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Feast
Deputy Sheriff Nick Ambrose can look into someone's eyes and glimpse their guilt, to an extent. But when he and his brother take on a psychopathic killer, he gains something more: the ability to see, and devour, souls. Plagued by this terrifying new power, and by the spirits of both his brother and the butcher trapped inside his mind, he sets out to understand and control his new fate and to grapple with the shadowy auras he now sees all around.
R. Scott McCoy's classic tale of horror confronted, within ourselves as well as the evils we face, takes Nick Ambrose and the reader on an action-packed and spine-tingling journey, leading a once-quiet man onto a tightrope of dark and light, where every move may threaten the very lives of friends and strangers-or tip his own soul into the abyss. Can he command the darkness welling within, or will he become merely its vessel?
R. Scott McCoy's classic tale of horror confronted, within ourselves as well as the evils we face, takes Nick Ambrose and the reader on an action-packed and spine-tingling journey, leading a once-quiet man onto a tightrope of dark and light, where every move may threaten the very lives of friends and strangers-or tip his own soul into the abyss. Can he command the darkness welling within, or will he become merely its vessel?
- GenresHorror
162 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2009
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 17, 2009
FEAST follows Nick Ambrose, a police officer who is investigating the disappearance of several women in his district. While on patrol, he is joined by his older brother, also a cop from the city. Catching a break in the investigation, the Ambrose brothers raid the house of the suspected psychopath. Things turn sour, and after experiencing the horror of the house, Nick gains astonishing powers...but at a price.
I'd heard a lot about FEAST, especially on the Shroud/Necrotic Tissue circuit. We know that McCoy edits one hell of a magazine and his short fiction has appeared in some reputable publications...but does his longer fiction stand up to scrutiny?
FEAST is a novella coming in at around 150 pages. I devoured FEAST (obvious pun) over a couple of hours, with a break inbetween for shopping, because the family needed to eat, literally.
It's an engrossing read. Here's why.
For one, McCoy is a very sensitive writer. The book contains all the elements you'd expect in a horror novel (especially with the earlier scenes involving the serial killer Dr Reid. A great nasty character this one, and reminded me of an occult Dennis Nielson), but quite a few genres are all mixed excellently, but with such gentleness. Nick Ambrose is a very sympathetic hero; a cop who finds his life turned upside down, and has to deal with his new found powers, his destroyed life and, perhaps the most powerful, his guilt for his actions.
See, Nick now has the ability to suck the souls from people, and while he does this to save his own life and to kill bad guys, he still has an overwhelming guilt. As he thinks to himself, he's a cop, not jury and executioner. Also to contend with are the conflicting yin-yang of the souls trapped within his own mind: his brother Pete, and the Killer, Dr Reid. These two play a brilliant pair, like a devil and angel sitting on Nick's shoulders. While Pete wants the best for his brother, Reid wants to use him, and utilises as much trickery as possible. Nick's relationship with his brother is also poignant, reminding me of the relationship between the brothers in the Phantasm series (before Jodie turned evil. Damn you, Jodie!).
If anything, this is a dark superhero story, akin to the painful coming of age of such characters as Batman and Spiderman. You have leaping through buildings. You have goons being thrown across rooms. You have Wolverine-esque healing powers...but you also get the hero looking around at the carnage and hating himself.
There's a few little niggles that bothered me, particularly in the earlier chapters. The reader is given information about Nick and Pete, which is clearly an attempt for characterisation. My problem was that this was a bit tell over show, and some anecdotes (such as how 'a shitload' is quantified at 14), while entertaining enough, did not really add to the story and snagged the pace. By editing this down a bit, the book would have a snappier, full on action opening. I feel we learn what we need to about the characters throughout this book in a very natural way. A minor grumble.
Did I mention there's three devilish bad guys to be dispatched in this one? And a love story. Kung Fu. Lots of guns. It has enough action to entertain the boys with the sentiment enough for the most lovely of ladies. Sorry if that sounds sexist, etc, but you know what I mean. It has universal appeal. I'll repeat myself. FEAST is a novella coming in at around 150 pages. And it's $8. This really is a no brainer purchase that I highly recommend.
A superb introduction to a haunted, likeable character. I know the sequel is in the works. I just hope it is novel length with a heavy does of whodunnit? as Nick Ambrose brings forth his own gut-wrenching form of justice.
