The Sculptor

by Michael Aronovitz, Jason Henderson (Foreword)

At age seven, Michael Leonard Robinson commits his first murder, turning tragedy into an aesthetic. By the time he turns eighteen, he has become an expert with computers, gaming systems, and the art of video imaging. And now in his forties, fully realized, he has long erased his digital footprint. He is thirty years ahead of our most advanced scientists, military ops tacticians, and elite information tech specialists. He is a master of disguise. He can invent projected realities.

Of course, Michael Leonard Robinson could work his dark vision on a global scale, yet he doesn’t need “the world” for a fetishistic thrill, just a police captain, his receptionist, a detective, a rookie junior officer, his sister and mother, and a lot of dark theater. 

Robinson appears to these characters in disguise, film clips, and flashes as he torments them. Their multiple viewpoints are puzzle pieces.

When they fuse to finish the puzzle, the final sculpture becomes clear.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Fiction

255 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2022

About the author

Novels:
Alice Walks
The Witch of the Wood

Collections:
Seven Deadly Pleasures
The Voices in Our Heads

Writer of Reviews and Criticism on / in:
Hellnotes
The Weird Fiction Review
Chiaroscuro
The Australian Metro

Anthologies:
Searchers After Horror
The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror

Upcoming:
Novel- "Phantom Effect" Night Shade Books / February 2016
Novel- "Becky's Kiss" Vinspire Press / November 2015 under the pseudonym Nicholas Fisher

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ick. DNF after only a few pages. I got this creepy, toxic male/pedophile feeling from the writing that I could not shake. Your mileage may vary.

[Marina Garrido · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Aronovitz’s collection Dancing with Tombstones last year and absolutely falling in love with his stories, I came to The Sculptor with sky-high expectations. Michael delivered. The novel was even better than I thought it was going to be, truly. There are no words to describe how incredible his works are. With this novel, he tackles one of my favorite themes, serial killers, and I’m talking Hannibal and Sqweegel's (Level 26) quality killer: smart, resourceful, manipulative, and always ten steps ahead of law enforcement. As you progress in the story, every time you think you’ve figured out what’s going on or what the killer’s next move is going to be, Aronovitz pulls the carpet under your feet, and you’re left confused and amazed. I first came in contact with the Sculptor killer in Mike’s previously mentioned anthology, where the killer gets their own short story. I highly recommend that you read that one first. After all, it might help you understand the novel better (but then again, it might not… only one way to find out).

The book is a bit confusing in the beginning, seeing as the author introduces a lot of characters in quick succession, the pace of the story is quite fast, and the novel takes place during a single night. However, once I was fully immersed in the book (around thirty pages in), it flowed wonderfully, with the chapters tying into each other seamlessly and holding my attention until the end. I recommend that this book be read, if not all at once, in close intervals, that way the reader also experiences the anxiety and desperation of the protagonists as they too are running against time. This novel is guaranteed to give you an adrenaline rush and keep you intrigued until the very last page. As mentioned, I doubt the reader will ever understand what is truly happening before Aronovitz reveals it, but all the plot twists are credible. In hindsight, I remembered that all the indicators were there on the page, but I missed them because of the author’s remarkable ability to divert the reader’s attention to his red herrings.

In my opinion, the novel’s main flaw is, simultaneously, what allowed me to enjoy the story the most. I did not connect to a single character in The Sculptor. Although I was rooting for one of them (whom I shall not name because of spoilers) in the end, I didn’t particularly care what happened to them; all I wanted was to have the mystery solved. Because of this disconnection, I could focus on how intricate the plot was and appreciate the more creative aspects of the murders (a sentence you can only find in a horror review). That being said, if you dislike narratives where you can’t fully empathize with the characters, this novel is probably not for you. My other issue with this book was that the gadgets used by the killer felt a little too futuristic, although the explanation provided in the story made sense it still came across as far-fetched to me.

If you’re a fan of slashers (for those who don’t know, the slasher is a sub-genre of horror movies where a killer stalks and murders a group of people, such as the franchises Halloween and Scream), you’ll absolutely love this book, and you’ll enjoy the references the author makes during a certain kill scene. Aronovitz was careful to individualize every single murder that occurs, and he isn’t shy about describing what befalls the unlucky characters in detail. Not only that, but the ways in which the people got hurt were incredibly creative and intricate, something that long-time readers/watchers of horror know it’s rare to come by. I believe that Dynamic is the best way to describe The Sculptor: there’s a constant change of characters’ POVs (Point of View) and plenty of action scenes. The text is always moving and you’re sure to get the ride of a lifetime.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first met the ideas driving Michael Aronovitz’s 'The Sculptor' in his collection "Dancing with Tombstones," as a short story with the same name and the same premise. I was riveted and wanted to read more. Thankfully the author came up with a whole book! 'The Sculptor' is the quintessential cat-and-mouse game, a high-tech adventure of highly intricate manipulation by a serial killer with a sky high IQ. It's important to realize that most of the narrative is told from a very down-to-earth point of view: no melodrama, no PC even; sometimes the story is given solely from a male, toxic perspective. There's just no time to take into account other points of view, since the story, taking place in a single night, is driven by the male perspective: the killer's and the cop's hunting him. By the time you realize the cop is being hunted in turn, the story has turned into a fast-paced, multi-character succession of near captures and close escapes. Initially this is confusing: people come and go, tasks are given but not fulfilled as such, there's a second cop involved in the killer's plan (and even a third one!), which killer reveals himself in turn to be a master of both disguise and technological invention. It all clears up by the middle of the book, as the futuristic gadgets find their place in the plot, the story turns from a slasher into a complex thriller, and the characters take their position in the riddle behind the killer's actions. Aronovitz manages to throw some subtle humor into the story, as well: one of the cops is said to spoil the endings of movies, and, well, when he gets his own chapter spoilers abound. Intentional of not, that was a funny, an almost meta moment. If you enjoy horror, riddles, and adventure, you'll devour this book!

[Gray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written self insert fantasy about a guy that's incredibly smart and likes to kill women. Is Michael Aronovitz okay?

[isabella · Rating 1 out of 5]

okay so. absolutely no offense to professor aronovitz when i say any of this. too much sexualization. wuite frankly i don’t care about every college girls ‘upturned breasts’ or erikas ‘heart shaped ass’. quite frankly it peeves me out a little bit that a college professor is sexualizing college girls. they are adults; but they’re just starting out in the world and probably just turned 18. the serial killer part was cool; the whole idea was cool too. i also like the switching perspectives. another critique; why didn’t some of the characters fight until the end? connor was a cop; he would not just accept his head being smashed. meagan (i think her name was) was a badass and a fighter; she would not just let herself explode/burn to death. erika being apart of the killers plan was definitely a twist i liked. one part i cannot wrap my mind around (as in it isn’t possible and theoretically doesn’t make sense) is that the whole book happened within a day. i apologize if it seems rude but it just cannot be possible at all. overall, good book.

[Clay Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise. Fell flat in execution.