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Struck #0.5
Prophet
Some men are born monsters . . . others are made so. In "Prophet," Rance Ridley, the teenage son of a cult leader, lives on an isolated compound, disconnected from modern civilization. There is no running water. No electricity. And no law but the Prophet's. When Rance is caught in an act of flagrant disobedience, his father delivers the ultimate punishment, and Rance is set on a course that will change everything. ‘Prophet' is a disturbing glimpse into the past of the villain of Jennifer Bosworth's debut novel, Struck.
32 pages, ebook
First published April 25, 2012
2 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Bosworth
9 books625 followersAuthor and screenwriter, Jennifer Bosworth, grew up in a small town where there was nothing to do but read and get into trouble. She did plenty of both, which led her to a career writing about people who get into trouble. Jennifer and her husband recently escaped from Los Angeles and are now hiding out in Portland, Oregon with a couple of long-legged dogs. In her spare time she can be found watching horror movies and dreaming of starting her own hippie commune, where there will be many goats. Learn more about her and view her short films at jenniferbosworth.com or just Google her and see what happens.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
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February 27, 2012Not only did I read this story, but I also wrote it!
January 9, 2020
#24 of 2020
Have absolutely no intention of reading the series after this....
Have absolutely no intention of reading the series after this....
July 16, 2012
I struggled with reading Struck by Jennifer Bosworth, so I thought maybe reading Prophet after was a good idea to help me appreciate it more. These were the moments when I thought I just didn’t get the whole thought behind the story of Struck. Seeing Prophet, I thought to myself: “Hey! Maybe this’ll help me get to know Rance Ridley and why he’s so villain-ish (Not a word, I know. I tried using ‘evil’ but he doesn’t fit the word exactly).”
Anyway, so I read through Prophet. I couldn’t help but notice that Rance too had the same “insta-love” occurrence as Jeremy and Mia had in Struck... and I still can’t get the idea of the romance. Bummer! Is it just me or is there really something off about how it all happened?
Now trying to be as optimistic as I can, I let it go; maybe I’ll see where all his bitterness came from because of that puppy-love thing he had. Sadly after more or less 30 pages, the story ended with him getting struck by lighting and onto his condition of having cataracts and presented with a ‘gift’. Now where the heck was the “getting to know Rance Ridley” part? I get that he lost someone dearly, but it really didn’t help me understand Rance Ridley.
It’s hard to feel any empathy towards characters when you really don’t get to know anything them in a deeper sense. I know this is just a prequel and it was expected to be a little vague and short on details... but perhaps this has gone a little overboard with its ambiguity.
For more of my reviews, please visit my blog:
The Blair Book Project @ www.theblairbookproject.blogspot.com/
Anyway, so I read through Prophet. I couldn’t help but notice that Rance too had the same “insta-love” occurrence as Jeremy and Mia had in Struck... and I still can’t get the idea of the romance. Bummer! Is it just me or is there really something off about how it all happened?
Now trying to be as optimistic as I can, I let it go; maybe I’ll see where all his bitterness came from because of that puppy-love thing he had. Sadly after more or less 30 pages, the story ended with him getting struck by lighting and onto his condition of having cataracts and presented with a ‘gift’. Now where the heck was the “getting to know Rance Ridley” part? I get that he lost someone dearly, but it really didn’t help me understand Rance Ridley.
It’s hard to feel any empathy towards characters when you really don’t get to know anything them in a deeper sense. I know this is just a prequel and it was expected to be a little vague and short on details... but perhaps this has gone a little overboard with its ambiguity.
For more of my reviews, please visit my blog:
The Blair Book Project @ www.theblairbookproject.blogspot.com/
October 6, 2014
WTF?? This story is a prequel to Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth, involving one of the novel's main characters, Rance Ridley. I have not read Struck, but I am glad he is not the narrator because I found this part of his back-story revolting. Not the writing, just what happens, what he and his father do. Pretty much every single thing. Can't really say more without spoilers, but it's so short you can read it yourself if you don't believe me!
(Warning: I have been told this story has spoilers for Struck, so you may want to read it after the book.)
(Warning: I have been told this story has spoilers for Struck, so you may want to read it after the book.)
April 25, 2012
Prophet can be read for free here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2012/04/pr....
Meh. This is only a prequel to the book but it did not make me want to read the actual novel.
This short story gives some insight into the mind and past of the villain of Struck but I don't know why this would make Rance more understandable for me or why I should have sympathy or empathy with him when he was such a weak person .
Meh. This is only a prequel to the book but it did not make me want to read the actual novel.
This short story gives some insight into the mind and past of the villain of Struck but I don't know why this would make Rance more understandable for me or why I should have sympathy or empathy with him when he was such a weak person .
April 25, 2012
Creepy glimpse of the terrifying villain from Struck, Prophet's past. Really well done short!
May 12, 2012
He's still creepy lol ;)
May 20, 2012
Amazing I can't wait to read the book now!
Want to read
June 29, 2012Here is the link for the prequel to Struck-
http://www.tor.com/stories/2012/04/pr...
http://www.tor.com/stories/2012/04/pr...
July 27, 2012
I like it. Snippet about past.
July 31, 2012
This guy seriously gives me the creeps!
August 31, 2012
I liked this little book. Can't wait for the novel((:
September 18, 2012
This sucked me in from the first page and left me wanting more by the end of this short novella.
3.5 Stars
3.5 Stars
March 24, 2014
review to come.
July 28, 2017
Awesome prequel to the book Struck, I wish I knew it existed before I read Struck!
January 1, 2019
This is a good and intriguing introduction to the story. I'm excited to read more!
August 29, 2012
3.5/5
This short story was pretty good all-in-all. It is a very short story and I feel that Bosworth could have easily went a bit more into the explanation of what exactly this community was all about. Other than that, everything was explained in a sufficient, concise manner.
This story was very interesting and well-written. At first, I wasn't sure that I was interested in reading the novel, Struck, as I felt that this story was good enough on its own and I didn't know if I wanted to read an entire novel about it. However, after re-reading the synopsis (because, apparently, I didn't read it properly the first time--or maybe I just didn't remember what the synopsis had said), I am interested in reading the novel that follows this short story. While reading "Prophet", I thought that Rance was the main character and protagonist of the novel as well, but then I re-read the synopsis and discovered that he is actually the villain! What?!? Okay, now I am very interested in reading Struck! I thought Rance (the protagonist of "Prophet") was a good boy, who was just following the messages of God . . . but it seems as though I was wrong . . . he is a villain in the novel and I want to understand why!
This review was also published on SIK Book Reviews
This short story was pretty good all-in-all. It is a very short story and I feel that Bosworth could have easily went a bit more into the explanation of what exactly this community was all about. Other than that, everything was explained in a sufficient, concise manner.
This story was very interesting and well-written. At first, I wasn't sure that I was interested in reading the novel, Struck, as I felt that this story was good enough on its own and I didn't know if I wanted to read an entire novel about it. However, after re-reading the synopsis (because, apparently, I didn't read it properly the first time--or maybe I just didn't remember what the synopsis had said), I am interested in reading the novel that follows this short story. While reading "Prophet", I thought that Rance was the main character and protagonist of the novel as well, but then I re-read the synopsis and discovered that he is actually the villain! What?!? Okay, now I am very interested in reading Struck! I thought Rance (the protagonist of "Prophet") was a good boy, who was just following the messages of God . . . but it seems as though I was wrong . . . he is a villain in the novel and I want to understand why!
This review was also published on SIK Book Reviews
April 15, 2013
Read this and more at Romancing the Laser Pistol.
This was another prequel in the Fierce Reads anthology I picked up in order to read the Grisha short. It's compellingly written. I fell in love with Jennifer Bosworth's writing and immediately picked up Struck, the novel set in the same universe that this story is supposed to be a teaser for.
This story is a bit too cultish and preachy, it is meant to be that way. After reading Struck, this story really gave a sense of how Rance Ridley came to be and what his motivations were. Sure, it killed a few of the supposedly 'surprising' reveals later on in the novel, but it gave me more of a sense for the character as a whole.
This was another prequel in the Fierce Reads anthology I picked up in order to read the Grisha short. It's compellingly written. I fell in love with Jennifer Bosworth's writing and immediately picked up Struck, the novel set in the same universe that this story is supposed to be a teaser for.
This story is a bit too cultish and preachy, it is meant to be that way. After reading Struck, this story really gave a sense of how Rance Ridley came to be and what his motivations were. Sure, it killed a few of the supposedly 'surprising' reveals later on in the novel, but it gave me more of a sense for the character as a whole.
July 25, 2012
I really liked this sequel.
First of all, I love the cover.
Secondly, I know, Rance should have taken the blame and should have done something about Olivia, but in the end you just cannot judge a person. He had fears, he was actually weak and we knew his intentions that he wanted to do something about it. But we was just 13 so cut some slack people. Its really complicated. And lastly, I was happy when he tried to save Olivia and you know, the end.
#reviewed-by-someone-who-hasn't-read-struck-yet.
First of all, I love the cover.
Secondly, I know, Rance should have taken the blame and should have done something about Olivia, but in the end you just cannot judge a person. He had fears, he was actually weak and we knew his intentions that he wanted to do something about it. But we was just 13 so cut some slack people. Its really complicated. And lastly, I was happy when he tried to save Olivia and you know, the end.
#reviewed-by-someone-who-hasn't-read-struck-yet.
February 8, 2014
.5 Stars if possible.
“God has chosen me, Rance Ridley, to be your one true prophet.”
Um, I'm not even sure what to say. I was attracted by the cover. And that was pretty much it.
Deeply religious stuff. Not my kind of thing. And kind of weak plotting. It was a little interesting but not enough to save it for me unfortunately.this actually just rectified and clarified my desire not to read this series even stronger
However if the rest of the Struck series is like this, I'm going to pass.
Just not for me.
“God has chosen me, Rance Ridley, to be your one true prophet.”
Um, I'm not even sure what to say. I was attracted by the cover. And that was pretty much it.
Deeply religious stuff. Not my kind of thing. And kind of weak plotting. It was a little interesting but not enough to save it for me unfortunately.
However if the rest of the Struck series is like this, I'm going to pass.
Just not for me.
February 4, 2014
Not awful but thirty-two pages is far too short. There wasn't space for any real kind of world building or character development. I didn't ever feel any connection to the characters (how can you feel connected to someone you only met a few paragraphs ago?) so I couldn't bring myself to care about anything that happened. This is the downfall of many a too-short story.
We get no sense of whether this series is intending to condemn extremism or whether actually the author is down with the fundies. Here's hoping it's the former. All told, not a great teaser for the rest of the series.
We get no sense of whether this series is intending to condemn extremism or whether actually the author is down with the fundies. Here's hoping it's the former. All told, not a great teaser for the rest of the series.
December 16, 2015
I have not read the book that this is the prequel for, but after reading this short story I'm not sure that I will either.
The story felt very one dimensional.
You could tell that there was some kind of emotion that was to come across but it never made it - therefore it left me feeling flat. Perhaps it needs to be a little longer for more character development and connection, I understand that this is supposed to be an insight to one of the main characters of the book but perhaps it should have been treated as an introduction also - to engage those like myself to read the book.
The story felt very one dimensional.
You could tell that there was some kind of emotion that was to come across but it never made it - therefore it left me feeling flat. Perhaps it needs to be a little longer for more character development and connection, I understand that this is supposed to be an insight to one of the main characters of the book but perhaps it should have been treated as an introduction also - to engage those like myself to read the book.
May 14, 2014
Fazit
Prophet ist eine recht kurze, aber sehr interessante Kurzgeschichte, durch die man etwas mehr über das Wesen und die Vergangenheit des Antagonisten Rance Ridley Prophet erfährt. Da in der Geschichte nur ein kleines Detail des Romans verraten wird, kann man sie sowohl davor als auch danach gut lesen.
Die vollständige Rezension findet ihr auf meinem Blog:
http://nobody-knows.eu/review-prophet...
Prophet ist eine recht kurze, aber sehr interessante Kurzgeschichte, durch die man etwas mehr über das Wesen und die Vergangenheit des Antagonisten Rance Ridley Prophet erfährt. Da in der Geschichte nur ein kleines Detail des Romans verraten wird, kann man sie sowohl davor als auch danach gut lesen.
Die vollständige Rezension findet ihr auf meinem Blog:
http://nobody-knows.eu/review-prophet...
October 21, 2014
So... apparently this is the back story of the villain in the Struck series by Jennifer Bosworth... creepy cult leader back story that ends with son taking over for dear old dad... fanatical religious overtones and abusive behaviors... ok. yeah, but what do you think a back story on crazy cult leader would be without those elements? yep, exactly... I'm intrigued enough to give the series a go knowing this is the villains' story and there is a lot more to come.
June 20, 2017
Interesting short story about the son of a religious cult leader and how, aged thirteen, certain events would change his life forever. It presents a nice example of the distorted worldview of cults and the autocratic power of cult leaders, but with a hint of otherness about it. While it's nicely written, I would've preferred a longer tale. My interest is nonetheless piqued so I will be checking out other books and stories in the Struck series.
April 30, 2013
So its a quick read....and its shorter than what it seems....I know this is a prequel.....and I would probably would enjoy this short story more if I had actually already read the book...which I'm looking forward to doing after seing how this ended....at the moment it was about to start the plot..and accion...but nice backstory I supposed.
December 3, 2012
I'd glanced at this story when it first got posted on Tor.com. Sets up an interesting background story for a character that I didn't have any associations with, but after reading the first chapter of Struck, adds a bit of depth to the mysterious Prophet. A good companion to the main series, as far as I can tell, but not an outstanding short piece on its own.
February 25, 2021
Fíha, no... zvláštne. Veľmi krátke. Čakala som, že sa príbeh práve rozbieha - a zrazu koniec. Hlavný hrdina je syn veštca v nejakom sfanatizovanom meste a v trinástich rokoch sa dopustí hriechu - pobozká dievča. Nie veľmi originálne, podobný námet som čítala už niekoľkokrát. Vôbec nedáva tušiť, v akej súvislosti to bude k ďalšiemu príbehu, ale je to slušne napísané. 8/10
September 6, 2014
What the heck did I just read?
...
This über short ebook prequel came with Struck (<--also a mind numbingly awful book.) Im not entirely sure who IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would allow this book to be published. Literally so peeved at so many things, so insyead of ranting ill just say i will never read anything from this author or publisher again. Grrr.
...
This über short ebook prequel came with Struck (<--also a mind numbingly awful book.) Im not entirely sure who IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would allow this book to be published. Literally so peeved at so many things, so insyead of ranting ill just say i will never read anything from this author or publisher again. Grrr.
June 5, 2015
Rance Ridley, the true Prophet was born out of the death of his best friend and love, Olivia. Although short, this story was very powerful and striking. I'm guessing Rance will be a force to be reckoned with. I mean, he was struck by lightning but I fear it's not god that made him into a prophet and he's more of a monster than a savior...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews