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Formats
Kindle Edition eBooks Details
  • 08/2017
  • 1548322679 B074FX5N58
  • 521 pages
  • $2.99
Arjay Lewis
Author
The Muse: A novel of unrelenting terror
Arjay Lewis, author
Famed novelist Jack Court has a secret: the wealthy writer is a serial killer. He has another hidden treasure, a small antediluvian creature that dwells within him and gives him youth, strength and a superhuman ability to avoid capture. On his trail is Sheriff Neil Trajan, who is certain Court murdered his wife three years earlier. \tWhen the author is hit by a careless driver, the creature leaves him and through a series of events, ends up with lowly writer, Harold Godwine. Godwine begins to write faster and better, but is troubled by dreams of blood. \tHowever, Jack is healing— and devolving into something not quite human. As Court seeks the young author, he leaves a trail of destruction, pursued by Trajan and his FBI associate, Bill Morris. \tWill Jack Court do anything to retrieve the companion that inspires his dark desires?
Plot/Idea: 7 out of 10
Originality: 8 out of 10
Prose: 6 out of 10
Character/Execution: 7 out of 10
Overall: 7.00 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot: Lewis’s novel is pulpy but entertaining. It presents its story from the viewpoints of several characters, and the alternation between them in numerous short chapters gives events in the novel a momentum that readers will find hard to resist.

Prose: Lewis’s prose is workmanlike and suited to the task of telling his story. It’s not particularly memorable, but it allows the weird events of the novel to stand on their own.

Originality: There are a number of horror novels that explore the idea of creative inspiration and where it originates. Lewis’s idea of a symbiotic entity that endows its horror writer hosts with creativity is original.

Character Development: Given that a basic premise of this novel, the characters don’t so much develop as show altered behavior, of which they’re often unaware. The most interesting and emotionally complex character is Sheriff Neil Trajan, who engages reader sympathy through his determination to prove the identity of his wife’s murderer.

Date Submitted: August 28, 2017

Reviews
Horror Novel Reviews; www.horrornovelreviews.com

The Muse, by Arjay Lewis, is a demented thriller about following your passions to the depths of depravity, as innocence and corruptness slowly waltz beyond the cracks within reality.

Sheriff Neil Trajan had recently lost his wife, Sandy, to a monstrous serial killer, whom he believes to be the famous horror author, Jack Court. Driven by vengeance, he will stop at nothing until he finally puts Court down. Harry Godwine is a professor of English and History and failing writer, whose son is incredibly ill. One day, Harry suddenly finds the inspiration to write a terrifying horror novel, one that mirrors Court’s writing style with an almost eerie perfection. And finally, there is the author himself, who possesses a dark creature that allows him to write and indulge in his violent passions. All three men are in a race against time as they continue to track a dark creature, one that could drag out demons from a person’s mind, and turn any artist into a deranged monster enslaved to their own, malevolent muse.

I loved these characters. I could feel Neil’s intensity when he tried to find his wife’s killer, how obsessive he felt when he realized that he was right. He was driven, and although he gets reckless at times, he knows full well that he has to rely on others. His devotion to his wife is similar to that of Harry’s to his family. Harry wanted to be a writer for a long time, but even so, he’d rather give up the dream than allow them to suffer. It was so refreshing to see people who have such a strong sense of morality. Throughout the many books I’ve read, many protagonists simply fall victim to their demise, simply because they refuse to give up their pride, or greed, or any other anchor that happily drags them to their death. My admiration for them contrasted sharply to Jack Court, who fell in love with the dark, macabre world of crimson. Jack lusted for it, to the point where he would kill others to feed his obsession. It was like I was watching a parasite feed off the living, like a demonic entity who enjoyed tormenting its victims.

This leads me to the muse itself. More so than Jack, the creature truly was a thing of the dark, drawing from the blackest depths of humanity. It was a monster that was truly beyond our understanding, a twisted nightmare that can fashion a demented fairytale from even the most innocence of stories. It’s only through Tim that the muse is restrained. It’s ironic in that sense, that one child could take control of such a horrific darkness, one not even adults could conquer. It was an aspect of the book that was extremely well done.

One of the overarching concepts in the story was being haunted by the past. Neil was haunted by his wife’s death, and would do anything to bring the killer to justice. Whenever the sheriff went into Jack’s basement, it was as if I could feel his victims watching him, watching me. I was honestly scared to turn the page, simply because I didn’t know if they would surprise me with their damnable fate. I can’t help but think about the victims’ photos as well, how their ghosts felt when they realized they might as well have been forgotten, another name in a list of missing people. The fact that Lewis keeps these victims close by, all the while showing me just what Harry could become, was stunning.

Because of this, I would give this book a rating of a 5 out of 5 stars. I loved the characters, and how they added to the gothic feel of this story. The Muse was extraordinarily well done, alongside the victims. As such, I would recommend this to fans of Frozen Statues, Perdition Games by L.E. Fraser, and The Skin Room by Morgan Fleetwood.

Readers Favorite

BOOK REVIEW Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

The Muse: A Novel of Unrelenting Terror by Arjay Lewis is the story a very famous and enigmatic writer named Jack Court. He is wealthy, young and handsome on top of being successful. But all of this comes at a price. Jack has a sinister secret. Sure, he is very talented; however, that does not mean he did not get any help. He has a small yet menacing creature living inside him that demands Jack shed blood for his talent and his fame. This is a price that Jack gladly pays by becoming a serial killer, but things are about to change in his life. When he is in an accident because of a reckless driver, the creature leaves Jack and finds refuge in an unsuspecting writer named Harold Godwine. Harold has no idea why all of a sudden he is writing better and neither does he know why he is having intense dreams of blood and bloodshed. He is perplexed, yet he has no idea how to stop them. Now Jack is on Harold’s trail to get his creature back, but it is not that easy anymore. He is losing his humanity and an FBI agent is after him. What can Jack do now? Will he ever get his creature back? Oh boy, this is one intense and wildly entertaining novel. Just saying that I enjoyed this novel would not be enough. I loved, loved, loved the way Arjay Lewis took hold of the story and took it to great heights. The novel is fast paced, engaging and simply too amazing to put into words. I loved and hated Jack, his development was on point. The suspense was killing me, but it was exciting and I didn’t want the story to end. The Muse is truly an amazing novel. I wish I could forget it and read it again for the very first time! Intense, demanding and really good!

News
08/14/2017
Number One on Amazon for Horror/Occult

THE MUSE hit Number 1 on the Amazon Kindle ebook List for Horror/Occult on August 14th.

Formats
Kindle Edition eBooks Details
  • 08/2017
  • 1548322679 B074FX5N58
  • 521 pages
  • $2.99
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