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Cruelty: Episode Ten
CRUELTY is a serial novel in ten parts.
This is the end.
"Farewell, fair cruelty."
~ William Shakespeare
Coming April 1st, 2015 for backers of the Indiegogo Campaign
Available on Amazon April 12th, 2015.
This is the end.
"Farewell, fair cruelty."
~ William Shakespeare
Coming April 1st, 2015 for backers of the Indiegogo Campaign
Available on Amazon April 12th, 2015.
- GenresHorror
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2015
22 people want to read
About the author
Edward Lorn
63 books2,918 followersEdward Lorn (E. to most) is a reader, writer, and content creator. He's been writing for fun since the age of six, and writing professionally since 2011. He can be found haunting the halls of Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
E. lives in Alabama with his wife and two children. He is currently working on his next novel.
E. lives in Alabama with his wife and two children. He is currently working on his next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 11, 2015
Cruelty episode 10 is finally upon us, release date tomorrow 12 April. So this is not a review of the last episode but more a look at the long journey the fans of Cruelty have gone through and its now up on Scream website http://www.screamhorrormag.com/cruelt...
Cruelty is an epic horror serial by Edward Lorn, the first episode was originally released in January 2014 and the next four followed in rapid succession. The writing was crisp and flowed majestically, there was a great amount of depth to this story, coupled with some truly memorable characters and I for one was hooked.
The author then underwent surgery and physiotherapy from a crippling back injury, suddenly he was out of funds and the remaining five episodes lay unedited, waiting. To get the last five episodes released, he launched an Indiegogo campaign where contributors could back the project and secure rewards. Well I was one of the backers and my reward a memorable death scene, my name there for all to see as my head gets rather violently separated from the rest of my body (episode 7 if you’re interested).
Episode 10 is finally upon us and although there’s been substantial gaps between episodes, this story and the characters are difficult to forget, it’s just like you’ve never been away. If you try Cruelty you’re lucky in respect that there’s no wait, if you like episode 1 then get the two omnibus novels, 5 episodes in each and over 600 pages of creepily addictive reading.
I won’t review every episode but give you more of a taster to the sort of things you can expect. Cruelty, although it feels much longer takes place over a slither of time, a mere 36 hours but there’s a hell of a lot going on and a number of characters. Not all of them survive, in fact not many of them survive but each one is memorable in their own way.
Will’s car just broke down but a bigger concern is the prostitute digging a gun into his ribs as they walk to town, he should have “headed on home for a cold shower or a rigorous coupling with Sally Palmer and her five sisters” but no he didn’t, being a typical 19 year old he wanted more. He’d got Jennifer’s address from his roommate Kirk and she was recommended, right up to the point she disappeared, crumpled as a car literally swept her away.
This sets in to action a chain of events that are both violent and totally mesmerizing. The car stops and the most distressing thing Will has ever seen waddles towards him, smiling. This story has demons, two drug dealers called Twon and Ollie that add violence and humour, a multitude of law enforcement officers and from a horror angle some of the most disturbing characters around. Cruelty, Forgiveness and Regret are real and you’ll witness the trauma and devastation that each can bring and the only question. How can you possibly stop it?
Edward Lorn writes stories the way I would if I could write, a prose that means you literally can’t skip a word for fear of missing out, he brings character depth to the table almost unnoticeably, you suddenly without awareness feel you know someone and you desperately need to see what happens to them. Coupled with an enthralling plot, from the start you feel like you’ve stumbled onto something immense and unquestionably riveting, this is horror done right and done exceptionally well. Highly recommended and not just because I’m in it.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
Cruelty is an epic horror serial by Edward Lorn, the first episode was originally released in January 2014 and the next four followed in rapid succession. The writing was crisp and flowed majestically, there was a great amount of depth to this story, coupled with some truly memorable characters and I for one was hooked.
The author then underwent surgery and physiotherapy from a crippling back injury, suddenly he was out of funds and the remaining five episodes lay unedited, waiting. To get the last five episodes released, he launched an Indiegogo campaign where contributors could back the project and secure rewards. Well I was one of the backers and my reward a memorable death scene, my name there for all to see as my head gets rather violently separated from the rest of my body (episode 7 if you’re interested).
Episode 10 is finally upon us and although there’s been substantial gaps between episodes, this story and the characters are difficult to forget, it’s just like you’ve never been away. If you try Cruelty you’re lucky in respect that there’s no wait, if you like episode 1 then get the two omnibus novels, 5 episodes in each and over 600 pages of creepily addictive reading.
I won’t review every episode but give you more of a taster to the sort of things you can expect. Cruelty, although it feels much longer takes place over a slither of time, a mere 36 hours but there’s a hell of a lot going on and a number of characters. Not all of them survive, in fact not many of them survive but each one is memorable in their own way.
Will’s car just broke down but a bigger concern is the prostitute digging a gun into his ribs as they walk to town, he should have “headed on home for a cold shower or a rigorous coupling with Sally Palmer and her five sisters” but no he didn’t, being a typical 19 year old he wanted more. He’d got Jennifer’s address from his roommate Kirk and she was recommended, right up to the point she disappeared, crumpled as a car literally swept her away.
This sets in to action a chain of events that are both violent and totally mesmerizing. The car stops and the most distressing thing Will has ever seen waddles towards him, smiling. This story has demons, two drug dealers called Twon and Ollie that add violence and humour, a multitude of law enforcement officers and from a horror angle some of the most disturbing characters around. Cruelty, Forgiveness and Regret are real and you’ll witness the trauma and devastation that each can bring and the only question. How can you possibly stop it?
Edward Lorn writes stories the way I would if I could write, a prose that means you literally can’t skip a word for fear of missing out, he brings character depth to the table almost unnoticeably, you suddenly without awareness feel you know someone and you desperately need to see what happens to them. Coupled with an enthralling plot, from the start you feel like you’ve stumbled onto something immense and unquestionably riveting, this is horror done right and done exceptionally well. Highly recommended and not just because I’m in it.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
April 1, 2015
Review to come.
January 24, 2018
Cruelty comes to a conclusion without showing every card in its author's hand. While each of Lorn's godlike fiends is given a chance to antagonize the page--sometimes in multiple incarnations--their origins, motivations and machinations remain obscured, which may affect the individual reader's overall satisfaction with this serial novel as a whole. Personally, I had a good time with Lorn's sense of weirdness, his dark humor, his surprising range of sympathy for his characters (whether or not the reader feels they deserve such), his imaginative displays of creature-feature carnage, and the very ambition needed to undertake writing what is ostensibly a serial epic about a supernatural psycho killer sporting a baby-doll mask.
April 7, 2015
All good things must come to an end...
I was lucky to be introduced to Edward Lorn's writing by a friend of mine (also another independent writer). It was because of those independent writers that I started reading books on the kindle. Cruelty: Episode One was the first kindle book I read. First, I want to say that I am not giving a high rating to this series because Edward Lorn knows my friend. I was also introduced to two other authors, and I found that their work either didn't suit me or was just ok (different strokes for different folks). I rated those books accordingly.
Cruelty is a serial horror novel in ten parts (so it's kind of like the podcast “Serial”, but not really :). I don't know how to review this installment without giving too much away about the previous nine, so I will just say what the overall story is about. Cruelty is a creature/monster/villain that wreaks havoc on a small Texas town. The series is about Cruelty's journey as well as the journey of the people left in it's wake. After my husband read episode one, I asked him if he was going to read the rest of the series, and his reply was “Yes, I need to know what Cruelty is.” My husband and other readers will not be disappointed. Edward Lorn wraps up the series beautifully and without over-explaining the “monsters”.
My biggest compliment about this series is that it has just as much goosebump-inducing moments as it has character development. This is not a series that scares, just to scare. It has depth and imagination in it's story.
Why are you still reading this review? Go download Cruelty!
Side Note: I am glad that I read the paperback version of Edward Lorn's Dastardly Bastard first. It is not necessary, but it was fun to recognize some of the references.
I was lucky to be introduced to Edward Lorn's writing by a friend of mine (also another independent writer). It was because of those independent writers that I started reading books on the kindle. Cruelty: Episode One was the first kindle book I read. First, I want to say that I am not giving a high rating to this series because Edward Lorn knows my friend. I was also introduced to two other authors, and I found that their work either didn't suit me or was just ok (different strokes for different folks). I rated those books accordingly.
Cruelty is a serial horror novel in ten parts (so it's kind of like the podcast “Serial”, but not really :). I don't know how to review this installment without giving too much away about the previous nine, so I will just say what the overall story is about. Cruelty is a creature/monster/villain that wreaks havoc on a small Texas town. The series is about Cruelty's journey as well as the journey of the people left in it's wake. After my husband read episode one, I asked him if he was going to read the rest of the series, and his reply was “Yes, I need to know what Cruelty is.” My husband and other readers will not be disappointed. Edward Lorn wraps up the series beautifully and without over-explaining the “monsters”.
My biggest compliment about this series is that it has just as much goosebump-inducing moments as it has character development. This is not a series that scares, just to scare. It has depth and imagination in it's story.
Why are you still reading this review? Go download Cruelty!
Side Note: I am glad that I read the paperback version of Edward Lorn's Dastardly Bastard first. It is not necessary, but it was fun to recognize some of the references.
May 31, 2015
Ok. Finished. This series got seriously trippy toward the end, but did wrap up nicely. In retrospect, having read the series in parts over 12 months, it wasn't the way to read a story, at least not for me. Should have waited for the collected volumes. It is a great story altogether, regardless of the serial format. Very imaginative. Very original. Recommended.
April 30, 2015
This is part ten of ten in the serial. The last one. Don't even think about reading this until you have read parts one through nine. That would only lead to Regret, and she is pretty mean.
Everything gets wrapped up, explained and concluded with this one. It is pretty trippy at times though, but is full of excitement, fights, and plenty of revelations. A lot of characters died throughout the series, some good and some bad. This ending makes it all worth it though.
As I have said with all of the other installments, there is gore and harsh language throughout. I can be somewhat of a prude with these, but I felt the story justified it. It is the way the characters would talk. As for the gore, you have monsters that have the sole purpose of killing and causing pain, so you have to expect it to get bloody. But if you think it will be a problem than perhaps you should avoid this one. Also, for a last time, this is a serial. The individual segments aren't full stories. They are more like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. You need to put them all together to see the entire picture. Read them in order or be prepared to be confused.
This is a self-published book. I know that I have grown to expect sloppy editing when I see that. It is usually good if there are only a handful of glitches. I am glad to say that this work only had one minor glitch (an extra word in one sentence). Quite simply, it is one of the most professional editing jobs that I have seen in an indie book.
This was a long and enjoyable serial. I am glad that I kept up with all of the installments as they came out. If you don't want to go that route, there will be two omnibus editions collecting parts one to five and six through ten. It is will worth taking the trip on this one.
Everything gets wrapped up, explained and concluded with this one. It is pretty trippy at times though, but is full of excitement, fights, and plenty of revelations. A lot of characters died throughout the series, some good and some bad. This ending makes it all worth it though.
As I have said with all of the other installments, there is gore and harsh language throughout. I can be somewhat of a prude with these, but I felt the story justified it. It is the way the characters would talk. As for the gore, you have monsters that have the sole purpose of killing and causing pain, so you have to expect it to get bloody. But if you think it will be a problem than perhaps you should avoid this one. Also, for a last time, this is a serial. The individual segments aren't full stories. They are more like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. You need to put them all together to see the entire picture. Read them in order or be prepared to be confused.
This is a self-published book. I know that I have grown to expect sloppy editing when I see that. It is usually good if there are only a handful of glitches. I am glad to say that this work only had one minor glitch (an extra word in one sentence). Quite simply, it is one of the most professional editing jobs that I have seen in an indie book.
This was a long and enjoyable serial. I am glad that I kept up with all of the installments as they came out. If you don't want to go that route, there will be two omnibus editions collecting parts one to five and six through ten. It is will worth taking the trip on this one.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews