Prototype

by Brian Hodge

Meeting an injured man in the hospital who warded off three attackers, Adrienne finds her life forever changed by Clay, a genetically engineered individual who has been programmed to be one of the most dangerous people on earth. Original.

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Fiction

386 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Brian Hodge, called “a writer of spectacularly unflinching gifts” by Peter Straub, is the award-winning author of ten novels of horror and crime/noir. He’s also written well over 100 short stories, novelettes, and novellas, and four full-length collections. His first collection, The Convulsion Factory, was ranked by critic Stanley Wiater as among the 113 best books of modern horror.

He lives in Colorado, where he also dabbles in music and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains in Krav Maga, grappling, and kickboxing, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.

Reviews

[Karl]

This hardcover edition is copy 110 of 200 printed copies signed by Brian Hodge.

The book was produced as book #3 of Delirium's Dark Essentials Series: Volume 4

[Benjamin Uminsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first foray into Brian Hodge's novel length fiction. I have always enjoyed his short stories and novellas, and was hoping that his prose style and dark weirdness would translate well and hold up over the length of a novel. At 427 pages, I was hoping this would not turn out to be a Stephen King-esque verbosity bloated carcass of a novel (actually at 427 pages, that it pretty slim for a King novel), nevertheless I braced myself for disappointment, setting my expectations pretty low.

First let me say... I think Hodge is a far better short fiction writer than a novelist and reading PROTOTYPE has re-enforced my belief of this. His short fiction is simply amazing, and if you haven't read any of his short stories, start off with any one of his short story collections... PICKING THE BONES, FALLING IDOLS, etc., none of them will disappoint.

With that said, PROTOTYPE was not a disappointment, and I actually enjoyed the lengthy development of plot and characters over the 427 pages. Certainly, there were a few areas that dragged and might have been snipped with out sacrificing any core themes or character development, but mercifully, these extemporaneous scenes were few and far between over the course of this excellent novel.

So why does this novel work so well? I think first and foremost, in a complete contrast to the King's, Koontz's, Saul's of the horror field, Hodge has a deeply rich and complex prose style that enables him to beautifully articulate highly complex emotions and intellectual explorations into very dark nihilistic themes such as suicide, alienation, rage against societal convention, etc.

For the plot shell, we have a very dark novel that dips into some sci-fi tropes such as eugenics. Our protagonist is one Clay Palmer, who has a unique genetic mutation (we learn later that it has been coined "Helverson's Syndrome") that triggers an intense and animal like rage (a bit akin to a werewolf) when faced with conflict. Hodge provides us with a several unique examples of the violence that ensues during one of these rage fugues... however, he wisely chooses not to dwell on this aspect nor soak this story in blood and gore. We get just enough so that it is clear how all consuming this rage can be, however, Hodge instead focuses his efforts in weaving a wonderfully complex character (in Clay) and takes us through Clay's psychological reactions as he tries to face down his inner demons.

While the plot is interesting enough as it meanders along an odyssey like adventure for Clay and his therapist, Adrienne, as they search for answers about his unique genetic mutation, the story becomes all the more compelling as we discover Clay and how he is trying to face down a chilling realization that there may be no way for him to be fixed.

One scene in particular that really drove home the nail was Hodge's exploration of genetic memory and the access of a collective consciousness through deep hypnotic therapy for Clay. Through Clay, we get Hodge's dark nihilistic musings on the state of mankind and society. Clay's ultimate realization when accessing his genetic memory is that his genetic mutation is not only purposeful but evolutionary in ushering mankind into its final oblivion.

Our novel is of course laced with these kinds of frightful recriminations, wonderfully delivered by Hodge with his lyrical prose style.

As most novels suffer from scenes that drag, PROTOTYPE also suffers from this flaw... but Hodge's wonderful writing style makes some of the uneven pacing all the more bearable, and in fact, at times enjoyable when the story takes a minor turn into the tangential musings of the author.

Highly recommended... but please try out Hodge's short fiction... you really don't want to miss out on that treat.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hodge is a good writer with some keen insights and dark sensibilities, but I like his books because he's been a good storyteller. Prototype is a book that's 90% philosophical, 10% plot, and I'll be honest -- it was a real chore getting to the end of this book.

