Book Review for Xenon Phobia by Sterling Emmal
Xenon Phobia, by Sterling Emmal, is a dark, twisted horror about clinging to the deepest depths of your hatred, even if it means giving into the demons surrounding you.
Xenon is a doctor who managed to become the executioner for California after finding out her sister had been assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend. When Xenon is murdered by a mysterious man named Damien, she is bound by her need for vengeance. From killing the people who once loved her, to confronting a past she is just beginning to understand, she starts to slip further and further into madness, until finally, only darkness remains.
I’m a future medical student, so when I read this book I was chilled to the core. Xenon had an irrefutable sense of morality that can only be described as eerie. She carries this role on in the afterlife, all the while becoming the monster she swore she’d bring justice. Then there’s Damien, the man who managed to bind Xenon to his fate. I particularly liked his character, because in a way, I do believe he felt something for Xenon, however twisted his motives may be. And finally, there was Xenon’s mother, a weakling who couldn’t even protect her own family. She didn’t fight for her husband when he died, and she didn’t fight for her daughter, even though he was the one who caused the death of her unborn niece. And by the time she realized, it was too late, and all she can do now is mourn. Even after I’ve finished this book, I couldn’t bring myself to forgive her for everything she didn’t do; in fact, it was because of her non action that the entire plot began.
One of the things Emmal did incredibly well was just how far Xenon would go to obtain her revenge. From contemplating on killing her sister, to carving up her own corpse, I realized that from the moment she was revived, she had the potential to become a dark, horrific entity that solely existed to bring pain to others. Her character only served to make the end more satisfying. The fact that she took Damien’s place in the shadows, hungering for someone else to spill her hatred to, to be consumed by the same revenge she fell prey to, was haunting. She even wrote a little message to the reader at the end, lulling her future students to her like moths to a flame.
Because of this, I would give this book a rating of a 3.8 out of 4 stars. While I would have loved the psychological details to be more fleshed out, as well as her mother’s reactions to everything that’s happened, this book was an enjoyable read. How the characters interacted with each other, as well as the beautifully tragic fate that awaited Xenon, was wonderful. As such, I would recommend this book to fans of Beasts of Babylon by E.A. Copen, and The Killing Cure by C.S. Kendall.
