Succulent Prey

Some horror writers subtly build a structure of dread in their work. Others come at you strong from the beginning. Wrath James White smacks you in the head with his work, sending you reeling through his stories. Until recently, White was well-known only among those of us who read small press releases, but he has now burst out to a wider audience, with the publication of his novel Succulent Prey by Leisure Books.

Succulent Prey blends the serial killer genre with werewolf legend, suggesting that being a serial killer is something that can be caught like a disease and passed on to subsequent victims. Joseph Miles, the protagonist of the book, was kidnapped by a serial killer as a boy, and was the only victim to survive the killer. Now grown into a (very large and powerful) adult, he is now losing his struggle to suppress the same sort of urges in himself. When he begins to fail at this, he seizes on the only hope he has to break the chain - to track down and kill the one who gave it to him. Along with one of his female victims to whom he is attracted, he journeys to his home town in search of the one who molested him.

Wrath James White certainly fits into the category of transgressive authors. Succulent Prey is not for the squeamish, filled with sexual assault and as much cannibalism as I’ve ever seen in a book, but for those who can handle it, this is quite a book. White, whose earlier work Orgy of Souls was also reviewed here, is definitely a writer to watch. I also salute Leisure, which in the past seemed a bit reluctant to go too far, for publishing this.

Orgy Of Souls

Orgy of Souls is the story of two brothers. One, Samuel, has become what we would call a “good” person, becoming a priest/preacher ministering to a needy congregation. The other, Samson, has gone the other way, relying on his good looks to become a highly-paid model, and using his looks and fame to lead a hedonistic lifestyle. In a development that probably mirrors real life more often than not, the “good” brother contracts AIDS, while the “bad” brother has a much better run of luck.
The one thing Samson has going for him on the positive side of the ledger is love and devotion for his brother, and he is determined to do whatever it takes to save his brother’s life. When searching through ancient books reveals a possible solution, he embarks on a mission: to take twenty lives after convincing the victims to sign their souls over to him, then barter the souls for his brother’s life. The nature of this cure is not exactly what Samuel wants, and the short novel/novella does a good job of exploring the moral issues faced, and comes to a surprising satisfying conclusion.
The relationship of the two authors mirrors the brothers, to an extent. Maurice Broaddus is an ordained minister, while Wrath James White is an avowed atheist. Despite their antithetical worldviews, the collaboration is seamless, with no indication that two authors were involved (as is often the case). Broaddus writes an introduction to the book, and White an afterword, and these are a fascinating look at the process of the collaboration.
Despite its graphic nature, I found Orgy of Souls to be a thinking man’s (or woman’s) horror novel, a book that contains a reflection on the nature of good and evil amidst the gore. I would recommend it highly. The book is available through Apex Publications and The Horror Mall.