Aside from it reading more like a treatise than a novel, the dialogue felt pretentious and forced, making his characters flat and uninteresting. Hodge populates his novel with a cast of characters who are on the fringe, who quote Nietzsche, subscribe to Jungian principles, and are an all-around insufferable lot. It was just hard to care about them or the story.

I read the ebook edition published by Crossroad Press, and was annoyed that the file didn't have a proper table of contents. There were chapters -- thirty-seven of them -- but the ebook was organized as one big one. I sometimes plan my reading time, so it's good to know how long a chapter might take to read, so it was an annoyance, but other readers might not care so much about it.

I reserve my one-star ratings for books that are offensive in some way, so I bumped this book up to two stars, but really, we're looking at a book I wouldn't recommend, even to fans of Hodge. He can do so much better than this.

[Mark Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as I know, this is the first full length novel from Brian Hodge I've read. I loved a short story of his in a multiple author collection of Lovecraft inspired stories, and that made me seek out one of his longer works, and this is the one I decided to try first.

I thought all of his characters were extremely well fleshed out, and had their own very distinct voice and point of view. One of the other reviews mentioned that they thought the ending was rushed, but for me it worked, and I feel that it actually fit well with the evolving mental state of one of the primary characters (and aspects of the ending were certainly foreshadowed from early on in the book.)

If you are looking for an even remotely "traditional" horror novel this is not it, in fact I'm not sure I would classify it as a horror novel at all, but where would you classify it? It's definitely "dark", but to me was primarily a (multiple) character study with an element of tragedy.

[David Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first full-length Hodge, and I was not disappointed. Not supernatural horror, but horror nonetheless. Call it genetic horror. Clay is hospitalized after beating his three muggers half to death and nearly destroying his hands in the process. There he meets the woman who will become his therapist. Believable plot, good character development, well-paced, very dark. It could have been trimmed here and there, but not much. Made me think a lot about the violence of which men are capable, and from what it arises. Definitely not a feel-good book, also not a gore-for-
its-own-sake sort of book. Its 450+ pages slip by very quickly. I don't give 5 stars easily, but it's a good solid 4.

[Brett Grossmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pointless head scratcher. One of those books where every character has the same nihilist voice. The characters are fully formed till they open their mouth. Then a bunch of stuff tumbles out of their mouth. The same writer driven negative view point. Who quotes Nietzsche? Only writers. It sounds silly . All writers should stop it. No one talks this way in real life

[Emily K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the time Prototype hits the shelves the 90's are in full swing. The slasher gold rush of the 1980s has saturated the movie market leading that subgenre to peter out. Scream hasn't yet re-ignited the slasher with a healthy dose of self-reflexivity, but a similar impulse drives Prototype: take the slasher form and mutate its basic makeup. Instead of showing a remorseless killer on a spree, we get an exploration of a slasher villain coming to grips with the knowledge of his genetic predisposition towards violence. Hodge's prose is chewy - compared to speed with which King's prose allows one to read, Hodge prefers to slow things down with almost impressionistic details of our characters inner workings. Clay, Adrienne, Sarah and (it wouldn't be the 90's without a character named) Valentine are fully fleshed out, as are the supporting characters. Prototype oozes Gen X attitude up to the very last page. Throughout we get: A crucial mention of Jack Kevorkian, a character named Twitch who plays Godflesh during his DJ sets, art made from dolls, psychiatry and shamanism, cassette tapes, sarcasm, bisexuals!!! Ending in a state home in Worcester, Massachusetts felt like such a specific detail and location that makes me really appreciate Hodge as a storyteller, sure, everyone knows Boston, but let's let thing wind up in the Paris of the 80's. That touched my icy lil New England heart, kid. I appreciate how of their time these Dell paperbacks feel. I can't wait to read more.

[Darren Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too meandering and pretentious. Lots of psychology and spinning of wheels

[Chris Berko · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Stars for the beginning and the writing style, 3 stars for the poorly executed rushed ending, for a solid 4 star read.

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clay Palmer is a man with a rare genetic mutation that may be affecting his ability to control his anger. When three youths attempt to rob him he beats them so severely all three end up in hospital and his hands are smashed. Whilst recovering he meets a psychologist who takes an interest in his case uncovering the mutation in his genes and commencing a shared journey.

Good story, well fleshed out characters and found the ending was quite suitable for the tone of story.