Writtenyes: Matthew Barber
Monica J. O’Rourke and James White are two of the most celebrated authors of modern extreme horror fiction. O’Rourke and White are known for telling stories from different perspectives than the predominantly white male community of writers. While neither caters to gender or racial stereotypes, their prose represents two rare voices in the genre: female and African American. As a result, many more well-known authors, such as Bobby Z. Bright and Jack Ketchum, have come to sing their praises.
Poisoning love It tells the story of Gloria, a washed-up porn actress who has AIDS and is addicted to drugs. Gloria’s life is hard. She now stars in bestiality movies and makes enough money to make ends meet. It wasn’t always this way. At one point in her career, she had it all. She was popular, well-loved by the porn industry, had a devoted husband and even a child on the way. Bad decisions took it all away from her.
However, as bad as Gloria’s life is already, it gets even worse when she meets the demon Bill Flood. Flood likes to make deals. Before Gloria knows it, she is taken to Hell to be her plaything. There, she will suffer things that are worse than having sex with all the creatures God created.
Life has been cruel to Gloria, but it was the result of her own bad decisions. Now death will be just as cruel, but can Gloria make the hard choices she failed to make in life? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe Gloria will decide: If you can’t beat them, join them. One thing is for sure, Hell will never be the same again.
Poisoning love Divided into two chapters, each with multiple parts. Chapter One tells of Gloria’s deal with Bill Flood, her journey through Hell, her escape, and her final rejection of Heaven. Chapter Two chronicles her return to Hell and Earth, a new deal, the worship of Gloria, and her final conquest. Both chapters could stand as standalone stories, but Chapter One is the more exciting of the two.
Each book condemns the Judeo-Christian system, but the plot is secondary in this novel. The many sex and torture scenes last much longer than the dialogue and suspense. There is no doubt that this book was written to shock, disgust, and offend the reader. O’Rourke and White do an excellent job. In some ways, they may even surpass Edward Lee and Ryan Harding in their heartbreaking descriptions.
The problem is Poisoning love It reads like a book written by two different authors. The plot (which is barely there) and tone vary wildly from chapter to chapter. The story in chapter two mostly appears in the last sixteen pages of the narrative and ends with a most bland ending.
Both O’Rourke and White have written better stories on similar subjects. Poisoning love Neither elegant nor profound. Yet it doesn’t have to be. There is a market for the extremes of extremes. This is one such novel. Read it if you dare.
Order yours here.
score: 3/5
