McMahon, Gary

About the Author:

Gary McMahon lives with his wife and son in West Yorkshire, UK.

www.garymcmahon.com

AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:

2 out of 5

(1 book)

All Your Gods Are Dead

Following the gruesome murder of his brother, Doug Hunter travels to Leeds seeking answers as to the circumstances of his sibling's death.  He begins to discover clues about a mysterious organisation called the Church of All Sufferance, who seem to believe that human suffering is the key to unlocking the doors of reality itself.

This novella is best described by the author himself in the Afterword in which he more or less calls it a mash-up between the torture-porn movie 'Hostel' and the works of H. P. Lovecraft.  Whilst the early detective-mystery style of the book was compelling, it never really expands beyond its mash-up origins to any great degree of originality.

There's also an overly earnest feel to the prose (not to mention a few editorial oversights) that mark the book as an early work by an author still developing his craft.  It's not that the prose is bad or anything, it just feels awfully forced in that way that only an inexperienced author desperate to be taken seriously can manage.  There's also something predictable about Doug's fate that smacks of forced edginess.

Overall, whilst being intrigued by the premise, I can't say I particularly enjoyed the book on the whole.

2 out of 5

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Horror (here)