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The Angel And The King Of Cruel
Out of the Lilac City comes a powerful narrative to rival the finest fiction written today. A cult classic Horror/Mystery. A crime novel of notoriously violent proportions. Sensational, dark and disturbing, this poetic, raw study of the human condition promises to emerge as a literary monument. Enter at your own risk.
A mad poker player's apocalyptic love will be the death or salvation of a beautiful young siren. The fate of the city itself stands on a razor's edge as the depth of his insanity is revealed.
"Bursting with poetic prose, enticing mystery, and brilliantly articulated violence, this powerhouse of romance and horror grips the reader with a literary dichotomy never experienced in fiction."
Set in the urban decay of the severely corrupt “Lilac City,” a mad poker player named Slo’ struggles to escape poverty and make it to the ocean, where the roots of his forgotten past seem to be founded—along with the memory of a lost love.
Slo’’s delicate hold on sanity is compromised as he falls in love with a beautiful young siren, Stevie, who is confronted with Slo’’s brilliant and malevolently exploitive split personality, Syles. Stevie is faced with the impossible position of loving “Slo’,” a personality who regards her as ultimate beauty, and fearing the same man as “Syles,” who holds insidious designs on her future so terrifying they approach true horror.
As the depth of Slo’’s insanity is revealed, the fate of the Lilac City itself is ruled by the final outcome of this epic triangle of love, lust, and hate.
Author W.T. Shad has redefined violence in literature with a powerfully poetic narrative. The reader is held close by the most beautiful passages of romance in modern fiction, and simultaneously thrilled and terrified by the fruits of a mystery never before seen on the written page.
A mad poker player's apocalyptic love will be the death or salvation of a beautiful young siren. The fate of the city itself stands on a razor's edge as the depth of his insanity is revealed.
"Bursting with poetic prose, enticing mystery, and brilliantly articulated violence, this powerhouse of romance and horror grips the reader with a literary dichotomy never experienced in fiction."
Set in the urban decay of the severely corrupt “Lilac City,” a mad poker player named Slo’ struggles to escape poverty and make it to the ocean, where the roots of his forgotten past seem to be founded—along with the memory of a lost love.
Slo’’s delicate hold on sanity is compromised as he falls in love with a beautiful young siren, Stevie, who is confronted with Slo’’s brilliant and malevolently exploitive split personality, Syles. Stevie is faced with the impossible position of loving “Slo’,” a personality who regards her as ultimate beauty, and fearing the same man as “Syles,” who holds insidious designs on her future so terrifying they approach true horror.
As the depth of Slo’’s insanity is revealed, the fate of the Lilac City itself is ruled by the final outcome of this epic triangle of love, lust, and hate.
Author W.T. Shad has redefined violence in literature with a powerfully poetic narrative. The reader is held close by the most beautiful passages of romance in modern fiction, and simultaneously thrilled and terrified by the fruits of a mystery never before seen on the written page.
- GenresPsychological Horror
Kindle Edition
Published November 4, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 20, 2016
You have arrived in Lilac City. Welcome to A Season In Hell for a new generation. Meet Slo', a card-playing citizen with no memories of his past. All Slo' wants to do is to reach the ocean so that he can live in peace with his goddess. But Railroad Alley offers no escape for dreamers. Ask Stevie, the prostitute with an addiction and no hopes for the future. Meet her friend, Jayne, with a body to die for and a face to be reckoned with. Meet Syles, and understand the meaning of cruel. This is a beautifully written novel, but make no mistake. The poetic structure of its words gives a home to the basest of instincts and the depravity of the corrupt. W.T. Shad takes on the principles of good and evil in a unique voice. Is there hope for the victims of corruption? Does fighting the powers that be change us? What do we then become? Take a walk to Railroad Alley. Bask in the Orange Glow. And let the author's imagination take you on an intoxicating trip to hell.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks.
August 16, 2016
Lilac City. A place where the corruption runs as deep as the hell the city represents for so many. Certainly for Stevie, the prostitute, junkie, protagonist of this story.
It's hard to define this book. It's hardcore, it's gory, it features torture and rape; yet it does rise above the grittiness due to its beautiful use of poetic language. However, the language was a double-edged sword in my humble opinion. While it did elevate the story to become so much more than your run-of-the-mill horror/gore fest, it was also sometimes so dense it got in the way. What I mean by that is, at times, I thought that it interfered with the pacing of the story. Where the plot was urging me to move forward quickly, the density of the prose was insisting that I slow down. There were a few times where I think the narrative would have been better served by prose that was less dense and easier to devour more rapidly.
