Resurrection Child (2012)

Sex :
Violence :
Author Lee Pletzers Reviewer :
Publisher Dark Continents Publishing
Length 284 pages
Genre Cthulhu Mythos
Blurb None Listed
Country

Review

"I think it's time to teach 'em a lesson. What do you think?" - Roy

Damon Hutter is a member of a Cthulhu cult and is dedicated to the rebirth of the "Old Ones", which will bring a new age to the planet, oh and spell the end of the human domain. He is selected to capture an exotic dancer named Carol, and deliver her to the local wharf. Damon achieves his goal but finds he is becoming protective of Carol, which doesn't stop her being impregnated by a water logged corpse with a big dick. But hey what is a Cthulhu cult member going to do; especially when said member is a neo-Nazi who believes he has the correct way of bring forth the dawning of the new reign of the Old Ones.

With the Cthulhu members out to hunt him down, a competitive sect also out hunting in the dark, and the Police on his arse due to a rising death toll Damon has to find out where Carol has been taken, rescue her from the Cthulhu cult, and usher in the new age. He has a couple of days to achieve his purpose, much bloodshed ensures. You wanted some Cthulhu, well Kiwi author Lee Pletzers delivers, let's sift through the omens.

Lee Pletzer is taking one hell of a risk with this novel, his central point of view character isn't likable and to be honest is edging into hate territory through the course of the first block of the novel. There's a feeling during the middle section that Damon may add an additional "resurrection" theme to the book, but don't expect fluffy bunny outcomes. Damon is completely dislikeable but, and this is the important part, edges into almost anti-hero status. The risk of course is that inherently readers want a character they can relate to, someone that is ultimately good, however you aren't going to be latching on here. The danger is of course that the Writer will isolate the reader, take them out of the book, and ultimately deliver something that simply doesn't work. Pletzer thankfully pulls it off, and I was rocking out to the whole concept. You will be dragged along kicking and screaming as Damon cuts a bloody swath through the novel in pursuit of his personal fate.

Primarily the novel doesn't do what you expect it to do. In a normal narrative we would have Cultists trying to raise Cthulhu, a bunch of folk fighting to stop them, and ultimately a confrontation that can go either way depending on the Author's particular taste. What you get with Resurrection Child is a bunch of Cultists trying to raise Cthulhu, an opposition group that goes on a bloody rampage, and rogue cult elements battling to achieve the raising in a different fashion. At no stage do you get the purely angelic character fighting in acceptable fashion to stop the supposed apocalypse, everyone is tooled up here and dealing out death via an assortment of modern weaponry with extreme prejudice.

Naturally with a novel that doesn't follow the accepted approach you are left hanging a u-turn to check out if while reading the book you may have missed a few details. I kind of thought one major group of characters were sort of left swinging in the wind till I realised the whole approach of the novel is to build the lead book in perhaps a trilogy, there's too much left waiting to be resolved for this to be a standalone novel. So yes you will be wondering why some characters are introduced and them left in limbo but I'm expecting a second novel in due course.

Back to the book at hand Lee Pletzers is writing up a storm, this novel doesn't stop coming at you in an example of how to keep the pace on rapid dial throughout the book. If you want a read that will drag you into the novel and keep you rocking throughout then this is the novel for you. Pletzer once again demonstrates he can write a decent paragraph while throwing in some "B" grade themes and an eye to adding on some blood as required. This is the sort of novel you pick up one morning, have read by the evening, and then are searching online for additional releases by the novelist.

For those of you into the whole Cthulhu older god thing Lee Pletzer has put together quite the menagerie of exotic monsters for your benefit. Sure the older gods don't appear till late in the book, well okay if we discount a certain watery one at least, but when they do come they are suitable horrendous and rock out a few scenes. Once again I would point out this novel isn't a single narrative, I'm already anticipating the next book in the series, but get ready to jive to the Cthulhu beat, there's plenty of dark underpinnings to whet your appetite for the apocalypse.

Guess I already covered the violence inherent in the novel, so for those wondering yes there is some sex of the abnormal kind going down that will probably preclude Resurrection Child from making your Aunt's reading circle's list. We have one of the more disturbing rape scenes ever committed to the page and a more normal, though surreal, sex thing going down that happens off page but which permeates the narrative. Okay before people start writing in, sending snail mail to the Rev Fred Nile, or otherwise acting like pork chops the rape scene, while disturbing to the max, is also integral to the plot. Author Pletzer, isn't pandering to teen chicks fired up on Twitard, but equally he isn't hitting the exploitation wagon here, but be warned no punches are being pulled. Pletzer had the requirement down pat, you don't hit hard core horror without getting down and dirty in the trenches, the Author isn't pulling out here he's going right for the jugular.

Every now and again I run across a dark genre novel that is happy to dwell in the murk of the "B" grade, before anyone starts asking WTF Stephen King definitely hasn't been beyond getting his penny dreadful on. Resurrection Child is rocking out in the "B" grade concept of cults and monsters, I for one had a good time going there with the book, you got to love a novel that doesn't decide its more than the sum of its parts. If after a novel that will drag you in from the first page to the last page then this is the book for you. Full recommendation folks, I'm all for books that simply try to entertain, Resurrection Child is a great read for a rain filled weekend.

If after a copy of the book I would hit up Amazon for either a print or Kindle version. For those of us that don't follow the flock, try Dark Continents. Didn't fall across a web page for author Pletzer, if you know of one write on in and I'll update the review.

Beyond Scary Rates this read as ...

  Outstanding effort in the by now drying well of the Cthulhu Mythos