50. The Slave Tree
by Alan Peter Ryan
About the Book:
"Cemetery Dance Publications is proud to announce the World's First Edition of The Slave Tree by Alan Peter Ryan, a well-crafted tale of Amazon horror that harkens back to classic tales of literature such as Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad while being firmly rooted in the modern language of suspense.
Steeped deep in the culture of Brazil, The Slave Tree takes the reader on a journey unlike any they have ever experienced. The beauty of the lush tropical landscapes is exceptionally juxtaposed with blood-chilling shocks and terror.
This chilling final novel by Alan Peter Ryan is an absolute must-read and must-own for horror lovers, and a true tribute to his legacy."
My Thoughts:
Okay, it says that the cover is by Desert Isle Design. That's all well and good, but there is a person behind this cover. Give me a name. Someone worked on this. Or a bunch of someones worked on this. Name the humans at Desert Isle Design who worked so hard on this please.
Great cover for the story. Nice design idea.
Also, this book has very satisfying, thick pages. I kept thinking I was turning too many and would have to frequently check the page numbers to make sure I wasn't skipping due to the thickness between my fingers.
As the press release states, Alan Peter Ryan has passed away and my condolences to his family. What a loss!
In regards to the story itself, fifty pages in, I was worried.
Even though the main character in the book was a travel writer/journalist/novelist, I wasn't appreciating the style choice of total immersion into the Brazilian culture. We were inundated with details -- so many details about the culture, climate, people, currency, deities, religions, jobs, trade, attractions, exports, nightlife, restaurants, drinks, flora, fauna, languages that it felt like I was reading an Ultimate Guidebook.
Also, Every Portuguese word was
italicized. And while I totally get the
character did
travel writing for a
living, I didn't want to
read the
italicized names of every
rock that
sprung up along the
road. And there were
hundreds of Portuguese words. Go grab your copy and count them. I'll wait. Actually, I won't.
Oh man! It was like being
told, "hey
stupid! this is a
foreign person/place/thing/belief/idea/thought and
you might not
pick up on that
fact unless we
italicize that
word for
you,
brainiac."
Not sure if the constant use of italics was the author's doing or an editor's suggestion, but it was irritating. Read above. It's irritating isn't it? Maybe it's some rule of English you have to do that. But, in this case, italics did a lot of damage right out of the gate in my reading pleasure.
So, after about 50 pages of this incessant red light/green light reading due to that jarring font choice, I looked him up on wiki just to get a feel about the guy. Although he did not live in Brazil at the time of writing, he did move there. And as the book progressed, I felt his true passion for a culture, country and people that drew him to make his home there. And the means justified the end.
I really liked this story. Mr. Ryan did a nice job in a unique way that rewards you with a fantástico pague. If by chance anyone reads this and gets hung up with that beginning groundwork, it really does augment the experience with fascinating information that makes the story as a whole so much richer.
And blot the italics out of your mind. But read the book. It's good.