That's the only negative thing I can say about this book, and it's not really that negative. (The prose is too beautiful? LOL) Normally, this story would be out of my likability range, (torture is NOT my thing), but in this case, the language and the "moral" of the story, kept me going. That, the depth, and the characters. Stevie was such a messed up woman, but I couldn't help but root for her, since everything was stacked against her from a young age. There are psychological aspects here that I think the author represented in a genuine way. The results of child abuse on the very young, for example, and how the effects of that change a maturing psyche.
There are also some political elements at play here in the Lilac City. These were not fully explored and I expect the sequel to build on those issues a bit more. (While not exactly the same situation, I found myself thinking of the water problems in Flint, Michigan while I was reading.) Along with the psychological aspects of the story, these political aspects helped add yet another level to this already deep story.
Recommending this book is tricky but I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway. If you think you can deal with the torture and rape story lines, I think the prose and this story itself will reward you as it did me. If you can't, (and no one could blame you), it's probably best you skip this one, because it's an unflinching look at them both.
*I received a free hardcover from Mr. Shad in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*
It's hard to define this book. It's hardcore, it's gory, it features torture and rape; yet it does rise above the grittiness due to its beautiful use of poetic language. However, the language was a double-edged sword in my humble opinion. While it did elevate the story to become so much more than your run-of-the-mill horror/gore fest, it was also sometimes so dense it got in the way. What I mean by that is, at times, I thought that it interfered with the pacing of the story. Where the plot was urging me to move forward quickly, the density of the prose was insisting that I slow down. There were a few times where I think the narrative would have been better served by prose that was less dense and easier to devour more rapidly.
That's the only negative thing I can say about this book, and it's not really that negative. (The prose is too beautiful? LOL) Normally, this story would be out of my likability range, (torture is NOT my thing), but in this case, the language and the "moral" of the story, kept me going. That, the depth, and the characters. Stevie was such a messed up woman, but I couldn't help but root for her, since everything was stacked against her from a young age. There are psychological aspects here that I think the author represented in a genuine way. The results of child abuse on the very young, for example, and how the effects of that change a maturing psyche.
There are also some political elements at play here in the Lilac City. These were not fully explored and I expect the sequel to build on those issues a bit more. (While not exactly the same situation, I found myself thinking of the water problems in Flint, Michigan while I was reading.) Along with the psychological aspects of the story, these political aspects helped add yet another level to this already deep story.
Recommending this book is tricky but I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway. If you think you can deal with the torture and rape story lines, I think the prose and this story itself will reward you as it did me. If you can't, (and no one could blame you), it's probably best you skip this one, because it's an unflinching look at them both.
*I received a free hardcover from Mr. Shad in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*
August 16, 2016
3.5 stars.
April 29, 2016
3.5 stars.
While I did find the writing quite poetic at times, I have to admit that the "romance" angle just didn't come across well for me. (A personal dislike, not the author's fault). For those that are squeamish, (or don't want to read about prostitutes and graphic sexual/torture scenes), this is not the book for you. If you can handle that, there is a much deeper message to be deciphered here, one that carries you on until the very last page.
While I did find the writing quite poetic at times, I have to admit that the "romance" angle just didn't come across well for me. (A personal dislike, not the author's fault). For those that are squeamish, (or don't want to read about prostitutes and graphic sexual/torture scenes), this is not the book for you. If you can handle that, there is a much deeper message to be deciphered here, one that carries you on until the very last page.
February 6, 2017
This book definately deserves the 5 stars.......
I seriously was unsure at times as to whether I had the stomach to continue reading......It was utterly brutal nearly every step of the way that I wanted to abandon the book so badly......but within the words and pages was a pull to know....to unravel everything.......W.T Shad has written this book in such a brutally, gruesome way that there's nothing you can do but read on
I seriously was unsure at times as to whether I had the stomach to continue reading......It was utterly brutal nearly every step of the way that I wanted to abandon the book so badly......but within the words and pages was a pull to know....to unravel everything.......W.T Shad has written this book in such a brutally, gruesome way that there's nothing you can do but read on
January 16, 2016
Steamy, secretive, and as unpredictable as a call girl’s conscience, Angel is an intriguing trip into darkness and the yin-yang relationships that can develop between abusers and the abused. I have to admit that I’m not normally inclined to the sort of hard-scrabble, back alley work Angel represents. But I found myself drawn along the further I went. Shad has a way of filling the mind with seductively layered language. The kind that slips you gradually down into smoky rooms saturated in stilettos, switchblades, and broken lives.
