A must admit my interest was immediately peaked when Richard Kadrey’s novella The Flesh King was given Cronenberg comparisons.
Safe to say within the first few pages we go full tilt and the pace largely doesn’t let up until the conclusion.
What sets this novella apart is its pulpy nature, as we follow a mix of living and dead people who are forced to band together to take down a serial killer who leaves very little of their victims behind for the police to find.
It’s part manhunt, part serial killer thriller and part pulpy crime drama with some body horror and supernatural element thrown in.
While this may seem like a kitchen sink approach, Kadrey’s story, billed as the first in the Discreet Eliminator series holds together well and moves and a rapid pace which will keep you turning pages long into the night.
I always find a good indicator of a good book is how quickly you finish it; and The Flesh King was devoured in three days by this reviewer.
The Flesh King has set the bar high, here’s hoping the rest of the series can maintain this pace.
The Flesh King by Richard Kadrey is out now in various formats from Titan Books.
Bloody Flicks 