Right to Life: And 2 New Stories
by Jack Ketcham

List Price: $16.95
Our Price: $10.18
You Save: $6.77 (40%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of Right to Life: And 2 New Stories

Book Review: Abductions and the Months They Breed
Summary: 5 Stars

Although this is only a novella in length, I found myself happy with the way that Ketchum balanced the act of positioning the character and storytelling, letting the days bleed by and the notions infect mindsets as one played into the other. He did this by keeping times and dates at first and by letting you know what was through the minds of both the victim and the victimizers, not to mention leaving no holds barred in the torment department. In many rights this made me feel for Sara, the woman that had been judged and yet wasn't known to the captors that kept her locked inside those devices, as the story played out and the travesties became more familiar to the person they had attempted to break.

Also accompanying this are two really short stories, one which I liked and the other that I didn't, called Brave Girl and Returns. In Brave Girl I saw an idea that I thought might be horrific in its own right, that might find a way to display something vile within its clutches, but that turned out to be something that I was relatively disappointed in. Perhaps it was because of the content of the book that caused it, that its message seemed out of place to me and tragic but not tragic enough, or that it simply wasn't that well orchestrated on its minute approach. Whatever the case, it wasn't a hit with me. Returns was better, however, making up for Brave Girl with a little breath of oddity in its own right, finishing off the book with a brisk jog through the lives of the dead and the reasons they carry back into life. I still don't judge these as anything other than accompanying material, however, and see them as nice gifts set as ornamentation for a novella I liked.

For anyone that enjoys Ketchum's works, I think this is a pretty nice piece to have around. It isn't as detailed as some of the longer works as far as setting is concerned, but this instance doesn't demand setting changes so familiarity allows a little less. He still has all the time to delve into the torments of the captive, the mindset painted in the expressions of the tormentors, and how things can sometimes become a little graphic as the horrific is fleshed out. It is a quick read, but a good one nonetheless.

Horror Books

• Books > Subjects > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers