AUTHOR: Ronan
Cray
AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: http://ronancray.blogspot.com/
GENRE: Horror/Suspense
ISBN: 9781301737321
REVIEWER NAME: Mary Fan
REVIEWER'S WEBSITE: http://zigzagtl.blogspot.com
AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: http://ronancray.blogspot.com/
GENRE: Horror/Suspense
ISBN: 9781301737321
REVIEWER NAME: Mary Fan
REVIEWER'S WEBSITE: http://zigzagtl.blogspot.com
PUBLISHER:
Self-Published
Reviewed by Mary Fan for her blog Zig Zag Time Line
Reviewed by Mary Fan for her blog Zig Zag Time Line
RED SAND
REVIEW:
The Princess Anne
was just another cruise ship making its way across the ocean, ferrying people
from all walks of life, each on board for his or her own purpose. Most are
neither heroes nor villains, only ordinary human beings with ordinary
problems.
Then their ship goes
down, and a few lucky survivors are fished out of the water by inhabitants of a
nearby desert island. The inhabitants aren’t savage natives—they’re fellow
Westerners, survivors of a previous shipwreck. Having lived on the island for
years, they’ve developed a system to keep food in their bellies. The survivors
of the Princess Anne are put to work fishing, farming, and otherwise
maintaining operations necessary for subsistence. But it soon becomes clear that
there’s more to the island—and its inhabitants—that meets the eye. One by one,
the Princess Anne’s survivors vanish, picked off by both nature’s and
man’s brutality.
Red Sand is an
ensemble show. Although some characters drive the plot more than others, Cray
treats each one as if he or she is special, presenting the reader with lively
backstories told from the characters’ points of views. He wants you to know them
before he kills them. It’s a refreshing take on the genre—too many horror
writers throw people away simply to illustrate the external dangers. But even
though they are props in a bloody show, they’re nevertheless human beings, each
with a story.
Cray seems all too aware
of this. His cast isn’t made of faceless redshirts; they’re living, breathing
people, each with his or her own motivations, on the island for different
reasons. There’s Howie, the formerly henpecked widower whose wife left him a
cruise ticket—and another wife to henpeck him. And Lauren, the coupon-clipping
con artist running away to her new life. And Mason, the lonely single man
seeking adventure and companionship. Cray lets you know at the very beginning,
in his Author’s Note, that no one will come out
alive.
But don’t be fooled by
Cray’s seemingly innocuous backstories. Behind the developer of sympathetic
characters lies an unapologetic sadist. The horror in Red Sand is more
than gruesome—it’s the stomach-turning stuff of nightmares, largely thanks to
Cray’s gift for description. Through vivid yet tight language, he brings each
scene to life, whether it’s painting the setting or depicting a grisly death.
For example, without spoiling too much, here's the death of poor Howie: "He
thrashed his arms and legs, pushed against the sand, whipped his head in fury
and terror, to no avail. Unbreakable bonds held him to the ground...It wrapped
around his ribs and exerted pressure, oh so gentle pressure, until his scream
tapered off into a wheezing his...The sun glinted off something near his eye. A
slender tentacle slid into view, silhouetted against an azure haze. It drove in
figure eights through his eye sockets."
The deaths are told from the close third perspectives of the victims, allowing a reader to feel their terror and hear their thoughts, which are often bizarrely incongruent with the circumstances. Cray’s writing also smacks of the philosophical at times, through dialogues discussing what it means to be cut off from civilization and internal ruminations on what was left behind.
The deaths are told from the close third perspectives of the victims, allowing a reader to feel their terror and hear their thoughts, which are often bizarrely incongruent with the circumstances. Cray’s writing also smacks of the philosophical at times, through dialogues discussing what it means to be cut off from civilization and internal ruminations on what was left behind.
But even knowing the
characters’ inevitable fates, I found myself caught up in the story’s suspense.
Mysteries abound on the island. The motivations of the islands’ de facto
colonizers, so rational at first, soon become garbled. They maintain a rigid
hierarchy, keeping themselves behind a salt wall while the Princess
Anne’s survivors are made to camp outside. What is it that they fear? What
are they hiding from the survivors? And what are they hiding from each other?
Tuk, the leader, seems so benevolent at first, but it’s soon revealed that
there’s much more to him than a determined John Smith-like
survivor.
Red Sand is a
fairly quick read. Cray’s vibrant writing makes it easy to get lost in the
passages, whether it’s the colorfully told backstories or the intensely depicted
scenes of violence. It’s more than just a gore fest—the plot and concepts are
fascinating. All in all, a wonderfully entertaining—and sometimes
scream-inducing—story.
_______________________________________________________
Learn more about reviewer Mary Fan:
Author of Artificial Absolutes (view trailer)
Book Review Blogger for Zigzag Timeline Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Tumblr | Pinterest
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