Title: The Romulus Chronicles: Mary’s Tale
Authors: Alexander Mescavage & Eunice Beauchman
Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
ISBN: 978-1647537203
Genre: Horror
Pages: 266
Reviewed by: Philip Zozzaro
Hollywood Book Reviews
The genre of Horror has suffered from a devolution over the passing years as pop culture (especially cinema and television) has emphasized the gore over the psychological terror. Nothing seems to be left to the imagination. This is according to the authors in the opening pages, but maybe they were being facetious. For the reader will soon see, the horrific violence and spattering of gore awaits them in short order.
Mary is a patient at a local mental care facility, where she has been subject to abject cruelty and brutality by doctors and staff. When she is not being injected with one drug or another, she is being ignored. When she offers resistance or hesitates to comply with her captors, she is assaulted, many times sexually. The violence visited upon Mary proves unnerving, but her resilience provides a small measure of comfort.
Dr. Van Gentlesse works at the facility where Mary is being kept. He loathes the doctor overseeing Mary’s treatment and care, and soon visits Mary. He is shocked by her state, and the rage boils inside him. Dr. Gentlesse harbors a secret that he closely guards. He is a lycanthrope (a Werewolf). He informs Mary of his secret and to initiate her into his way of life. There is a price to be paid, but her other options are much worse. Mary is being programmed to be a modern day “Stepford Wife,” obedient to her husband’s will.
A plan is set and soon Van and Mary unleash their fierce anger on Mary’s tormentors. However, the hospital is just a jumping off point for a conspiracy of bad people. Mary has been freed, but now feels pangs of insatiable hunger and lust. Van has solutions for both and aids Mary in quenching her desires. Van walks her through his long, well-trodden path as a Werewolf.
The story of Van’s metamorphosis into his current state forms a core part of the book, a flashback to ancient Rome, where an empire was in its early stages. Van was then Romulus, a man whom the Gods spoke to, and thereafter was leader of men. However, he longed for the right woman, and her name was Bella. Their union was cut brutally short by internal coups, and soon Romulus was sent wandering as an immortal, seeking his love once again.
The Chronicles of Romulus: Mary’s Tale combines good old-fashioned horror with romance and Historical Fiction. This book encapsulates an adult appeal, with the subject matter and the frequent violence permeating the story, the passionate love scenes charming women and men alike. The evolving of Mary from scared patient to almost untamed she-wolf is near perfect, never feeling forced. As she learns the ins-and-outs of her existence, so does the reader. The Chronicles of Romulus: Mary’s Tale elicits the need for more when the last word has been devoured. A truly enjoyable read from start to finish.