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Torched
First, you feel uncomfortably hot. But it's no use turning up the air conditioning or reaching for a long, cool drink. Whatever you do, the temperature inside you keeps rising. And rising. Soon you're in agony beyond your wildest nightmares as your whole body is engulfed in searing, unbearable heat. You go mad briefly with the pain. Then, with luck, you black out. If your luck holds, you're dead soon after. Very dead. But your involuntary cremation continues. Your blood boils in your veins for a few seconds - before it bursts them. As your tortured corpse dries out from the horror-heat inside it, your skin blisters, pops, bursts - and then flares into scorching flame fueled by your own melding body-fat. Clouds of choking, greasy smoke join the searing blaze consuming what's left of you. You have become your own funeral pyre...
- GenresHorror
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2014
About the author
John Brosnan
71 books30 followers* Pen names:
Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Childer, James Blackstone, John Raymond
John Raymond Brosnan was an Australian writer of both fiction and non-fiction works based around the fantasy and science fiction genres. He was born in Perth, Western Australia, and died in South Harrow, London, from acute pancreatitis. He sometimes published under the pseudonyms Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Childer (both sometimes used together with Leroy Kettle), James Blackstone (used together with John Baxter), and John Raymond. Three not very successful movies were based on his novels–Beyond Bedlam (aka Nightscare), Proteus (based on Slimer), and Carnosaur. In addition to science fiction, he also wrote a number of books about cinema and was a regular columnist with the popular UK magazine Starburst.
Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Childer, James Blackstone, John Raymond
John Raymond Brosnan was an Australian writer of both fiction and non-fiction works based around the fantasy and science fiction genres. He was born in Perth, Western Australia, and died in South Harrow, London, from acute pancreatitis. He sometimes published under the pseudonyms Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Childer (both sometimes used together with Leroy Kettle), James Blackstone (used together with John Baxter), and John Raymond. Three not very successful movies were based on his novels–Beyond Bedlam (aka Nightscare), Proteus (based on Slimer), and Carnosaur. In addition to science fiction, he also wrote a number of books about cinema and was a regular columnist with the popular UK magazine Starburst.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 31, 2026
John Brosnan wrote pulp — but pulp of solid craft. "Torched" is no different.
+
Two insurance investigators look into a series of strange fires: sudden, localised blazes that incinerate human bodies completely. One of them puts forward the theory that the culprit might be spontaneous human combustion — an unexplained phenomenon involving the body igniting from within.
A young woman who survived one of the fires, accused by the police of starting it, is running her own investigation into her missing sister. The trail leads to a porn film producer with ties to a chemist who disappeared several years ago.
Meanwhile, the spontaneous fire begins targeting anyone who might know something about the cause of the blazes.
+
On the craft level, all of this is beyond reproach. Competent, transparent narration, a few gore scenes featuring burning bodies, some pulpy sex, a decent pace. But there isn't a single gram of anything extra in "Torched" — nothing that lifts it above the merely average. The plot is predictable and there's not a shred of genuine horror — this is more of a thriller with gore elements. Something like the watered-down leftovers of "The Tunnel", a thematically similar but two classes better-written book of the same author.
But it's not a bad book, as such - if you want something undemanding and plot-light to fill a few hours — fine, go ahead. But if you're looking to get acquainted with Brosnan, start somewhere else.
+
Two insurance investigators look into a series of strange fires: sudden, localised blazes that incinerate human bodies completely. One of them puts forward the theory that the culprit might be spontaneous human combustion — an unexplained phenomenon involving the body igniting from within.
A young woman who survived one of the fires, accused by the police of starting it, is running her own investigation into her missing sister. The trail leads to a porn film producer with ties to a chemist who disappeared several years ago.
Meanwhile, the spontaneous fire begins targeting anyone who might know something about the cause of the blazes.
+
On the craft level, all of this is beyond reproach. Competent, transparent narration, a few gore scenes featuring burning bodies, some pulpy sex, a decent pace. But there isn't a single gram of anything extra in "Torched" — nothing that lifts it above the merely average. The plot is predictable and there's not a shred of genuine horror — this is more of a thriller with gore elements. Something like the watered-down leftovers of "The Tunnel", a thematically similar but two classes better-written book of the same author.
But it's not a bad book, as such - if you want something undemanding and plot-light to fill a few hours — fine, go ahead. But if you're looking to get acquainted with Brosnan, start somewhere else.
Displaying 1 of 1 review