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Life Rage
SAM WAYNE is a specialist in anger management, and business is good. He devours the rage around him greedily, blurring the line between man and demon.
A violent murderer is on the loose, tearing people apart with his bare hands. Anyone who sees him cannot seem to make out his face, except…
COLLEEN, a broken young woman who tries to run as far as can and meets up with VIV, who has an insatiable hunger for human souls, and feeds on them like Sam feeds on anger.
As the murders multiply, the rage begins to spread like an epidemic. Everywhere, people start attacking each other. Viv, her brother Grif, and Colleen race against time to stop Sam before his rage devours the world.
But not everyone will survive the fury of LIFE RAGE!
*****
“Soares’ debut novel is a blend of sexually charged psychological, supernatural, and extreme horror. We’re introduced to people who may or may not be demons and some seriously hurting characters who are dealing with different levels of rage, anxiety, and depression…It’s like an apocalyptic take on the serial killer thing, complete with almost half of the United States falling victim to the proceedings…LIFE RAGE is NOT for the squeamish!” - The Horror Fiction Review
“LIFE RAGE conjures up Richard Laymon at his darkest, most visceral. If you like your fiction marinated in blood and sex, then this is the book for you.” - Gary Raisor, Bram Stoker finalist for LESS THAN HUMAN
“L.L. Soares is a master of blunt-force drama. His fiction is fueled with violence and sexuality and an unflinchingly honest view of humanity. LIFE RAGE is a gritty, disturbing thrill ride that left me breathless right up to the last page.” - Peter N. Dudar, Bram Stoker finalist for A REQUIEM FOR DEAD FLIES
A violent murderer is on the loose, tearing people apart with his bare hands. Anyone who sees him cannot seem to make out his face, except…
COLLEEN, a broken young woman who tries to run as far as can and meets up with VIV, who has an insatiable hunger for human souls, and feeds on them like Sam feeds on anger.
As the murders multiply, the rage begins to spread like an epidemic. Everywhere, people start attacking each other. Viv, her brother Grif, and Colleen race against time to stop Sam before his rage devours the world.
But not everyone will survive the fury of LIFE RAGE!
*****
“Soares’ debut novel is a blend of sexually charged psychological, supernatural, and extreme horror. We’re introduced to people who may or may not be demons and some seriously hurting characters who are dealing with different levels of rage, anxiety, and depression…It’s like an apocalyptic take on the serial killer thing, complete with almost half of the United States falling victim to the proceedings…LIFE RAGE is NOT for the squeamish!” - The Horror Fiction Review
“LIFE RAGE conjures up Richard Laymon at his darkest, most visceral. If you like your fiction marinated in blood and sex, then this is the book for you.” - Gary Raisor, Bram Stoker finalist for LESS THAN HUMAN
“L.L. Soares is a master of blunt-force drama. His fiction is fueled with violence and sexuality and an unflinchingly honest view of humanity. LIFE RAGE is a gritty, disturbing thrill ride that left me breathless right up to the last page.” - Peter N. Dudar, Bram Stoker finalist for A REQUIEM FOR DEAD FLIES
- GenresHorror
397 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
400 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 7, 2013
An impressive debut novel and more substantive than most horror novels, it deals with the rage we all have inside due to daily frustrations.
November 9, 2013
This book was provided to me, free of charge, in exchange for an honest review.
I truly wanted to like this book more than I actually did. The author is definitely talented and the concept of the novel is great. Yet, I was not pleased with the pace and flow of the story. Nor did I feel like everything was wrapped up nicely and explained to my satisfaction. An example of what I'm talking about has to do with one of the main characters, Colleen. From the beginning, the author mentions this awful cough that she has. It's mentioned a number of times throughout the book as if it's some central, meaningful fact in the story that will later be explored. But it was just a lousy cough. Mentioned over and over...for some reason. I don't know...I hate to criticize another author's work, truly I do. I just really didn't get this book. I also found that it was very repetitious at times, such as when it was noted (several times) that another main character, Sam Wayne, was just a psychologist and not a psychiatrist and should therefore not have been called "Doctor Wayne" by his patients (even though a psychologist CAN be referred to as "Doctor" if he/she has a PhD). Sam Wayne merely had a Bachelor's degree. But why did I need to read about that three or four times within the book?
Okay, perhaps it's just my one of my own quirks, but I really do believe it detracted from the flow and enjoyment of the story.
