The Journal of Avery Moore

by Michael R. Hicks

Avery Moore is rushed to the hospital with a suspected case of appendicitis. But when he awakens after his procedure, he finds himself in a small white room, strapped to a table and his lips sewn shut. Then he discovers that his nightmare has only just begun...

Genres: Horror

65 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 22, 2011

About the author

Born in 1963, Michael Hicks grew up in the age of the Apollo program and spent his youth glued to the television watching the original Star Trek series and other science fiction movies, which continues to be a source of entertainment and inspiration. Having spent the majority of his life as a voracious reader, he has been heavily influenced by writers ranging from Robert Heinlein to David Weber, and many in between. Having finally retired from government service, Michael and his lovely wife, along with their Siberan cat, Nina, are enjoying life as expats in France.

Reviews

[Juliet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is frankly quite brilliant. I only put it down because I didn’t start it until I was about to fall asleep anyway and only then because I was too exhausted to go on and don’t actually recall switching my Kindle off. Thank you auto-off for preserving my battery to continue reading as soon as possible.

It does indeed hark back to Edgar Allen Poe in its style; first person almost matter of fact recounting of a ‘true’ tale. I use true in inverted commas and only hope I’m surmising correctly, otherwise Mr Hicks, I’m not surprised you changed the name and I hope you get over the ordeal eventually. The mastery with which Journal of Avery Moore is written is worthy of likening to Poe and a joy to read. The recounting of the tale in such a straightforward manner serves to add to the horror of it all and it’s one I’ll recall with clarity for a long time to come.

Macabre seems the best word for the story itself but I’m not sure it conveys quite enough. Macabre, grim, gruelling; I could go on picking at adjectives but really this is a tale that gives you a chill in the bit of your stomach, not your spine. It’s disturbingly real and picks up on that fear we all have lurking somewhere of what other people might be capable of doing.

In movie terms, I couldn’t help but think along the lines of Saw although the story bears no resemblance. It’s the level of darkness and grip on the reader that strike a chord. The Journal of Avery Moore is very visual, for reasons that will become apparent when you read it. I was getting a headache from looking at the picture it conjured in my mind’s eye. That’s not a complaint, Michael, that’s just how real you made it!

I could wax lyrical about this novella for pages but I think I’ve said quite enough to make it clear that there is no reason on earth not to read it. It won’t take long, it certainly won’t bore and it definitely will entertain. Buy it or miss out!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I practically read this story in one sitting, that's how interesting I found this book. Elements of this story remind me of the movie Old Boy. (FYI: Check out the original film. It's a total mindfuck which I'm sure you'd love) Anyway back to the story.

The Journal of Avery Moore is rather fast recounting the 5 years of torment he endured as a captive at the hands of two sadistic siblings.
Avery Moore, a married lawyer and father of one is busy making his way up the ladder til one day he experiences a sharp pain that gets attributed to appendicitis. It will be this 'illness' in which his life would forever change.

While receiving treatment for this he ends up being the patient of Dr. Laval who it just so happens he was currently in the process of bringing a lawsuit against.

CUE DRAMATIC MUSIC---DUN, DUN, DUN

All is not what it seems with this man and his equally sinister sister for they hold him and a few others captive, extracting his blood and subjecting him to sexual abuse and vicious bites.

Somehow he manages to hold on to bits of his sanity and humanity and this is his tale.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason this reminds me of a modern take on The Island Of Dr. Moreou. Except there's no island. And there's no mutations. Otherwise, there's these creepy freaky doctors who are intent on torturing/draining their victims. And thankfully for all of us who enjoy a good vigilante moment, they picked the wrong victim to mess with obviously. Interest level, this should be a 4 star book. But taking into consideration some of the content, I knocked it down to a 3.

Content rating: R-SV ... (L) I'm not marking language because there is surprisingly none in this book. And I say surprising based on the subject matter. (S) There are a few scenes of violent sexual abuse/rape. I would say that it wasn't anything purposefully erotic, more of just to flesh out the creepiness of the doctors. (V) Violence abounds.

[Tabitha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won't say that this story was badly written or was unable to keep my interest, because neither of those are true. However, I didn't find it as interesting or great as I thought I would. So much of it felt rushed, and at parts even lacking, that I found myself reading it though not caught up in it. I didn't feel for this character, what he went through, or even his survival in the end which is not how one should feel for a character that has gone through such a trauma. I did find myself interested in one of the other survivors, but we get absolutely nothing on her, and the other thing is we get nothing on him following any of what happened. I don't know what it was about this story, and I can't say it was bad as I did enjoy it to some degree, but there was something that it lacked. I just can't put my finger on it is all.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be quite a dark story which I enjoyed alot. It had been quite a while since I've read a really good/different horror so I am extremely pleased with this one. The only negative i have is that it was so good I'd have liked it to be a bit longer. Hope there will be more of this style of writing on the way :-)

[Bigal-sa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of ultra-short stories, but this one really worked for me. I got it as the author was offering it as a freebie on facebook - I just wish other authors could have their work formatted and proofread as well as this.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, very dark and descriptive. A good story, but one I probably won't read again because it kind of horrified me. I sure do like Michael's style though!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadistic, creepy, and fantastic read.