by john boden With his most recent novella, Kristopher Triana offer us yet another wildly different story from his seemingly bottomless well of ideas. The Detained is the story of a high school reunion, kind of. It's set up reminded me of the 80's slasher film, Slaughter High, where a group of bullies are summoned to their alma mater under the pretense of a reunion but in reality it was just an way to get them in one place to be picked off. Triana takes that sort of device but as is his way, he skews it, violently. We have a handful of characters who endured high school together- the dope-peddling loser and the bookish nerd girl, both of whom have redeemed themselves and become successful opposites of what was expected of them. Also we have the snobby popular hot chick and the all-favored jock, they too finding themselves on the opposite end of their expectations in life. With them is the retired principal, who was only a gym teacher when they attended. Together they are trapped in a darkened gymnasium for a reason they can't quite figure out, until grisly and tragic clues start tor reveal themselves. Triana's novella is a fast and easy read. Full of tension and relatable characters. It's a ghost story with teeth and bruised knuckles. The Detained is the horror movie John Hughes always wanted to make but never had the balls to. It's honest and as open as a wound. It's also a helluva a lot of fun. Put on your party best and attend. The Detained is available from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing   FIVE MINUTES WITH AUTHOR TERENCE HANNUM
|
Archives
May 2023
|
RSS Feed
|
|