Robert Devereaux is undoubtedly one of the most talented and versatile horror writers in the game. From the bizarre to the scary and from the commonplace to the cerebral, his prose drips with intelligence and his narratives always pack a deep, dark cosmos that readers can gain access to via careful reading. In “Walking Wounded,” Devereaux’s latest release with Deadite Press, the author is once again in fine form and the novel, originally published in 1996, is as crisp and tantalizing as ever.
“Walking Wounded” tells the story of Katt Galloway, a woman who discovers she has the ability to heal people by the laying on of her hands. A supernatural gift that could mean a lot of healing turns into exactly the opposite when Katt learns that her husband, Marcus, is cheating on her. It turns out that Katt also possesses the ability to accelerate illnesses and her hands apply their power to Marcus’ Huntington’s disease. Meanwhile, Katt locates his her husband’s mistress, Sherry, on an Internet sex message board and, after some titillating chats, decides to meet with her.
What could have simply been a sick, sexy story about the perfect murder, in the very capable hands of Devereaux turns into a masterful narrative about the deathly maelstrom of destruction that can be created by human emotions. Katt has a mother that hovers above her like a helicopter ready to shoot at the slightest hint of a divorce (the D-thing) and a son that, as soon as Marcus dies, turns into a nuisance, a perpetually present vehicle for Marcus’ ghost to ascertain his presence. While Katt fights with the devastating effects of guilt, Devereaux throws into the mix a blossoming relationship between her and Sherry and a “slip” of Katt’s hands that puts her son in a very precarious position. Waiting and debating with herself constantly, Katt falls into the perfect state of agitated stagnation.
“Walking Wounded” is a tale of lovelessness, of a couple grown horrendously distant and of how we can convince ourselves that anything is right if the circumstances are bad enough. While on the surface the book strays a bit from the usual gore present in Deadite titles, the story offers a few monsters that are as scary, if nor more so, than any other: a scorned woman with lethal powers, a disease that waits inside your brain like a predator waiting to leap into action, the weight of infidelity on the flesh, a crazed killer with a drill, a specter hiding in the eyes of a loved one and the aches of an incipient love that’s been tainted by unfaithfulness, resentment and death.
All of the above come to life brilliantly due to Devereaux’s writing chops, which make even the mundane take on a dark, poetic hue: “She’d last a long time and her heady screams would pierce the woods like thin silver wires shot from her mouth at odd angles.” The author even manages to use Katt’s as a silent but active character that seems to react to her feelings.
If you’re craving a cerebral, entertaining and well-written story of darkness, death and redemption, pick up a copy right now.
– Gabino Iglesias
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
