Scavenger Hunt by Michaelbrent Collings
ASIN: B07ZR8HBC3
Available: October 31, 2019
Not that any of Michaelbrent
Collings’ novels are timid, but this journey reads the rawest and grittiest I
have seen from him. Even the grungy
cover implies that the game refuses to play nice. The bloody smiley face reminds
me of both Alan Moore’s Watchmen cover and the “Have a nice day” t-shirt
with a bullet hole between the eyes. I think this story marks a change for MbC,
a new level of maturity in his work.
PLOT
Scavenger
Hunt tells us of five diverse and unique characters forced into a deadly
game similar to Saw or perhaps a nightmarish version of The Amazing
Race. Abducted—an event they only vaguely remember—the group wakes in a
metal room with no indication of where or when it is. A mysterious Mr. Do-Good invites them to play
his game of terrifying choices or die.
Collings seamlessly weaves
themes of action versus consequence. The story pits the lure of wealth against
the desperation to escape poverty. Fate (and Do-Good) is an aggressive dealer
of life choices within the definition of Home and Heritage. These are
characters who seek danger to feel safe, and as they do, images of family take
new and tenuous forms.
And the clock is
always against them.
The pace of this
episodic novel tears through an urban landscape, but the characters also to
come to life with their depth. I cared about each of these people and their
fates. What unsettles me most about this is that some of the characters were
murders, embezzlers, and human traffickers.
THE AUTHOR
Michaelbrent
Collings seeks out what most publishing professionals advise against: He writes
in just about every genre imaginable. I don’t see that this has hurt him any. While
he is one of the most successful indie horror writers on the planet, MbC’s
catalog also includes tales about a highly skilled “FixIt” in the far reaches
of space (The Darklights), a pack of hyenas that makes the most vicious
lion seem docile by comparison (Predators), and even a YA fantasy where fighters
battle in gladiator-style arenas nestled among five mountain tops.
When
I saw Collings had been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award, I cheered. It wasn’t long ago when being an indie author
meant you were precluded for consideration of any award. MbC has been a
finalist multiple times now. He is a trailblazer.
ARE YOU THE AUDIENCE?
I would
recommend this book for MbC fans—especially so they might see what he is
capable of when he pushes the envelope.
Thriller fans would equally be entertained by Scavenger Hunt
where enemies race for a common goal to save their own lives among heists and
guns and untouchable hackers.
Buy Scavenger Hunt on Amazon. (Not an affiliate link.)
Michaelbrent Collings' website WrittenInsomnia.com.
