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SIMON VECTOR
CORRECTION: A Gerald Ruhming Tale of Terror
Gerald Ruhming knows a dark truth. Serial killers are not born; they are created. Before he was known as “The Mad Doctor of Mars,” Ruhming exorcised his demons anonymously through the suffering of others. As his urges grow stronger, the number of missing people begins to draw attention. Now a pair of young, maverick law enforcement officers race against time to locate a kidnapped woman — the woman who will become famous as the Mad Doctor’s last victim – before she learns first-hand how serial killers are made.
CORRECTION is one of four prequel novellas set in the SIMON VECTOR Universe. They are an exciting and well-priced way to explore additional background information about the characters and gain story insight not available to those readers that have only read SIMON VECTOR. These prequel novellas do not need to be read in any particular order; just pick one up and join in the action at any point, with no fear of getting lost.
***PARENTAL ADVISORY***
CORRECTION is a horror story. Although it is no more intense than what is found in any popular "slasher" franchise, parents are cautioned that League Entertainment considers the tale of “The Mad Doctor of Mars” to be FOR MATURE READERS ONLY.
Tales of such monsters are seldom gentle.
READ AN EXCERPT!
CORRECTION is one of four prequel novellas set in the SIMON VECTOR Universe. They are an exciting and well-priced way to explore additional background information about the characters and gain story insight not available to those readers that have only read SIMON VECTOR. These prequel novellas do not need to be read in any particular order; just pick one up and join in the action at any point, with no fear of getting lost.
***PARENTAL ADVISORY***
CORRECTION is a horror story. Although it is no more intense than what is found in any popular "slasher" franchise, parents are cautioned that League Entertainment considers the tale of “The Mad Doctor of Mars” to be FOR MATURE READERS ONLY.
Tales of such monsters are seldom gentle.
READ AN EXCERPT!
- GenresHorror
84 pages, ebook
First published August 1, 2012
8 people want to read
About the author
Jak Holding
8 books17 followersJAK HOLDING is the pen-name for long time friends and collaborators, John Jackson and Ken Chapman (John And Ken).
They are the authors of the sci-fi book series, SIMON VECTOR. Current titles in the series include the novel SIMON VECTOR and the prequel novellas CORRECTION: A GERALD RUHMING TALE OF TERROR, CORRUPTION: A MARSHAL BOOTHE TALE OF JUSTICE, MISCALCULATION: A NOIR TALE OF SKULL MORGAN and DECEPTION: THE LAST BATTLE OF REX MASON. The novellas can be read in any order and provide an uncensored look at some of the exciting characters that inhabit the dark world of SIMON VECTOR.
In 2010, John and Ken teamed up with publisher Harper Voyager and author Adam-Troy Castro to create Z Is for Zombie: An Illustrated Guide to the End of the World and V Is for Vampire: An Illustrated Alphabet of the Undead.
Under the pen-name, Dante Savelli, John and Ken created CHOOSE YOUR DOOM: ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, which they co-wrote with author DeAnna Knippling.
In addition to their writing, John and Ken are the founders of the publishing house, League Entertainment, which publishes many of their titles.
John devotes his off time mentoring at-risk youth in central Florida's juvenile detention facilities. When Ken is not trying to take over the world with John, he's busy safe-guarding it as a Commissioned Officer and UH-60 Blackhawk Pilot in the Army National Guard.
View John's Goodreads Profile.
View Ken's Goodreads Profile.
They are the authors of the sci-fi book series, SIMON VECTOR. Current titles in the series include the novel SIMON VECTOR and the prequel novellas CORRECTION: A GERALD RUHMING TALE OF TERROR, CORRUPTION: A MARSHAL BOOTHE TALE OF JUSTICE, MISCALCULATION: A NOIR TALE OF SKULL MORGAN and DECEPTION: THE LAST BATTLE OF REX MASON. The novellas can be read in any order and provide an uncensored look at some of the exciting characters that inhabit the dark world of SIMON VECTOR.
In 2010, John and Ken teamed up with publisher Harper Voyager and author Adam-Troy Castro to create Z Is for Zombie: An Illustrated Guide to the End of the World and V Is for Vampire: An Illustrated Alphabet of the Undead.
Under the pen-name, Dante Savelli, John and Ken created CHOOSE YOUR DOOM: ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, which they co-wrote with author DeAnna Knippling.
