zone twist, I'd take a chance on this audiobook.