I'd heard a lot about FEAST, especially on the Shroud/Necrotic Tissue circuit. We know that McCoy edits one hell of a magazine and his short fiction has appeared in some reputable publications...but does his longer fiction stand up to scrutiny?
FEAST is a novella coming in at around 150 pages. I devoured FEAST (obvious pun) over a couple of hours, with a break inbetween for shopping, because the family needed to eat, literally.
It's an engrossing read. Here's why.
For one, McCoy is a very sensitive writer. The book contains all the elements you'd expect in a horror novel (especially with the earlier scenes involving the serial killer Dr Reid. A great nasty character this one, and reminded me of an occult Dennis Nielson), but quite a few genres are all mixed excellently, but with such gentleness. Nick Ambrose is a very sympathetic hero; a cop who finds his life turned upside down, and has to deal with his new found powers, his destroyed life and, perhaps the most powerful, his guilt for his actions.
See, Nick now has the ability to suck the souls from people, and while he does this to save his own life and to kill bad guys, he still has an overwhelming guilt. As he thinks to himself, he's a cop, not jury and executioner. Also to contend with are the conflicting yin-yang of the souls trapped within his own mind: his brother Pete, and the Killer, Dr Reid. These two play a brilliant pair, like a devil and angel sitting on Nick's shoulders. While Pete wants the best for his brother, Reid wants to use him, and utilises as much trickery as possible. Nick's relationship with his brother is also poignant, reminding me of the relationship between the brothers in the Phantasm series (before Jodie turned evil. Damn you, Jodie!).
If anything, this is a dark superhero story, akin to the painful coming of age of such characters as Batman and Spiderman. You have leaping through buildings. You have goons being thrown across rooms. You have Wolverine-esque healing powers...but you also get the hero looking around at the carnage and hating himself.
There's a few little niggles that bothered me, particularly in the earlier chapters. The reader is given information about Nick and Pete, which is clearly an attempt for characterisation. My problem was that this was a bit tell over show, and some anecdotes (such as how 'a shitload' is quantified at 14), while entertaining enough, did not really add to the story and snagged the pace. By editing this down a bit, the book would have a snappier, full on action opening. I feel we learn what we need to about the characters throughout this book in a very natural way. A minor grumble.
Did I mention there's three devilish bad guys to be dispatched in this one? And a love story. Kung Fu. Lots of guns. It has enough action to entertain the boys with the sentiment enough for the most lovely of ladies. Sorry if that sounds sexist, etc, but you know what I mean. It has universal appeal. I'll repeat myself. FEAST is a novella coming in at around 150 pages. And it's $8. This really is a no brainer purchase that I highly recommend.
A superb introduction to a haunted, likeable character. I know the sequel is in the works. I just hope it is novel length with a heavy does of whodunnit? as Nick Ambrose brings forth his own gut-wrenching form of justice.
July 14, 2010
I was quite excited when FEAST, a slim little slice of morbidity from R. Scott McCoy, arrived at my doorstep. Mr. McCoy is, along with his career as a writer, the publisher and editor of NECROTIC TISSUE MAGAZINE, a former e-zine which will soon be publishing its first print issue. This is a man who sees literally thousands of manuscripts come across his desk monthly. One would think he possesses a pretty decent grasp of what people in general like to read.
With Feast, Mr. McCoy proves the truth in this assumption.
Feast is the story of Nick Ambrose, deputy sheriff of Santa Cruz, California. He is a man of duty and honor, who also has the innate ability to read a person’s guilt. His brother, Pete, is also a police officer, and at the beginning of the story we find the two of them together, driving through rural California to investigate the dwelling of a man named Donald P. Reid, who is suspect of being involved in a series of kidnappings.
This is the start of the tale, and it takes no time at all before the action starts. Events turn interesting very quickly. By the time the third chapter rolls around, Nick is left to deal with newfound abilities (and their consequences) that he would have never imagined, even in his wildest dreams. He proceeds to stumble into San Francisco, presumed dead by his peers, armed with power he doesn’t understand and a head that now has not one resident but three, in search of a childhood friend, who to him is the only one who can help him.
