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Ablaze in Mirth
“The humans cheered and booed and bet on us blood suckers. And they enjoyed it too, watching us burn every year in the Nile Valley during the summer solstice, the sun beating down on us, incinerating us like bugs beneath a magnifying glass.”
Once a year, the Ablaze Games attracts thousands of spectators from around the world for a two-week tournament, wherein the winner attains his or her freedom.
Matias De Laurentiis is a contender, risking his life to gain a better one. And it’s not only in the arenas he must strive to survive; the underground Ablaze Complex leaves its competitors to circulate amongst themselves, including assassins. All of which is televised for the human populace, the current rulers of the world.
Seven arenas separate Matias from becoming a victor. It will mean keeping out of the deathlight, and to kill his fellow kind. But he’s hungrier than ever, and willing to do whatever it takes to remove the shackles from himself and his loved ones.
Once a year, the Ablaze Games attracts thousands of spectators from around the world for a two-week tournament, wherein the winner attains his or her freedom.
Matias De Laurentiis is a contender, risking his life to gain a better one. And it’s not only in the arenas he must strive to survive; the underground Ablaze Complex leaves its competitors to circulate amongst themselves, including assassins. All of which is televised for the human populace, the current rulers of the world.
Seven arenas separate Matias from becoming a victor. It will mean keeping out of the deathlight, and to kill his fellow kind. But he’s hungrier than ever, and willing to do whatever it takes to remove the shackles from himself and his loved ones.
36 pages, ebook
Published September 1, 2017
4 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Thompson
9 books61 followersMatthew Thompson is a British novelist, born in Sheffield. He primarily writes in the sci-fi and fantasy genres and has self-published several novels. He currently lives in Nottingham, where he works as a QA Analyst at a video game studio.
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For more books by the author and to sign up for the latest news and offers, visit: matthewthompsonauthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 25, 2017
“Ablaze in Mirth,” the short story by Matthew Thompson, is the story of a kind of Hunger Games-like existence for vampires on Earth in the 21st century. The story revolves around Matias Carlos Bassi, a vampire trying to win his freedom from enslavement by achieving the top spot in Ablaze, an annual tournament in which vampires kill each other for the amusement of humans. I was sent this story by the author for an honest review.
While the story does include flashbacks of Bassi’s earlier life and mentions his wife and child, it is primarily about his progress in the Ablaze Games. His motivation for risking his life is to gain his freedom and rejoin his wife and daughter and then (apparently) win their freedom. Bassi has a philosophical side and he poses the question: is he a monster (as he is called by humans) for willing to kill his own kind to obtain his freedom? Does wanting revenge on his master for all the terrible things he’s down to Bassi also make him a monster?
While Bassi is progressing in the games, there is a bit of intrigue with assassins and a good twist at the end regarding his final opponent, a twist I did not see coming. The author has told me that it is the basis for a longer work of fiction and I do think he has created the intriguing outlines of (I’m assuming) a novel. I would suggest that this world be fleshed out more. My questions/concerns:
• More details are needed regarding how this world was created and is maintained (the segregation of vampires below the earth and humans on the top side).
• Are some vampires free? Bassi’s wife was sentenced to a life of enslavement but what she supposedly did to earn this is not mentioned.
• How are captive/enslaved vampires controlled? Bassi seems to move quite freely about the area around/under/near the coliseums created for the Ablaze tournament.
• I thought it was odd that the vampires have brothels and clubs they are free to go to (do they pay? How do they get money?).
• Do all the vampires have a traditional family structure? Bassi has a wife and a child and seems to have a human-like devotion to them.
• When vampires have gods, I’m always suspicious. Bassi gets letters from his wife “praying for his survival.” What god is she praying to? I would expect not a human god. I could accept these vampires having their own religion and gods if it’s well thought-out, but I also view vampires as being supernatural beings who are beyond the reach/influence/gullibility of religion. If they are undead creatures, their very existence defies a supreme creator. At least, a human-inspired supreme creator.
Because the story is rather short and reads more as a detailed overview than a complete story, I cannot give a more detailed critique. However, the story does show promise because the main character is interesting and as a reader I’m rooting for him in the games, even if he’s basically killing people. The conclusion is hurried and without much detail, but again, I think that’s not a big deal because I don’t think the author meant to go into much detail in this form. It’s certainly a bit of a cliff-hanger ending and I wonder how Bassi’s plans will come to fruition. The writing is not poetic by any means, but it is technically well-done and keeps the plot flowing. The action is well-described in a blow-by-blow manner, but I think the different obstacles faced by the contestants will need more details because I couldn’t quite picture the course in my head (except to think it reminded me of Hunger Games, which is probably not what the author wants). I encourage Matthew Thompson to keep working on this because he has a good plot and an interesting main character with ethical dilemmas.
While the story does include flashbacks of Bassi’s earlier life and mentions his wife and child, it is primarily about his progress in the Ablaze Games. His motivation for risking his life is to gain his freedom and rejoin his wife and daughter and then (apparently) win their freedom. Bassi has a philosophical side and he poses the question: is he a monster (as he is called by humans) for willing to kill his own kind to obtain his freedom? Does wanting revenge on his master for all the terrible things he’s down to Bassi also make him a monster?
While Bassi is progressing in the games, there is a bit of intrigue with assassins and a good twist at the end regarding his final opponent, a twist I did not see coming. The author has told me that it is the basis for a longer work of fiction and I do think he has created the intriguing outlines of (I’m assuming) a novel. I would suggest that this world be fleshed out more. My questions/concerns:
• More details are needed regarding how this world was created and is maintained (the segregation of vampires below the earth and humans on the top side).
• Are some vampires free? Bassi’s wife was sentenced to a life of enslavement but what she supposedly did to earn this is not mentioned.
• How are captive/enslaved vampires controlled? Bassi seems to move quite freely about the area around/under/near the coliseums created for the Ablaze tournament.
• I thought it was odd that the vampires have brothels and clubs they are free to go to (do they pay? How do they get money?).
• Do all the vampires have a traditional family structure? Bassi has a wife and a child and seems to have a human-like devotion to them.
• When vampires have gods, I’m always suspicious. Bassi gets letters from his wife “praying for his survival.” What god is she praying to? I would expect not a human god. I could accept these vampires having their own religion and gods if it’s well thought-out, but I also view vampires as being supernatural beings who are beyond the reach/influence/gullibility of religion. If they are undead creatures, their very existence defies a supreme creator. At least, a human-inspired supreme creator.
Because the story is rather short and reads more as a detailed overview than a complete story, I cannot give a more detailed critique. However, the story does show promise because the main character is interesting and as a reader I’m rooting for him in the games, even if he’s basically killing people. The conclusion is hurried and without much detail, but again, I think that’s not a big deal because I don’t think the author meant to go into much detail in this form. It’s certainly a bit of a cliff-hanger ending and I wonder how Bassi’s plans will come to fruition. The writing is not poetic by any means, but it is technically well-done and keeps the plot flowing. The action is well-described in a blow-by-blow manner, but I think the different obstacles faced by the contestants will need more details because I couldn’t quite picture the course in my head (except to think it reminded me of Hunger Games, which is probably not what the author wants). I encourage Matthew Thompson to keep working on this because he has a good plot and an interesting main character with ethical dilemmas.
September 7, 2017
***********ARC FROM AUTHOR***********
A paranormal dystopian short story.
I could see some similarities to the Hunger Games trio but not enough to think anything other than it helped inspire the author.
This can be read in about an hour, you just kinda get sucked in and the next thing you know you've reached the end.
I do wish there had been more detailed descriptions of the surroundings to help build this world up for my imagination, but I'm hoping with how this ended that there will be more short stories coming to develop the world in.
I look forward to seeing how future stories in the series (fingers crossed) develop.
A paranormal dystopian short story.
I could see some similarities to the Hunger Games trio but not enough to think anything other than it helped inspire the author.
This can be read in about an hour, you just kinda get sucked in and the next thing you know you've reached the end.
I do wish there had been more detailed descriptions of the surroundings to help build this world up for my imagination, but I'm hoping with how this ended that there will be more short stories coming to develop the world in.
I look forward to seeing how future stories in the series (fingers crossed) develop.
June 1, 2019
So much potential!
Imagine a world where vampires are not only commonplace, but they have been enslaved by humanity. Forced to live underground and work unmentioned thankless jobs for eternity, they are also fed donated blood which keeps them alive, but devoid of the pleasures of savoring blood from the source.
But vampires do have a small edge. Any human that is unfortunate enough to be turned becomes enslaved as well. And enslavement is no walk in the park. Rape, humiliation and an insanely restrictive life where being chained up and muzzled like an animal in exchange for the privacy to bathe without human watcher armed with deadly UV guns watching their every movements grants us a glimpse into the miserable life of Matias.