Angel is a story set in the deepest corners of a modern urban landscape. One that continuously evokes reminiscence for the days of trench coats, 38 specials, and film-noir ambience. But this aura of romantic thought stands in stark contras against an unvarnished embracement of violence worthy of Quentin Tarantino. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Shad’s protagonist, Slo’. Filled with a burgeoning, and deeply buried yearning for redemption, he hides beneath a veneer of gritty indifference and barely restrained rage. Other characters mirror this and worse as the man vacillates between driving the plot and seeming to be dragged down a flight of stairs by it.
In a surprising twist, Shad refuses to follow the predictable path most authors take to reform a hero’s character, and it’s refreshing to ride along as he continuously pushes his twisted avatar into darker and darker territory. In the truest form of anti hero storycraft, the language drapes the character in the perpetual headlights of hidden threats, while simultaneously pulling him along by his inability to resist his temptations.
This tortured soul's path isn't the only one Shad requires his readers to walk though. Along the way desperate denizens of every stripe reach out to engage readers in the continuous struggles of their daily and desperate lives. One of these poor things is the velvet smooth and sharply edged Stevie, who constantly circles through the triple components of her nature; seducer, addict, and seraphim. For me the way she was introduced to the story alone justified the reading of Angel. He internal turmoils drag you into an intimate knowledge of the sort of conflicts provocative beauties often face.
As the book progresses and the mysteries of Slo’s origins are slowly peeled away, the reader is grqdually introduced to his sadistic doppelganger Syles. Brutal, uncaring, and sociopathic, he embodies the worst traits in humanity. So of course, this draws the deeply damaged of Stevie to him like a magnet. Being viciously defensive of her own complete lack of self worth, she absorbs his barbarity to levels that can feel like they’re bordering on atrocity. It can be a difficult read at times, and the author almost seems to revel in exposing the reader to levels of human depravity that are beyond shocking.
Eventually the turns and twists of fate for Slo’s and Stevie bring them full circle with their inner demons, and the result is fatalistic resolution of the dual natures of Slo’ and Syles. Not much more can be said without edging into the land of spoilers. But what I will say is that the book’s ending took a turn that seemed almost stereotypically predictable, only to then veer off in a direction few readers will see coming.
All in all, Angel is not for the faint of heart. But it does provide substantial fare for those who love gritty anti-heroes, dangerous women, and a naked look into the darkest corners of the human heart. N. K. Jemisin, who wrote The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms once said that “We can never be gods, after all-but we can become something less than human with frightening ease”, and I believe Angel stands as an elegantly written testimony to the truth in that statement.
Angel is a story set in the deepest corners of a modern urban landscape. One that continuously evokes reminiscence for the days of trench coats, 38 specials, and film-noir ambience. But this aura of romantic thought stands in stark contras against an unvarnished embracement of violence worthy of Quentin Tarantino. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Shad’s protagonist, Slo’. Filled with a burgeoning, and deeply buried yearning for redemption, he hides beneath a veneer of gritty indifference and barely restrained rage. Other characters mirror this and worse as the man vacillates between driving the plot and seeming to be dragged down a flight of stairs by it.
In a surprising twist, Shad refuses to follow the predictable path most authors take to reform a hero’s character, and it’s refreshing to ride along as he continuously pushes his twisted avatar into darker and darker territory. In the truest form of anti hero storycraft, the language drapes the character in the perpetual headlights of hidden threats, while simultaneously pulling him along by his inability to resist his temptations.
This tortured soul's path isn't the only one Shad requires his readers to walk though. Along the way desperate denizens of every stripe reach out to engage readers in the continuous struggles of their daily and desperate lives. One of these poor things is the velvet smooth and sharply edged Stevie, who constantly circles through the triple components of her nature; seducer, addict, and seraphim. For me the way she was introduced to the story alone justified the reading of Angel. He internal turmoils drag you into an intimate knowledge of the sort of conflicts provocative beauties often face.