In addition to their writing, John and Ken are the founders of the publishing house, League Entertainment, which publishes many of their titles.
John devotes his off time mentoring at-risk youth in central Florida's juvenile detention facilities. When Ken is not trying to take over the world with John, he's busy safe-guarding it as a Commissioned Officer and UH-60 Blackhawk Pilot in the Army National Guard.
View John's Goodreads Profile.
View Ken's Goodreads Profile.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 13, 2012
First of all, as should be obvious from the page count, this is a NOVELLA, not a novel. It's priced accordingly and is a good value. I peg the word count at roughly 20,000, which is appropriate novella (short novel) length. You can read through this horror story in a single sitting and I think you will enjoy every minute of the experience. That is, you'll enjoy it if you like visceral, bloody, messy horror.
One of the things I like about a new world -- a new universe, coinciding with the founding of a new intellectual property -- is the nearly endless opportunity to expand and flesh out this new reality. That's one of the things I found most gratifying about League Entertainment's SIMON VECTOR. There's a whole new version of human existence, politics, war, conflict, and so on, just waiting to be explored. SIMON VECTOR does this well, giving us descriptions about its universe that range from thorough explanations to tantalizing hints.
The same is true of its characters. We don't get a tremendous amount of backstory for these characters because SIMON VECTOR is first a suspense novel, then an action tale (owing to its methodically tense build-up and then epic action climax). If you're like me, once you find a character that interests you, you never really get tired of learning more about him. SIMON VECTOR offers such a fascinating cast of supporting characters -- many of them horrible villains -- that you can't help but want to know more about, especially if that "more" involves what makes a man a serial killer so horrrible he is imprisoned in the most remote hole in the galaxy.
One of my favorite sequences in SIMON VECTOR involves Gerald Ruhming, "The Mad Doctor of Mars." I won't spoil it for you here if you haven't read SIMON VECTOR. You don't need to have read that in order to read CORRECTION, as both stories stand alone. But reading one will definitely enhance your enjoyment of the other. CORRECTION is nothing less than a full-on origin story. It's "SAW" meets "7even" meets "Silence of the Lambs," although please don't read anything so trite into my use of that phrasing. I'm just trying to convey the mood of the story.
This is a horrifying tale. It's not gentle. It's brutal, bloody, gory, and incredibly creepy. Gerald Ruhming is a monstrous figure, not because he knows what makes him torture, mutilate, and kill... but because he doesn't. The self-awareness necessary to analyze his actions never seems to be part of his equation. He's completely insane, yes. But he's also slow. Something about him just isn't RIGHT, and it's that out-of-kilter wrongness that makes him completely oblivious to the pain and damage he causes, except insofar as he enjoys what he's doing.
As a simple-minded monster, he is the most repellant of villains. He verges on sympathetic but never quite gets there. He disgusts you and terrifies you because he is, in his slow-witted unawareness, completely implacable. You can't argue or bargain with a creature who doesn't himself know why he does what he does.
As a novella, CORRECTION reads like a cop story, as two Martian detectives race to rescue Ruhming's last victim. Intercut with this storyline are the harrowing accounts of Ruhming's torment of his captive -- not for the faint of heart and certainly not for young readers -- and also Ruhming's backstory. To say he had a troubled childhood is an understatement.
Read CORRECTION and it will make Ruhming's ultimate role in SIMON VECTOR that much more satisfying. Read SIMON VECTOR and it will make you want to know the story behind CORRECTION. Read this novella alone and you will turn on all the lights, if you don't simply wait for someone else to come home.
One of the things I like about a new world -- a new universe, coinciding with the founding of a new intellectual property -- is the nearly endless opportunity to expand and flesh out this new reality. That's one of the things I found most gratifying about League Entertainment's SIMON VECTOR. There's a whole new version of human existence, politics, war, conflict, and so on, just waiting to be explored. SIMON VECTOR does this well, giving us descriptions about its universe that range from thorough explanations to tantalizing hints.
The same is true of its characters. We don't get a tremendous amount of backstory for these characters because SIMON VECTOR is first a suspense novel, then an action tale (owing to its methodically tense build-up and then epic action climax). If you're like me, once you find a character that interests you, you never really get tired of learning more about him. SIMON VECTOR offers such a fascinating cast of supporting characters -- many of them horrible villains -- that you can't help but want to know more about, especially if that "more" involves what makes a man a serial killer so horrrible he is imprisoned in the most remote hole in the galaxy.
One of my favorite sequences in SIMON VECTOR involves Gerald Ruhming, "The Mad Doctor of Mars." I won't spoil it for you here if you haven't read SIMON VECTOR. You don't need to have read that in order to read CORRECTION, as both stories stand alone. But reading one will definitely enhance your enjoyment of the other. CORRECTION is nothing less than a full-on origin story. It's "SAW" meets "7even" meets "Silence of the Lambs," although please don't read anything so trite into my use of that phrasing. I'm just trying to convey the mood of the story.
This is a horrifying tale. It's not gentle. It's brutal, bloody, gory, and incredibly creepy. Gerald Ruhming is a monstrous figure, not because he knows what makes him torture, mutilate, and kill... but because he doesn't. The self-awareness necessary to analyze his actions never seems to be part of his equation. He's completely insane, yes. But he's also slow. Something about him just isn't RIGHT, and it's that out-of-kilter wrongness that makes him completely oblivious to the pain and damage he causes, except insofar as he enjoys what he's doing.
As a simple-minded monster, he is the most repellant of villains. He verges on sympathetic but never quite gets there. He disgusts you and terrifies you because he is, in his slow-witted unawareness, completely implacable. You can't argue or bargain with a creature who doesn't himself know why he does what he does.
As a novella, CORRECTION reads like a cop story, as two Martian detectives race to rescue Ruhming's last victim. Intercut with this storyline are the harrowing accounts of Ruhming's torment of his captive -- not for the faint of heart and certainly not for young readers -- and also Ruhming's backstory. To say he had a troubled childhood is an understatement.
Read CORRECTION and it will make Ruhming's ultimate role in SIMON VECTOR that much more satisfying. Read SIMON VECTOR and it will make you want to know the story behind CORRECTION. Read this novella alone and you will turn on all the lights, if you don't simply wait for someone else to come home.
December 11, 2012
Correction: A Gerald Ruhming Tale of Terror
Having previously read and reviewed "Simon Vector" I knew a bit of what to expect when I picked up "Correction: A Gerald Ruhming Tale of Terror" the first of four announced "Entry Point" novellas which expand and add flavor to the already tantalizing feast of the "Simon Vector" universe. If you have also read the preceding novel then you are familiar with the "Mad Doctor of Mars" Gerald Ruhming, who while a prisoner on the correction planet Alpha Draconis becomes a willing contributor to the horrors perpetrated by the mysterious multidimensional Vendak. In this novella we are transported back to see the events which lead to Ruhming's incarceration. A prequel of sorts but one which can be digested as a stand alone story without knowing anything of the events which later transpire in the longer work. As for the main character of this story, Gerald Ruhming is a character cut from the real life villains such as Ed Gein, H. H. Holmes, and Albert Fish. For any student of psychology the facts of his case as set down here are nearly textbook examples of how a brutal upbringing can create a brutal man. The Mars that Ruhming is born into is one which has been stripped of all comforts and sustaining technologies, the people of the world are left ignorant with no hope at advancement into the greater interstellar society due to a failed rebellion attempt which occurred sometime before the start of this story. My hope is that we get to find out more about this history in one of the other Novellas. Ruhming's parents are abusive and demented. His father a drinker who beat his family and his mother a manipulative shrew who blames her damaged son for all of her misfortunes after her husband's disappearance. Ruhming's background is delivered to the audience is slices and hints as the brutal torture of his newest victim is played out for the reader.
This is a story which has no heroes. Well there may be one, but he only appears briefly, I suspect that his story is one of the other novellas in the entry point series.
Honestly, this is a different type of story than "Simon Vector," it is part detective story, part psychological case history, and bloody torture yarn. It is worth noting that this story carries a Parental Advisory that it is for Mature Readers Only and it is very true. Although I have watched my share of horror films and played many brutal video games I did find myself needing to take breaks from the scenes of torture being visited on Ruhming's victim. It is a stronger constitution than mine that will be able to leave this novella unaffected, as despite the fact that Ruhming has access to fantastical weapons and devices every brutality he visits upon his victim is grounded in our reality and you can't doubt the pain that is being described.
To sum up, if you enjoyed reading about Thomas Harris' "Hannibal Lecter," or the early serial murders described in Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" books then this story holds some promise for you. If you are expecting more of the Sci-Fi action adventure begun in "Simon Vector" you may leave this story with your appetite whetted but not wholly satisfied. And perhaps that is as it should be, at about 20,000 words this is just a tid-bit, a single course if you will in the banquet of the "Simon Vector" universe.
