“Whargoul” is the debut novel from Dave Brockie, better known as Oderus Urungus, lead singer of the shock metal band GWAR and I have mixed feelings about it.
On one hand, it is written very well, especially considering the challenge Brockie set out for himself. Whargoul is an immortal and amoral creature who is forced to live through World War II and all the subsequent wars since, including a fictitious Race War in the United States. Brockie writes in the first person in a stream of consciousness style in random order. In that sense, he does a remarkable job. The reader is never lost in the chaos.
On the other hand, there isn’t really a lot of plot movement beyond the endless, extremely graphic depictions of war. Whargoul is killed many times, only to be reborn, even changing race and gender, and this does add some break to the monotony, but I found myself wishing there was more of a story to the Race War section.
This may very well be Brockie’s point, that war in endless and senseless, but I think that point is made in the first fifty pages.
It is a first novel, after all, and works well as an experiment. I would imagine Brockie will get better if he chooses to keep writing. Extreme horror fans will find it to their liking, though not quite up to par of his Deadite colleagues I have recently reviewed, Wrath James White and Edward Lee.
– George Wilhite
- 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