As the book progresses and the mysteries of Slo’s origins are slowly peeled away, the reader is grqdually introduced to his sadistic doppelganger Syles. Brutal, uncaring, and sociopathic, he embodies the worst traits in humanity. So of course, this draws the deeply damaged of Stevie to him like a magnet. Being viciously defensive of her own complete lack of self worth, she absorbs his barbarity to levels that can feel like they’re bordering on atrocity. It can be a difficult read at times, and the author almost seems to revel in exposing the reader to levels of human depravity that are beyond shocking.
Eventually the turns and twists of fate for Slo’s and Stevie bring them full circle with their inner demons, and the result is fatalistic resolution of the dual natures of Slo’ and Syles. Not much more can be said without edging into the land of spoilers. But what I will say is that the book’s ending took a turn that seemed almost stereotypically predictable, only to then veer off in a direction few readers will see coming.
All in all, Angel is not for the faint of heart. But it does provide substantial fare for those who love gritty anti-heroes, dangerous women, and a naked look into the darkest corners of the human heart. N. K. Jemisin, who wrote The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms once said that “We can never be gods, after all-but we can become something less than human with frightening ease”, and I believe Angel stands as an elegantly written testimony to the truth in that statement.
January 20, 2016
The Angel and the King of Cruel is a twisting crime-drama, doomed love story of epic proportion. But this read is not for the faint of heart. If A Clockwork Orange were to breed with Naked Lunch, and then have a steroid boosted nightcap, you might arrive somewhere near to the horrific complexities of this book (literally and figuratively). Not a huge fan of such gore myself, it was the elegance of the prose that kept me hooked most of the time. I could simply not be denied. I loved Deadwood (the series) and saw a bit of Boyd Crowder in it as well, but then there was something else—a raw, insane answer to the perfect, unanswerable question. NOT, I repeat, NOT for the faint of heart. Cruel, violent, dark, and redeeming, The Angel and the King of Cruel is for those few who can walk this path and come out the other side intact. Otherwise, prepare to be haunted.
January 27, 2016
The Angel and the king of cruel, it’s a powerful masterpieces like I never red one before, this fictional work of art portrays series of mysteries happening in this novel from beginning to the end, violence and romance never gave up their roles, including different crime scenes, not to talk of these alone without not mentioning the main characters of the novel, which names are; Slo’’s and Stevie, Slo’’s delicate hold on sanity is compromised as he falls in love with a beautiful young siren, Stevie, I will call this character of Stevie rounded character in changing like chameleon using different personality to get what she want. As the depth of Slo’’s insanity is revealed, the fate of the Lilac City itself is ruled by the final outcome of this epic triangle of love, lust, and hate.
What we see here today, I mean in this novel, happen around the world today, although it’s fictional work with a great ideal by the Author W.T. Shad who has redefined violence in literature with a powerfully poetic narrative. The reader is held close by the most beautiful passages of romance in modern fiction, and simultaneously thrilled and terrified by the fruits of a mystery never before seen on the written page.
I pinched this from the author of this great work of art, so I recommend this for all mature minds book lovers around the World.
What we see here today, I mean in this novel, happen around the world today, although it’s fictional work with a great ideal by the Author W.T. Shad who has redefined violence in literature with a powerfully poetic narrative. The reader is held close by the most beautiful passages of romance in modern fiction, and simultaneously thrilled and terrified by the fruits of a mystery never before seen on the written page.
I pinched this from the author of this great work of art, so I recommend this for all mature minds book lovers around the World.
November 19, 2015
This book is dark. Very dark. Very Gory. If that is your thing then read away. It is not my thing. Stevie is a woman in love with a man that has two personalities. One is loving and sweet (Slo), the other is cruel and abusive (Syles). Slo does not know about Syles but Syles knows about Slo. Syles knows that Stevie is in love with Slo so he uses that to his advantage. Stevie is addicted to heroin and Syles gives it to her. Syles wants secrets on important people in the community so he pimps out Stevie to them. This book is so messed up. I had to give myself many pep talks to finish it. I have read dark and gory but this one takes the cake. As much as this book is not my kind of normal read, the ending shocked and surprised me and I was glad I continued reading it to find out how it all ended. There will be another book and I was kind of surprised at myself that I am curious what will happen next. These characters will be with me for awhile.
March 12, 2016
Graphic violent sex, dark, drug and alcohol fueled scary world. Not my genre. Characters are rich in drugs, anger, and confusion. Story follows a tale of pimp and his prostitute.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews