Horror Palace

“Pray for Darkness” is the fifth book by James Michael Rice and he doesn’t disappoint. His personal experience regarding the setting of the story is evident and it adds to the dimension in which he describes it. In addition, his choice of surroundings really contributes to the thrill of the story. Out of place and under-equipped, a group of friends take on an adventure they can’t handle.

Ben, Auggie and Cooper decide to go to one of the most dangerous places in the world, the Amazon. It has been referred to as the “Green Hell” by those who have been there before and with good reason. With such a vast section of the jungle that hasn’t been explored yet, the trio embraces the chance to make exciting memories. The vacation starts in the safety of a tour lodge, but it’s not long before they go in search of something a little more dangerous.

Unfortunately, fate has something else planned. With their guide, Ernesto, and two students they met at the lodge, Janie and Brooke, they charter a boat that is set to take them to a remote camp where safety cannot be guaranteed. All the while they are being watched by a mysterious group. Even though they each have a degree of fear, they use it as motivation to continue. It’s almost as if the fear is pointing them in the direction of true adventure.

The group that kept such a keen eye on the visitors turns out to be living corpses, but the trio only comes to terms with the danger when their boat disappears and the captain winds up dead. This is also when their “adventure” really begins.

Given the exotic location, it’s the perfect place to implement a zombie origin story. While the characters, especially Ben, focus on the dangers that are hidden in the jungle, it’s the unexpected threats that place them in danger. An aspect I really liked about the book is the tiny ironies that play out. For example, Ben is very excited about documenting the trip. He is intent on remembering as much as possible is great and the author makes a point to show this to the reader. In the end it turns out to be a journey Ben would most likely want to forget.

Another great aspect of the book speaks through the death of the characters. Typically, it’s easy to spot who will most likely survive, but in this case there are many surprises. The fact that the adventure seekers are in a place that is already stricken with loads of danger and they have no real knowledge of their surroundings gives the momentary climaxes more edge.

One of the things I appreciate from a good writer is when they use the correct pace, which is what Rice did. He took his time to familiarize the reader with the characters and the story expanded with clever little detail. If there is one thing I didn’t like, although it’s not a major issue, would be the originality of the characters. They didn’t really “pop” in my opinion, but the rest of the story made up for this.

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Reviewed by Damnetha Jules
Damnetha  is a staff writer, horror book and movie critic.
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