Sacred Prey

Rating:
Summary: A Real Page Turner
Review: Believe it or not, I discovered Vivian Schilling through the SciFi show 'Mystery Science Theatre 3000'. One of her screenplays, 'Soul Taker', was made into a movie in 1991. Needless to say, MST3K tore it to bits, but I could see a lot of potential and talent in Schilling, who stars in the movie as the main character. The storyline was a little goofy, but I thought she was a pretty decent actress. So I went to the search engines to discover Vivian Schilling.

Then I bought 'Sacred Prey'. I was pleasantly surprised, as I found the novel to be fairly well-written, with the plot (a psychological and ethical thriller) to be excellent.

I will definitely be buying her new book (out yesterday 22 Jan 2002), 'Quietus'.

Rating:
Summary: A Real Page Turner
Review: I have read a lot of books, but this is the first that I have not been able to put down until I finished it. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A fast, unique and thrilling read!
Review: I ordered Sacred Prey after reading Schilling's second novel, Quietus. I was expecting another book like Quietus, and was quite surprised how different Sacred Prey turned out to be. While equally unique and riveting, Sacred Prey is clearly Schilling's first novel. Her prose are not on the same polished level as Quietus, but her story-telling ability is strong none-the-less. After I stopped expecting Quietus and approached the book with an open mind, I found myself once again taken in by Schilling's adept story-telling and insight into the human condition. Schilling writes so vividly that the characters begin living and breathing in your every waking hour. Sacred Prey is a very fast read that is great for a weekend trip. In it, you will see the masterful author that emerges so beautifully in Quietus. I can't wait to see what Schilling does with her next novel! I am now a devoted reader!

Rating:
Summary: A fast, unique and thrilling read!
Review: I ordered Sacred Prey after reading Schilling's second novel, Quietus. I was expecting another book like Quietus, and was quite surprised how different Sacred Prey turned out to be. While equally unique and riveting, Sacred Prey is clearly Schilling's first novel. Her prose are not on the same polished level as Quietus, but her story-telling ability is strong none-the-less. After I stopped expecting Quietus and approached the book with an open mind, I found myself once again taken in by Schilling's adept story-telling and insight into the human condition. Schilling writes so vividly that the characters begin living and breathing in your every waking hour. Sacred Prey is a very fast read that is great for a weekend trip. In it, you will see the masterful author that emerges so beautifully in Quietus. I can't wait to see what Schilling does with her next novel! I am now a devoted reader!

Rating:
Summary: REPLAY IS SOMETIMES THE ONLY WAY TO REDEMPTION...
Review: This is a novel with an intriguing premise. It details the story of a wealthy, prominent business man, Adam Claiborne, who has a loan sharking sideline for which he is the brains and his brother, Kyle, is the brawn. Adam shells out cash to those unfortunates who are unable to secure a loan through more legitimate means. Kyle is the collector who enforces a draconian repayment plan.

Adam is also an unhappily married family man and a devout Catholic, who routinely gets absolution from his parish priest for his inevitable sins, including murder, in connection with his thriving loan sharking operation. When his regular parish priest becomes unavailable, a new priest refuses to follow suit, until Adam has had an opportunity to walk in the shoes of his victims.

Adam awakens the next morning only to find himself in the body of Charlie Sinclair, one of three victims he had just killed two days before. He soon realizes that time has been rolled back three days, time in which he must find a way to forestall the events that he knows lie ahead. As he relives the experiences of Charlie Sinclair, his old self, Adam, is also reliving the events.

The plot, while intriguing, fails to answer an important question. If Adam is now in Charlie's body, who the heck is in Adam's body? It is ostensibly Adam, but how can he be in two bodies at once? There is also some confusion on the issue of the timing. The murders in question happened on the night before Adam went to confession. He goes to bed and the next day is Sunday, only he discovers as Charlie that it is again Thursday, claiming that it is three days before his murder. This timeline is simply not possible and representative of very poor editing. Moreover, while the plot is a compelling one, it suffers due the inartfulness of the author's prose, which is pedestrian and third rate.

Still, notwithstanding the stilted prose, identity confusion, and timeline issues, the book is inventive and a moderately suspenseful read. Do yourself a favor, however, and borrow if from the library, rather than buy it.