Reciprocal Evil. Scott Dyson, author (2018). Horror? Romance? Thriller? Fantasy? The reader will also find lots of very interesting philosophical questions in this novel. The premise of this story might make even a priest shudder, although Dante might have had it right: Hell is real. It exists in another dimension, and you can get there via portals that are usually found in churches. That’s never explained in this book, but it’s an interesting concept.

With the title as clue, the reader can guess that heaven is also real, although it’s not as clear how to get there. The novel’s protagonist Chris Jones has become obsessed with the reciprocals good and evil, heaven and hell, and thinks by studying evil and hell that he can understand good and heaven. But he starts hearing a voice in his head from someone who seems to be reading his thoughts, and the voice is not heavenly.

That’s an introduction to the horror. Romance enters when Chris starts getting serious about Rachel. The thrills start when the voice takes on human form. And the adventures that follow, while pure fantasy, are fantastic with a lot of hidden meaning found between the lines.

There are a few nits to pick: Both Rachel and the cop Chavez seem too accepting of Chris’s story; their internal struggle isn’t realistic enough here. The main characters were well done, although I would have liked to see them more developed because they’re so interesting. There’s certainly room for all this; in other words, the author could do a lot more with this interesting tale.

The author with this short novel channels early Stephen King. The plot is direct, elegant, and horrific. It’s also very original—no killer clowns or slighted wannabe prom goers involved here. While I always say that human beings make their own hells on Earth, this novel describes an interesting alternative. Is it a serious one? Readers will have to make that decision on their own as they enjoy this book.

I can’t write horror stories, so take what few negatives I’ve included in this review with a grain of salt. I enjoyed the story; that’s what counts. And, if I could write horror stories, I’d emulate Scott Dyson who seems to have a knack for spinning a good yarn that will challenge readers and make their skin crawl. I’ll be looking for more novels from this writer.

The author provided a free copy of his book for this review.

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Comments are welcome!

Pasodobles in a Quantum Stringscape. I’ve made some attempts at writing horror and fantasy, all short fiction; modesty aside, they’re not bad. You’ll find a few of them in this collection of speculative fiction. Also a sci-fi novella and several Dr. Carlos stories. (A second volume in this series is available as a free PDF download. See the entire list on my “Free Stuff & Contests” web page.)

Around the World and to the Stars! In libris libertas!

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