Wesley Southard's The Betrayed REVIEWED.

I went into this one completely blind. Wesley Southard sent me a request to review the book and I obliged. Simple as that. I usually do some research on the author, read another review or two, see what I am getting myself into.

But not here. Perhaps because this is one of the busiest times of my life...I am getting married in a few days, working extra hours to pay for it, and still trying to maintain some level of workmanship to reading and reviewing. This book essentially showed up at my door and I cracked it open. I always prioritize reading new books by new authors as the review tends to hold a bit more leverage than it does when I'm reading something that came out in 1987.

Johnstone doesn't need anymore press. His ship sailed long ago. Writers like Southard absolutely do.

So, I read it blindly.

In context, I just came off reading The Amulet by A.R. Morlan, which was incredibly detailed and somewhat heavy read. I felt a bit drained by that book, and needed something a little more...fun?

In a completely messed up way, The Betrayed is exactly what I needed to happen. What a happy accident.

To call this book fun seems a bit perverse, seeing that it deals with themes that tend to poke at the tender spots. Children getting brutally murdered, parents commiting suicide, and the end of society as we know it are anything but fun themes for the average bear.

But I'll be damned if this book wasn't a blast. A pleasant, perfectly timed surprise.

Nothing happens here that's going to rewrite horror history, but that's not really what it's about. It's about balls to the wall, non-stop action, brutal gore sequences and a quick, engaging story that blazes right by.

A serviceably written, easy to digest gorefest is exactly what I needed to read. The Betrayed delivers exactly that, in spades.

Telling the story of an every-man, a pretty down on his luck guy, a factory working single father who also happens to be the "chosen one" to save the world from an onslaught of literal hell, it's 204 pages of constant B-horror bliss.

We get demons and devils and explosions and eviscerations and hyper-sexuality and body crushings and...you get my drift? It's fun as hell for the horror fan.

If you're looking for some "light" horror reading in the most fucked up way, Southard's debut novel is a great choice. There's some shortcomings to be expected from a first-time novelist, but I'm cool with it. Frankly, it reminds me of if-and-when I write my book...it'll read a lot like this. Cinematic in it's presentation, over the top in all the right places, I think fans of Laymon, Little and prime-time Koontz will enjoy this.

I give The Betrayed a recommendation with a few caveats: 1. Don't expect a groundbreaking exercise in literature. 2. Have a strong stomach and 3. You want a fun, brisk book that reads like a movie.

If that's you, grab a copy here.

I give it a 3.8 and come away from the book feeling like Wesley Southard is a writer for me to keep an eye out for.