Author – Premee Mohamed
Genre – Post Apocalyptic Fantasy
Pages – 114
Publishing Information – PS Publishing/Absinthe Books, June 2024
Blurb
Lucas is dismayed when his brother Kit is chosen to take part in the Hunt: a chase that takes place every seven years and acts as a sacrifice to the Rider and his Wife, ensuring a plentiful harvest, at least that year. Determined to save his brother, all he has left, Lucas hatches a plan to save Kit and accompany him in his struggle to survive—setting the scene for a race through a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with more danger than either boy could ever imagine.
The Rider, The Ride, The Rich Man’s Wife is a thrilling, post-apocalyptic chase, marrying Fairy Tale, Western and Adventure. Hang on tight!
Review
This novella was incredibly atmospheric, tense and imaginative. I flew through it and really enjoyed Premee Mohamed’s writing. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I’m glad I read it. Let me set the scene a little before I talk more about what I enjoyed:
The town of Wrathford is visited once every seven years and a sacrificial person chosen by The Rider and his wife (the wife is the one in charge – of course) but the townspeople don’t really know why. The only thing they know is that once the person has been chosen, there is a hunt the following day by the two riders and their hunting hounds which usually ends in that person being brutally killed. The ghostly version of the deceased then becomes the next rider seven years later. It is said only 3 people have ever survived the hunt, which ends at sundown. It is inevitable and there is no way for the people to stop it happening or bargain with the rider’s wife – any attempts to change fate result in them being brutally killed too.
As a result, it’s just one of those things that has to happen, and it’s largely forgotten about for much of the intervening years as the people focus more on survival in their post apocalyptic lives. The two boys in this story are twins and when one of them, Kit, is selected, his brother Lucas has to do something. This book despite being a novella really makes you feel the boys’ love for one another and to endear yourself to them in much less pages than it might take for many other books to achieve. It helps to set the stakes and make you care about their fates.
This also heightens the dread and the tension when the hunt is on their trail. Premee Mohamed has done a fantastic job of making these hunters particularly creepy and formidable and I would probably describe the book as more of a fantasy horror than anything else.
I really loved the blend of themes because it makes the book unique and they work particularly well together;
- There is a dark fairy story quality with magical doors and another realm
- Folklore elements permeate the story with strong vibes of those myths and legends of dark characters and spooky riders with ambiguous backstories
- The setting is a sort of post apocalyptic American West which contrasts really nicely with the other features of the book and gives this a unique feel
Of course, being a novella, there is not a great deal of room for in depth world building and so those readers who like to really dive in and experience what exactly is going on and all the history might be left asking questions.
Why I think this works as a novella is because whilst questions are answered, there is still enough mystery to leave you with the mystical feeling that makes the story so intriguing to read throughout. A deep dive into the world would take away some of its magic and the dark fairy story quality that is one of its main strengths. It also helps us to experience the events through Lucas’ eyes, knowing what he knows and therefore bringing us closer to him.
The other benefit of the page count is that everything is important and you never want to put the book down because there is always something happening that you want to read.
I think this is a brilliant book that is well worth your time and you’re guaranteed to experience something new and exciting. I couldn’t put it down and it gave me plenty to think about along the way. If this were a movie, it’s one of those that could become a cult classic. It would be nice to see the book become a success.
Thankyou to Tamsin at PS Publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
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