A review by altruest
Abomination by Gary Whitta
5.0
As someone who only knew Gary Whitta from his cameos on the technology podcast This Is Only A Test, I was pleasantly surprised to discover his career as a screenwriter, and even more as a recently published author. Knowing the quality of his work with The Book of Eli, I leaped at the chance to read his first novel. I am glad to say that I was in no way disappointed.
Abomination is a sort of alternate-but-not-alternate historical horror fiction that takes place in the dark ages, after the fall of the roman empire. The discovery of an ancient set of scrolls that detail rituals that allow the transformation of animals and even man into hideous abominations(see what I did there?) puts into motion a chain of events that leads to death, destruction and tragedy.
I'll leave the synopsis there, but suffice it to say that this book is mind-blowing. Whitta pulls no punches in the visceral gore and action, the terror leaps out of the page and sucks you in at every turn. Furthermore, the situations he puts his characters into are sometimes heartbreaking in their futility, which gives the story a lovecraftian feeling.
I enjoyed the book. It pulled me in and didn't let me go until I had finished it, and the conclusion was satisfying as well. 5 stars out of five, I definitely recommend.
Abomination is a sort of alternate-but-not-alternate historical horror fiction that takes place in the dark ages, after the fall of the roman empire. The discovery of an ancient set of scrolls that detail rituals that allow the transformation of animals and even man into hideous abominations(see what I did there?) puts into motion a chain of events that leads to death, destruction and tragedy.
I'll leave the synopsis there, but suffice it to say that this book is mind-blowing. Whitta pulls no punches in the visceral gore and action, the terror leaps out of the page and sucks you in at every turn. Furthermore, the situations he puts his characters into are sometimes heartbreaking in their futility, which gives the story a lovecraftian feeling.
I enjoyed the book. It pulled me in and didn't let me go until I had finished it, and the conclusion was satisfying as well. 5 stars out of five, I definitely recommend.