I will not go into detail about the rest of the book, because that will only lessen your enjoyment of the read. There are twists and turns and conflict with the purest of evils, which is man’s inherent greed. Nick of course triumphs, but there is no doubt that, by the time the end of the book rolls around, that he will face obstacles on his road ahead, and most of them will prove to be horrible, indeed.
Feast incorporates themes and contrivances that are common in both horror and fantasy, such as the swallowing of souls and the ability to read the auras of individuals as if were were visible lifelines. Though the tools are common, I found the execution to be original and inspiring. Instead of the plot driving the characters, in this tale we have Nick, the protagonist, moving the story along. He acts with confidence (even through his inner uncertainty) and uses his own personal torment to come to grips with the way his situation, and his future, have changed. This is a nice change of pace from the usual, where the outside elements – the ghosts and ghouls who populate the story – dictate where the path leads.
This is not a deep book; the characters, while flawed, are inherently simple. There is nary a philosophical waxing to be seen. And this is not an insult. The book is what it is; a story of character development and action, where each page brings a new trial and a new set of obstacles to overcome. This makes the story read quite quickly, and there is a lot of charm in its straightforwardness. Can you tell I enjoyed it?The only complaint that I have about FEAST is its length. At 155 pages, it reads as the first few chapters of a much larger work. The end leaves you thirsting for more, bad pun intended. I wished there were more story there, as by the time I finished I felt the story had really picked up steam and then left me hanging. I realize that this is a function of small press, where the shorter (and cheaper to produce) is the better, but it still was a bit frustrating. Here’s hoping, from this reader’s perspective, that there are more tales of Nick Ambrose on the way.
With Feast, Mr. McCoy proves the truth in this assumption.
Feast is the story of Nick Ambrose, deputy sheriff of Santa Cruz, California. He is a man of duty and honor, who also has the innate ability to read a person’s guilt. His brother, Pete, is also a police officer, and at the beginning of the story we find the two of them together, driving through rural California to investigate the dwelling of a man named Donald P. Reid, who is suspect of being involved in a series of kidnappings.
This is the start of the tale, and it takes no time at all before the action starts. Events turn interesting very quickly. By the time the third chapter rolls around, Nick is left to deal with newfound abilities (and their consequences) that he would have never imagined, even in his wildest dreams. He proceeds to stumble into San Francisco, presumed dead by his peers, armed with power he doesn’t understand and a head that now has not one resident but three, in search of a childhood friend, who to him is the only one who can help him.
I will not go into detail about the rest of the book, because that will only lessen your enjoyment of the read. There are twists and turns and conflict with the purest of evils, which is man’s inherent greed. Nick of course triumphs, but there is no doubt that, by the time the end of the book rolls around, that he will face obstacles on his road ahead, and most of them will prove to be horrible, indeed.
Feast incorporates themes and contrivances that are common in both horror and fantasy, such as the swallowing of souls and the ability to read the auras of individuals as if were were visible lifelines. Though the tools are common, I found the execution to be original and inspiring. Instead of the plot driving the characters, in this tale we have Nick, the protagonist, moving the story along. He acts with confidence (even through his inner uncertainty) and uses his own personal torment to come to grips with the way his situation, and his future, have changed. This is a nice change of pace from the usual, where the outside elements – the ghosts and ghouls who populate the story – dictate where the path leads.
This is not a deep book; the characters, while flawed, are inherently simple. There is nary a philosophical waxing to be seen. And this is not an insult. The book is what it is; a story of character development and action, where each page brings a new trial and a new set of obstacles to overcome. This makes the story read quite quickly, and there is a lot of charm in its straightforwardness. Can you tell I enjoyed it?The only complaint that I have about FEAST is its length. At 155 pages, it reads as the first few chapters of a much larger work. The end leaves you thirsting for more, bad pun intended. I wished there were more story there, as by the time I finished I felt the story had really picked up steam and then left me hanging. I realize that this is a function of small press, where the shorter (and cheaper to produce) is the better, but it still was a bit frustrating. Here’s hoping, from this reader’s perspective, that there are more tales of Nick Ambrose on the way.
April 28, 2012
Why read Stephen King when I can read a horror novel written by someone I actually know? Feast is crisply written and fast-paced. It's effective and engaging without being quite so dark or penetrating as to leave me at risk for night terrors. I liked it.
July 16, 2010
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews