Omega Zero, by Ryan Henry, brings back a necessary niche long absent from literature: the novella. A post-apocalyptic novella to be precise, a genre that has recently been flooded by self-help manuals disguised as literature. Too many novels are filled with hundreds of pages describing meaningless sub-plots or vain attempts to boost up a mediocre plot. The reader does not need a twenty page description of a minor character’s choice of firearm. We need to know that it shoots, perhaps accurately or not, perhaps a make and model if it helps. Many authors betray themselves by including their own extremely specific personalities into the stories that they right. The benefit of humanity however, is that we are all different. A good author can look past his own preferences to reach out to a wider audience or better still, look for generalities in himself that appeal to others. Omega Zero accomplishes this. The fact that our “hero” Trent Hazen is a former drug dealer makes the story so much more delightful. The almost split personality that arises when Trent finds himself alone is delicious. As anyone who has spent any significant time alone can attest, this is a natural occurrence without the world falling apart. In the absence of companionship, we often create our own.
Our hero does eventually find an actual companion but when
facing the end of the world, any relationship can become strained, including
those with strangers. The outcome of all
this straining is that Omega Zero is filled with what seems an extraordinary
amount of adult language. This does
subside the further one reads and we can hopefully chalk it up to our hero’s
former lifestyle since he is the one spewing most of these epithets. The story takes place in the South, in the
mountains…cue banjo music. The
obligatory Bible-thumping hillbilly scenes are included. One may hope these characters are somewhat
tongue-in-cheek humor although their treatment did seem a bit overdone. One final warning: this is a realistic novel
that contains the reactions of a drug-dealer and several gang members to an
“end of the world, we are the only survivors” scenario. There is extreme violence and the previous
mentioned language. A movie would be completely
rated R. The novel is not a hopeless one
and becomes touching at times as we watch our protagonist work through the
unimaginable complexities that are thrust at him. I will not include a spoiler but if you read
most of the book, please finish it.
The story felt rushed at times and although I believe in the
resurgence of the short novel, I truly hope the author decides to turn this
into a full length novel or at least write a part two, give some of those Old
Testament Mountain Men a chance to redeem themselves.
Available for Nook or Kindle: January, 2013
Great review, Matt. I appreciate your insight -- your critical eye is second to none. One point: as for the "hillbilly" thing, I grew up around people like Lloyd Sturgess. It's always said to write what you know, and I know the mountainous regions of this state pretty well. I tried my best not to make him a James Dickey-esque "stereotype." In fact, I see him as a sympathetic character. He has a son who is ill, and another who died in OIF. It's a little wonder that he acts the way he does when he discovers that Trent was a Marine (which is where he learned to swear like that! j/k...) And also consider that Lloyd is the Deus Ex Machina, when it comes down to the wire, that allows Trent to finally "man up" and take responsibility for his situation. He stops running and starts taking a stand because of Lloyd's appearance at a pivotal moment.
ReplyDeleteIt was my intention to write a very short novel...along the lines of an old Louis L'Amour book. So if it felt rushed in any way, it was simply me trying to make a lean, mean story that kept the reader hooked.