I think the idea behind this book was pretty good...it had a lot of potential. It just was not quite my cup of tea....
I truly wanted to like this book more than I actually did. The author is definitely talented and the concept of the novel is great. Yet, I was not pleased with the pace and flow of the story. Nor did I feel like everything was wrapped up nicely and explained to my satisfaction. An example of what I'm talking about has to do with one of the main characters, Colleen. From the beginning, the author mentions this awful cough that she has. It's mentioned a number of times throughout the book as if it's some central, meaningful fact in the story that will later be explored. But it was just a lousy cough. Mentioned over and over...for some reason. I don't know...I hate to criticize another author's work, truly I do. I just really didn't get this book. I also found that it was very repetitious at times, such as when it was noted (several times) that another main character, Sam Wayne, was just a psychologist and not a psychiatrist and should therefore not have been called "Doctor Wayne" by his patients (even though a psychologist CAN be referred to as "Doctor" if he/she has a PhD). Sam Wayne merely had a Bachelor's degree. But why did I need to read about that three or four times within the book?
Okay, perhaps it's just my one of my own quirks, but I really do believe it detracted from the flow and enjoyment of the story.
I think the idea behind this book was pretty good...it had a lot of potential. It just was not quite my cup of tea....
August 9, 2014
LIFE RAGE is a fantastic horror story! Not sure I've ever read anything quite like it. Unique and clever in its build-up of suspense and terror. The story begins with a serial killer on the loose, but the way in which the victims' bodies are found torn apart leads the reader to believe the murderer is inhuman. Then a different "slower" killer is introduced. The main character watches her loved ones get torn apart and can do nothing to stop it. Every time I thought I had this story figured out, it intensified. The author did a fantastic job and held nothing back. This is a straight up, great horror story!
September 28, 2012
Where to begin. This book is awesome like a roller coaster ride. It is filled with an array of wonderful and odd characters, each adding their personal touch to this story of sex, violence, and gore. This book is unlike anything I've read, and once you think you have it all figured out, Soares drops a bomb on you, destroying all you thought. It's a masterful debut novel and one that should not be missed.
August 19, 2014
Life Rage. The title of the book says it all. L.L. Soares' debut novel is brought to life by a unique cast of characters, each lost in their own personal battle with rage. There's Colleen—who only feels alive while cutting herself and sleeping with strangers, Vivian and Grif—two siblings who suffer from some seriously deadly intimacy issues, and Sam Wayne—a psychologist with a dangerous method of curing his patients.
Sam has always had a violent streak, but for the sake of his marriage and a happy life, he managed to change for the better. He learned how to control his rage and keep it from ruling his life. He immersed himself in a career helping others do the same. But at what cost?
Sam's strange method of healing people is a supernatural process, more-so than a psychological one. He funnels the rage straight from their minds, into himself, sapping them of fury, but increasing his own brutal impulses. He doesn't seem to understand his own powers, but for whatever reason, he doesn't think to question it.
His wife Maggie has been drinking herself into a stupor, ready to give up on their marriage... and on life. When she meets an irresistible stranger in a bar and things take a turn for the worse, Sam Wayne loses control, and all his bottled rage comes to the surface.
Simultaneously, a monster rips through the city, fillings its residents with a sudden anger. Riots break out in the streets. Neighbors turn on one another. Family members beat each other to a pulp. Even the police are helpless to stop the chaos. In fact, only one person has come face to face with the rage monster that is terrorizing the city and lived to tell the tale... twice.
Colleen has watched two of her loved ones ripped to shreds by the monster. Why did he not attack her? How did she manage to escape, not once, but twice? With the help of her newly acquired friends, Vivian and Grif, she attempts to find the answer to that question. But the body count is rising, thousands of dead bodies in the streets. Does this strange trio stand a chance?
This novel is not for the easily offended reader. There is sex and violence galore, and for a good reason: it fits! We're not dealing with a ho-hum cast of characters here. Each has a dark secret, a skeleton (or two) in the closet, and a close personal relationship with life rage. Sex, drugs, violence... they all fit into this lifestyle. The descriptions are not gratuitous. They are essential to establishing how desperate these characters are and how deeply they long to be loved and understood.
I enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to anyone who is not afraid to delve into the recesses of the human psyche... perhaps the scariest and most disturbing place of all....