May 30, 2016
Are you a fan or horror and Science Fiction? Then you have to read Correction: A Gerald Ruhming Tale.
This short novella captures the best of both worlds by taking a deeper look into the disturbed character, Gerald Ruhming, who was first introduced to us in Simon Vector.
Essentially, in Gerald Ruhming's universe, technology is over-utilized for solving crimes. This makes crime-fighting technology the perfect target for sabotage by powerful criminals. One of the human crime fighters, Colburn, recognizes this and uses old-school techniques to seek out the true criminal, Gerald Ruhming.
Not only does it take intelligence to determine that the computers are being manipulated, but it takes courage from Colburn to actually go against department policy to follow his hunches instead of what the computer dictates. When the wife of powerful professor goes missing on Mars, Colburn and his younger partner, Ghent, are forced to track her down and in the process identify the mysterious serial murderer.
Correction: A Gerald Ruhming Tale moves quickly and is action-packed; I really enjoyed it! By the way, you don’t have to read Simon Vector first; you can enjoy these stories in any order.
Caution: if you get grossed out easily, this story is not for you.
If you're interested in other work from Jak Holding, take a look at Simon Vector, or the newest novella in the Simon Vector world, Corruption: A Marshal Boothe Tale of Justice.
This short novella captures the best of both worlds by taking a deeper look into the disturbed character, Gerald Ruhming, who was first introduced to us in Simon Vector.
Essentially, in Gerald Ruhming's universe, technology is over-utilized for solving crimes. This makes crime-fighting technology the perfect target for sabotage by powerful criminals. One of the human crime fighters, Colburn, recognizes this and uses old-school techniques to seek out the true criminal, Gerald Ruhming.
Not only does it take intelligence to determine that the computers are being manipulated, but it takes courage from Colburn to actually go against department policy to follow his hunches instead of what the computer dictates. When the wife of powerful professor goes missing on Mars, Colburn and his younger partner, Ghent, are forced to track her down and in the process identify the mysterious serial murderer.
Correction: A Gerald Ruhming Tale moves quickly and is action-packed; I really enjoyed it! By the way, you don’t have to read Simon Vector first; you can enjoy these stories in any order.
Caution: if you get grossed out easily, this story is not for you.
If you're interested in other work from Jak Holding, take a look at Simon Vector, or the newest novella in the Simon Vector world, Corruption: A Marshal Boothe Tale of Justice.
July 27, 2015
The subtitle suggests there may be more Gerald Ruhming stories coming. That might be too much of a good thing, but this one was good.
I'd never heard of 'Jak Holding' before, but I'll be looking for more. Correction is disturbing in content, but well written and intriguing. It's the story of serial killer and torturer Gerald Ruhming - his current victim and how he came to be. There's a mother-son relationship that has perhaps inevitable echoes of Psycho, which I wish the authors had done a little more work on. And there are a few glitches here and there. But mostly, the characters are well realized, and the victim episodes are frighteningly realistic. Overall, well worth picking up if you're looking for good writing, and don't mind a healthy dose of darkness.
I'd never heard of 'Jak Holding' before, but I'll be looking for more. Correction is disturbing in content, but well written and intriguing. It's the story of serial killer and torturer Gerald Ruhming - his current victim and how he came to be. There's a mother-son relationship that has perhaps inevitable echoes of Psycho, which I wish the authors had done a little more work on. And there are a few glitches here and there. But mostly, the characters are well realized, and the victim episodes are frighteningly realistic. Overall, well worth picking up if you're looking for good writing, and don't mind a healthy dose of darkness.
August 14, 2012
Of all the villains in literature, the serial killer is the most terrifying for one simple reason: it could be anyone. And yet such monsters command our attention as an audience as few others do. In Correction by Jak Holding (a prequel novella to Simon Vector), the audience is given the background and choices which led to the “Mad Doctor of Mars” Gerald Ruhming to be on the Alpha Draconis penal colony. The fast-paced novella serves as a portal to enter the deranged mind of a very human monster.
To read the remainder of this review, please visit my blog, King's Crier: Book Reviews- http://kingscrier.blogspot.com/2012/0...
To read the remainder of this review, please visit my blog, King's Crier: Book Reviews- http://kingscrier.blogspot.com/2012/0...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews