Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful step forward in Rage's career, October 30, 2009
To be honest, Steven Rage's first book, "Pilate: A Brutal Bible Tale", only half-worked for me. There was certainly a compelling tale to be told but you had to cut through the style to get there. I accept that I may be in the minority here but that was my initial reaction. After the "adjustment period", if you want to call it that, Pilate really opened up and revealed a wealth on nearly realised potential. Rage was tantilisingly close to writing a great book.
Flash forward a few years and an unsuspecting literary world is handed Rage's next book, You Morbid Westphal. Set in a hospital, the title of the book is derived from the three main characters. Born fully formed from a rather unpleasant orifice is Morbid. His game is to stalk the hospital wings and violently (very violently!) dispatching helpless patients. Next we have Westphal. He works nights at the hospital trying to support, what some my call, a rather dysfunctional family. With Morbid reeking havoc in this very unfortunate hospital, the one thing Westphal doesn't need is to be blamed for Morbid's actions. It would do his job no good. The "You" in this book's title literally refers to "you". You are a dying patient who wants to die as peacefully as possible. There are elements at work that want to prevent this from occurring.
From the description above, you could be forgiven for assuming this is going to be a rather confusing story. I'll allay your fears right from start and assure you that Rage waves this tale brilliantly. The details of the story are lucid and feverishly entertaining. The hyper violence is contextualised in such a way as to avoid gratuitousness. The book is brief, clocking in at just under 140 pages, which gives You Morbid Westphal and element of frenzy. In this format everything works. It's hard to imagine the tone sustaining over a longer period.
You Morbid Westphal is very highly recommended and a real treat for anyone who enjoys their fiction warped to breaking point and smeared in blood. Rage has applied all the lessons he learned with Pilate and written that great book!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like early Tom Piccirilli mixed with Edward Lee, November 10, 2009
I read and liked this author's first book PILATE. It was an impressive debut. But when I got this one, his second, I knew I had to expect more from Steven Rage. When reading novels, I always expect more from later books (and therefore am a little tougher when reviewing them) and I didn't want to be disappointed.
I was far from disappointed with this book. Like another reviewer said, Rage's first book, the style often got in the way of the story. With YOU MORBID WESTPHAL, Rage made sure to cut things down to the bone and tell the story more directly while still keeping his unique voice.
The plot sort of reminds me of early Tom Piccirilli horror novels. There's a certain ambiguous occultism involved that's very intriguing. There is also some hardcore grossness that is also reminiscent of Edward Lee. Not to say that Rage has imitated them, I just get that feeling from this book.....which is a good thing.
My only criticism is the length. If this is the first in a series of books, then the criticism is negated. But if it's a standalone, I'm just a little bit disappointed in not finding out more about some of the minor characters. They are all so interesting. Also, the ending is good and wraps everything up but I was hoping for something a bit less traditional. It still worked well and was a satisfying ending.
The setup of the book was unique, with each chapter being from a different point of view (You, Morbid, & Westphal). It might confuse people at first but then you get into it and it flows nicely.
Overall, this is an improvement over Rage's last book and is worth a read if you like bizarre horror novels. Get on the Rage train while you can because I have a feeling that he'll be getting bigger and bigger with each new book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All the Rage - You Morbid Westphal, November 3, 2009
The concept of "You Morbid Westphal" shouldn't have worked at all! There's no way it was supposed to. I've seen some experimental fiction like this before and watched as it plummeted into the abyss face-first leaving irate readers in its wake. This is supposed to be that sort of book...
...but it succeeds...beautifully.
For starters, the title You Morbid Westphal is setting up the three main characters. You...as in you...yes, you, Morbid, a malicious little beastie, and Westphal, who's just trying to get through the graveyard shift at the hospital you're in. These are the three main characters and they share the piece in circular stories. The "you" portions of the book read like a "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" book...placing you right in the action. You're responsible for birthing Morbid. You're not going to have a very good night. You're experiencing it as it unfolds. This style is not my typical fare, but I was captivated by it. I loved seeing what havoc was unfurling around my world. Meanwhile you get the other two stories (obviously connected). One follows Morbid as he indulges his macabre whims and the coke-addled Westphal. Should you find yourself in a hospital, pray it isn't this one. In fact, I'm not above the cliché...I'll say it: You Morbid Westphal does for hospitals what Jaws did for beach getaways!
Steven Rage is a masterful storyteller. He weaves a world that his painted in black and white hues, where anything can happen (and often does), and his brutally visceral. I realize that this is a horror tale...I guess you could call it that. It's got more emotion than your typical horror fare. I felt the emotional rollercoaster travel from repulsed to humored to moved and back again. And the end...well, I'm not the one to spill the beans, but rest assured, you'll not know what is in store for "You" until you reach the final pages.
My biggest complaint with the book was the length. I craved more, which is a wonderful thing, and wanted to see more of the story fleshed out. I make no bones about it...I'm a longer fiction type person. But I never dismiss a solid story, and this was certainly that. The fact that I wanted more should attest to the quality.
Too, at first I was a little confused with the circular-style storytelling. It's a three ring circus...not a crazy train that has too many clashing storylines...but in the beginning it is a little confusing.** Please keep reading, though. In the end it's worth it all and Steven Rage does bring it together nicely.
If you like your horror visceral pick this up. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
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