Sam has always had a violent streak, but for the sake of his marriage and a happy life, he managed to change for the better. He learned how to control his rage and keep it from ruling his life. He immersed himself in a career helping others do the same. But at what cost?
Sam's strange method of healing people is a supernatural process, more-so than a psychological one. He funnels the rage straight from their minds, into himself, sapping them of fury, but increasing his own brutal impulses. He doesn't seem to understand his own powers, but for whatever reason, he doesn't think to question it.
His wife Maggie has been drinking herself into a stupor, ready to give up on their marriage... and on life. When she meets an irresistible stranger in a bar and things take a turn for the worse, Sam Wayne loses control, and all his bottled rage comes to the surface.
Simultaneously, a monster rips through the city, fillings its residents with a sudden anger. Riots break out in the streets. Neighbors turn on one another. Family members beat each other to a pulp. Even the police are helpless to stop the chaos. In fact, only one person has come face to face with the rage monster that is terrorizing the city and lived to tell the tale... twice.
Colleen has watched two of her loved ones ripped to shreds by the monster. Why did he not attack her? How did she manage to escape, not once, but twice? With the help of her newly acquired friends, Vivian and Grif, she attempts to find the answer to that question. But the body count is rising, thousands of dead bodies in the streets. Does this strange trio stand a chance?
This novel is not for the easily offended reader. There is sex and violence galore, and for a good reason: it fits! We're not dealing with a ho-hum cast of characters here. Each has a dark secret, a skeleton (or two) in the closet, and a close personal relationship with life rage. Sex, drugs, violence... they all fit into this lifestyle. The descriptions are not gratuitous. They are essential to establishing how desperate these characters are and how deeply they long to be loved and understood.
I enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to anyone who is not afraid to delve into the recesses of the human psyche... perhaps the scariest and most disturbing place of all....
November 6, 2014
LIFE RAGE is a twisted tale of an anger management coach; a damaged girl who just can't seem to catch a break; and supernatural beings driven to destroy the people they love. Their lives intertwine slowly and viscerally, and as the inevitable showdown builds, the reader is struck by how each character, good or evil (and those lines aren't always clear), is marred by the burdens they carry.
Soares does a wonderful job of painting his characters vividly, enticing the reader to keep turning the pages. In particular, Colleen is crisply and richly drawn, and you'll find yourself rooting for this tattered, plucky girl. Every time she gets close to someone and starts to trust, even love them, horrific things happen, and you'll be rooting for her to finally come out on top.
Keep an open mind if you want to lose yourself in this tale of the weird and supernatural. The imaginativeness and warped plot pay off, ramping up the suspense and leading you to an intense conclusion. LIFE RAGE is an exciting ride, and you won't be sorry you took it.
Soares does a wonderful job of painting his characters vividly, enticing the reader to keep turning the pages. In particular, Colleen is crisply and richly drawn, and you'll find yourself rooting for this tattered, plucky girl. Every time she gets close to someone and starts to trust, even love them, horrific things happen, and you'll be rooting for her to finally come out on top.
Keep an open mind if you want to lose yourself in this tale of the weird and supernatural. The imaginativeness and warped plot pay off, ramping up the suspense and leading you to an intense conclusion. LIFE RAGE is an exciting ride, and you won't be sorry you took it.
February 1, 2013
Soares' debut novel LIFE RAGE is one of the most unique horror novels I've read in quite a while, with characters who sometimes walk the line between hero and villain. Two people, an anger management therapist and a young drifter, find themselves at the center of parallel storylines where monsters tear people apart and a woman kills with sex. You never quite expect the plot turns that LIFE RAGE throws at you as you read. This, plus unique characters and strong writing, makes the book a breath of fresh air. Though this book has graphic sex and violence, it manages to remain restrained so as not to make it gratuitous.
October 13, 2012
This novel is like a dark roller coaster ride, it takes a little while to reach the top but then the thrills don't stop. Populated by bizarre and interesting characters who are wonderfully drawn it is a real treat of a novel. I had no idea where this ride would take me and I was thrilled and intrigued from the beginning right up to the devastating end of this wholly original story.
December 28, 2012
This was a very unique story with supernatural elements that were never really explained. I enjoyed learning about the characters and seeing the culmination of the story but I would have liked a bit more explanation as to the nature of Sam/Colleen/Viv/Grif's supernatural elements.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews