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Painfreak #2
The Beast That Was Max
Max walks in two worlds. He resides in the borderland between the world of shadowy government conspiracy and the world of vengeful ghosts and evil gods, between living flesh and supernatural spirits – between life and death. For Max is the ultimate killer, an assassin powered by the Beast, an inner demon that enables him to kill – and to do it incredibly well.
But the Beast inside Max is very real and very much alive. He is all of Max's dark desires, his murderous impulses, and he won't ever let Max forget that he exists. The Beast is Max. So it won't be easy for Max to silence the Beast, though he knows that is what he must do to reclaim his humanity. But without the protection of the Beast, Max the assassin will soon find himself the prey, the target of the spirits of his past victims.
Also Included – a never before published Max novelette : Tree of Shadows – only available in this Crossroad Press digital edition.
--Houarner's work is great, and I recommend you acquaint yourself with it – Fangoria
--The raw power and depth of Houarner's imagination combine to give him the ability to truly transform the reader – Dark Echo
--Houarner blends a compelling combination of elements from Clive Barker and Andrew Vacchs – Brian Hodge – Hellnotes.
But the Beast inside Max is very real and very much alive. He is all of Max's dark desires, his murderous impulses, and he won't ever let Max forget that he exists. The Beast is Max. So it won't be easy for Max to silence the Beast, though he knows that is what he must do to reclaim his humanity. But without the protection of the Beast, Max the assassin will soon find himself the prey, the target of the spirits of his past victims.
Also Included – a never before published Max novelette : Tree of Shadows – only available in this Crossroad Press digital edition.
--Houarner's work is great, and I recommend you acquaint yourself with it – Fangoria
--The raw power and depth of Houarner's imagination combine to give him the ability to truly transform the reader – Dark Echo
--Houarner blends a compelling combination of elements from Clive Barker and Andrew Vacchs – Brian Hodge – Hellnotes.
- GenresHorror
ebook
First published January 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Gerard Houarner
73 books37 followers“Houarner is a smart, intelligent talent who has a gift for writing with serene beauty about the most atrocious things.” Ed Bryant, Locus
He is also the author of 5 novels and over 300 short stories and novellas, some gathered in 6 collections.
He fell to Earth in the fifties and is a product of the NYC school system and the City College of New York, where he studied writing under Joseph Heller and Joel Oppenheimer and crashed hallucinogenic William Burroughs seminars back in the day.
The mental health field has provided a living as well as inspiration for the past 34 years. His current position might be described as Director of Recovery and Recreation at Arkham Asylum.
Since 1998, he has served as Fiction Editor for Space and Time magazine.
He continues to write whenever he can, mostly at night, about the dark.
He is also the author of 5 novels and over 300 short stories and novellas, some gathered in 6 collections.
He fell to Earth in the fifties and is a product of the NYC school system and the City College of New York, where he studied writing under Joseph Heller and Joel Oppenheimer and crashed hallucinogenic William Burroughs seminars back in the day.
The mental health field has provided a living as well as inspiration for the past 34 years. His current position might be described as Director of Recovery and Recreation at Arkham Asylum.
Since 1998, he has served as Fiction Editor for Space and Time magazine.
He continues to write whenever he can, mostly at night, about the dark.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 10, 2014
My second encounter with the mysterious and powerful character, Max, this time in novel form, though written in what feels like two distinct blocks: a battle, a birth. Houarner's prose is crisp and vivid, stylized just enough to show his skills as a wordsmith while sticking to the meat of the fiction experience. Overall, this is an entertaining, but heady piece of work. It shines with violence, rituals, and intrigue, blending supernatural themes with hardcore action. Onward, Max, onward.
February 27, 2015
Absolutely horrible
April 6, 2015
I'm truly surprised that I managed to finish this book it was so bad
July 15, 2011
In the first ten or twenty pages, I thought I was in for something great. Then, all the action became a sort of half-spiritual mush, there was so much sex and gore that it all became sort of gray, and I got bored. And the last 3/4 of the book stayed that way. Hint to author: the shock value of anything wears off by the 20th or 30th time. Seems like a great idea for a character got wasted in a book that replaced a true plot with the desire to see how much blood could be spilled on the floor.
May 11, 2015
I didn't like this... something about it didn't make sense.
June 18, 2018
what a mess. #dnf
May 6, 2018
One of the most memorable main characters that I've come across. There is nothing "nice" about this book, there are no heroes, the characters in this book are pure evil. Very interesting read, very descriptive and fast paced.
February 7, 2017
Not sure how to describe this book. It was a disturbing, but interesting read. Following Max's journey thru the stages of his life kept my interest. There were surprises, especially in the final third of the book. I can't help with think about the deeper meaning.
Please note that this is a violent book (since Max is an assassin) containing murder and rape. However, Max faces both with amazing insight and growth; again with deeper meaning aside from the surface read. In this book, there is no defined good vs. evil, but you will need to draw your own conclusions.
So, I have to say that if you like books that you can break down into components, analyze, then come to a conclusion, then this is a book for you.
For me, I prefer the simpler scifi, fantasy, horror (a defined good and bad) and prefer not to dwell on a deeper meaning. However, I don't regret reading the book. It is a thought provoking book and one I think is good to pick up now and again to keep one's mind engaged and to expand the mind's eye and add some diversity to the reader.
Please note that this is a violent book (since Max is an assassin) containing murder and rape. However, Max faces both with amazing insight and growth; again with deeper meaning aside from the surface read. In this book, there is no defined good vs. evil, but you will need to draw your own conclusions.
So, I have to say that if you like books that you can break down into components, analyze, then come to a conclusion, then this is a book for you.
For me, I prefer the simpler scifi, fantasy, horror (a defined good and bad) and prefer not to dwell on a deeper meaning. However, I don't regret reading the book. It is a thought provoking book and one I think is good to pick up now and again to keep one's mind engaged and to expand the mind's eye and add some diversity to the reader.
June 20, 2016
“The Beast that was Max” is the first book in the Resurrection cycle written by Gerard Houarner.
Gerard Houarner is a mental health professional and his literary genre is horror.
The whole book is a story about Max, the main character, and the reader goes deep into his mind. Within Max resides the Beast and he is a deeply developed character...
The book is full of horror, violence, supernatural powers and action.
The story is divided in three different parts that shows unique elements; it consists of three tales about a paid serial killer for a government agency and his misadventures through the real world and the realms of the spiritual.
The first tale is entitled "To Dance Like Mist in Moonlight," where Max and Lee try to protect a Cambodian woman from what turns out to be a sorcerer of sorts.
The second story, "The Beast That Was Max," introduces us to new characters: Alioune and Kueur.
The third and final tale is "Truth and Consequences in the Heart of Destruction".
I highly recommend to read this book...and I also recommend to read it with the lights on!
Can't wait to read the next of the cycle!
Gerard Houarner is a mental health professional and his literary genre is horror.
The whole book is a story about Max, the main character, and the reader goes deep into his mind. Within Max resides the Beast and he is a deeply developed character...
The book is full of horror, violence, supernatural powers and action.
The story is divided in three different parts that shows unique elements; it consists of three tales about a paid serial killer for a government agency and his misadventures through the real world and the realms of the spiritual.
The first tale is entitled "To Dance Like Mist in Moonlight," where Max and Lee try to protect a Cambodian woman from what turns out to be a sorcerer of sorts.
The second story, "The Beast That Was Max," introduces us to new characters: Alioune and Kueur.
The third and final tale is "Truth and Consequences in the Heart of Destruction".
I highly recommend to read this book...and I also recommend to read it with the lights on!
Can't wait to read the next of the cycle!
June 21, 2016
This is a book that I can imagine would appeal to men who like action, gore and sex. I thought it would be akin to A Song of Ice and Fire (called Game of Thrones on T.V.) but, in fact, the content makes Game of Thrones seem like the Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Max is a hired assassin, who is ruled by the beast within him. His assignments are many and varied and the plot follows some of these. This beast is utterly without compunction and kills with relish. The sex scenes throughout are very graphic and designed to appeal to men rather than women.
On the plus side, the book is actually very well-written and will certainly have its fans.
On the plus side, the book is actually very well-written and will certainly have its fans.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews