Bloodtype Online

    Let me start off by saying that I never thought I would see the day where I'd consider cutting meat from my diet. However, after reading this novel the thought crossed my mind several times, such is the power of Meat. I'll be honest though by saying that I haven't, and probably won't, but the fact I thought about it speaks volumes. There are sections throughout this book that shocked and apalled me; putting the book down was no respite either, Meat will linger in the mind long, long after you have finished reading it. Of that I can assure you. 

    Set in the town of Abyrne, a town that has seen better days, it follows the struggle for power of the two ruling bodies along with the story of Richard Shanti, a man at odds with his job and his struggle to break free of its ties. 

    In Abyrne meat is sacred, the demand for it is high but only the wealthy can afford it, and all of it is supplied by Rory Magnus and his company Magnus Meat Processing. At MMP all the meat comes from cattle known as The Chosen, a title bestowed upon them by The Welfare who are the town's religious overseers controlled by the Grand Bishop and his Parsons. The Welfare laid down the foundations for the way people live their lives, and MMP supply the means in which to live this life, as well as supplying the town's electrical and gas power. It is a cold and scary town where everyone lives in fear of both ruling factions; to not eat meat would be sacriligious. 

    Richard is a stunner at MMP, which means he fires the bolt into the cattle's head to end its life on its way to the plates of the hungry townsfolk. He's good at his job, bloody good in fact, but this doesn't mean he enjoys it. No, he hates his job, the cruelty he witnesses that he himself is a part of. He doesn't eat meat himself, a fact that infuriates his wife, but a fact that could land him in far more trouble were it to be known by the higher powers, yet the guilt won't subside, how could it? 

    The story follows Richard along his path; can he escape this world he so despises? Is he alone in not wanting to eat the sacred meat? A more pertinent question being can he escape it and still live to tell the tale? 

    Meat truly is an engrossing and incredibly brutal tale that kept me gripped from start to finish. Aside from being a damned good horror story, the scenes inside MMP really do bring new meaning to the word horror, it is also a far deeper novel than that. Of course I'd be happy with it being a horror story, no more no less, but here we get the added layers of Organised Religion, Corporations and their stranglehold over society alongside the more straightforward Vegetarian angle and one man's search for redemption and ultimately salvation. The themes though aren't rammed down your throat though, they are written about in such a matter of fact way as if the events portrayed were nothing out of the ordinary, but they are, oh indeed they are. 

    Although it is never explained in Meat what happened to the town of Abyrne, to leave it in such a sorry state, I did hazard my own guess as to it being set in a post-apocalyptic future, there are hints of a time gone by littered throughout the novel. This was one question that I did recently pose D'Lacey, his reply being that he saw it as "post-cataclysmic", which when I thought about it sums it all up beautifully. 

    The town of Abyrne is as much a character in this novel as anyone else, it's a town that probably saw far better times than what transpires throughout. But then this is a novel ful of rich characters, both "good" and "evil", the fact being that there are very few truly innocent people in Meat. 

    One thing I did find whilst reading Meat is that it doesn't have what you might call the more traditional scares, however it will fill you with dread throughout. Some of the build-up within is utterly terrifying; you know something bad will happen, and rest assured it usually does, but you never quite expect it to be as bad as it ends up being. I have read many graphic and shocking novels, yet this one had more effect of me than any. Never has a book made me put it down in order to get a little fresh air; this one did though. The violence dished out in Meat is quite unlike anything I have read before, it isn't there for shock or effect, it is there because that is what happens in Abyrne. It's cold, it's blunt and it hurts, there's no song and dance about it, no wow factor, just a harsh brutality that sticks and refuses to leave. 

    I have a good friend with whom I am constantly winding up at his frequent use of the word "horrifying" when it comes to describing anything. If he read Meat though I would not be joking with him if he used that word to describe it, as it truly is a horrifying read. It's an outstanding novel that I can't recommend enough, but yes my friends it is indeed horrifying. 

    I was fortunate enough to be sent a review copy from Bloody Books, however I will still be going out and spending my cash on buying myself a copy from the store, it is that good. 

Rating - **** 

- Jude Felton