Product Description

The "Unblemished" artfully interweaves the stories of a serial killer who believes he is the rightful son and heir to an ancient dynasty of flesh-eating monsters, and a mother determined to protect her only daughter from the stuff of nightmares. The fate of each of them and the survival of the entire human race depends on one man, Bo Mulvey, who possesses the ancient wisdom the blood thirsty evil needs to achieve its full and horrifying potential.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80842 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
Conrad Williams sold his first short story at the age of eighteen and has gone on to write over 80 more novels and anthologies. In 1993 he won the British Fantasy Award for Best Newcomer. His work has since been shortlisted for awards by the British Fantasy Society and the International Horror Guild. He lives in Manchester where he teaches creative writing at a local university.

Customer Reviews

Body horror written in pulp prose
The Unblemished may promise a modern classic horror tale set within it's own dark and detailed London, but all it delivers is the most crass kind of body horror written in the worst pulp prose. I used to read trash like this in the 80s as a teenager: I can't believe they're still printing this kind of drivel now. Conrad Williams comes across as a sick little monkey desperate for shocks, presumably because he can't write anything better.

If you're a fan of splatter films such as Hostel and the Saw series you may enjoy this. However, if you prefer your frights to be a little more cerebral, stay well away.

I am not a horror fan but...
I found myself reading this book after seeing Conrad speak at Alt.Fiction. I was surprised at just how much I got into it and how fast I was ripping through the book.

The author does a great job of keeping you guessing until the very end, you are never sure what is going to happen to the characters you have spent the whole book getting to know and like.

There are shades of `28 Days Later' for sure but it is at the same time vastly different. The writing itself is great, rich and varied; it rolls off the tongue and keeps you skipping along.

There are some particularly nasty scenes within The Unblemished covers so if you are squeamish this may not be the book for you, for me it made me want to go check out some of Conrad's earlier work, I think the `Scalding Rooms' will be next on my purchase list. :)

Cheers,
Chris

Ultimately dissappointing
Not particularly scary. Plenty of gore and violence and descriptions thereof.

SPOILER:



Stretches credibility that a metropolis like London could be devastated without the government lifting a finger until it's all over.