And he has his heart set in the right place to compete in the annual Ablaze tournament, a sort of Hunger Games panacea of violence and victory where vampires voluntarily sign up (the story doesn't specify how but it probably involves spend money or some kind of favor from their human masters). Contestants get a combat nickname, are assigned one of 8 different arenas located in the surface during broad daylight and rely on trapdoors and an assortment of other puzzles that could either opening doors to stay in the shadows, or becomes engulfed in flames of deathly sun rays. To make things more interesting, contestants are issued their own UV guns and can lure other vampires to their deaths for extra points.
They must get 1 challenge to unlock the escape elevator before the arenas become flushed with sunlight, ensuring their deaths. Killing vampires along the way grants extra points, which are critical to reach the final round and potentially win their freedom.
Matias has his heart set in the right place, and wants to be free in order to liberate his wife Sara and his infant daughter Jade. He doesn't harbor any ill feelings for the other vampires, and only wishes to defeat them honorably. But other contestants are not as decent, and he must be leery of assassins and tricksters during the freebie resting days in the cavernous prison.
The instant I read the book, the story got me hooked. Matthew has a really good knack for creating fascinating characters and worlds that suck you in (literally). In that sense, I could instantly view a movie version of this story to be a huge crowd draw. Who wouldn't want a new Hunger Games featuring enslaved vampires? W00t W00t!
And I love the relationships Matias forms along the ways with his competitors. If there was anything that detracted me from giving the full 5 stars was because some parts of the writing were confusing and I needed to read them twice. Descriptions of the individual arenas with different themes were sorely missed and it felt like the book was more of a rush to the conclusion without fully enjoying the ride.
I really believe the story could have been turned into a novella, there was more than enough backstory to do this and I would have literally devoured it. Despite the flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and believe the author should seriously consider a full-fledged novella. Dystopian paranormal book lovers would be thrilled to read this!
Imagine a world where vampires are not only commonplace, but they have been enslaved by humanity. Forced to live underground and work unmentioned thankless jobs for eternity, they are also fed donated blood which keeps them alive, but devoid of the pleasures of savoring blood from the source.
But vampires do have a small edge. Any human that is unfortunate enough to be turned becomes enslaved as well. And enslavement is no walk in the park. Rape, humiliation and an insanely restrictive life where being chained up and muzzled like an animal in exchange for the privacy to bathe without human watcher armed with deadly UV guns watching their every movements grants us a glimpse into the miserable life of Matias.
And he has his heart set in the right place to compete in the annual Ablaze tournament, a sort of Hunger Games panacea of violence and victory where vampires voluntarily sign up (the story doesn't specify how but it probably involves spend money or some kind of favor from their human masters). Contestants get a combat nickname, are assigned one of 8 different arenas located in the surface during broad daylight and rely on trapdoors and an assortment of other puzzles that could either opening doors to stay in the shadows, or becomes engulfed in flames of deathly sun rays. To make things more interesting, contestants are issued their own UV guns and can lure other vampires to their deaths for extra points.
They must get 1 challenge to unlock the escape elevator before the arenas become flushed with sunlight, ensuring their deaths. Killing vampires along the way grants extra points, which are critical to reach the final round and potentially win their freedom.
Matias has his heart set in the right place, and wants to be free in order to liberate his wife Sara and his infant daughter Jade. He doesn't harbor any ill feelings for the other vampires, and only wishes to defeat them honorably. But other contestants are not as decent, and he must be leery of assassins and tricksters during the freebie resting days in the cavernous prison.
The instant I read the book, the story got me hooked. Matthew has a really good knack for creating fascinating characters and worlds that suck you in (literally). In that sense, I could instantly view a movie version of this story to be a huge crowd draw. Who wouldn't want a new Hunger Games featuring enslaved vampires? W00t W00t!
And I love the relationships Matias forms along the ways with his competitors. If there was anything that detracted me from giving the full 5 stars was because some parts of the writing were confusing and I needed to read them twice. Descriptions of the individual arenas with different themes were sorely missed and it felt like the book was more of a rush to the conclusion without fully enjoying the ride.
I really believe the story could have been turned into a novella, there was more than enough backstory to do this and I would have literally devoured it. Despite the flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and believe the author should seriously consider a full-fledged novella. Dystopian paranormal book lovers would be thrilled to read this!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews