Killer Asylum

Rating:
Summary: A Dark Exploration of the Serial Killer Mind
Review: "Killer Asylum" is an intense, disturbing novel with some of the most frightening passages I have ever read and filled with images that stay with you long after the final haunting sentence. "Killer Asylum" is about a government research facility where a coven of the world's most heinous serial killers have been gathered for the purpose of trying to understand how their minds work and how they came to be. The inmates soon take over the asylum and hold the staff as hostage. Their single demand is that, in exchange for the lives of their hostages, the one person responsible for their capture be brought to them. That one person is former FBI profiler Alison Moire - one of the most complex female protagonists to grace any novel I have ever read. Alison agrees to enter the asylum but does so not for the sake of the hostages but for her own personal reasons. The result is a story that combines the visceral thrills of "Silence of the Lambs" and the dark surrealism of "Naked Lunch" with the tear-it-up action of a "Die Hard".

On the surface, "Killer Asylum" has all the earmarks of your typical suspense thriller and indeed it works very well on just that level. There is a "pulpish" quality to the work that reminds me at time of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and even at times of Clive Barker in his early "Books of Blood" phase. But throughout the work also raises some very interesting questions about madness, obsession and the nature of evil. Alison is not just some Clarence Starling clone. She is a mature woman of thirty-seven with a younger lover (who also happens to be Asian). She is tormented by a past that includes her having witnessed the murder of her mother, father and two brothers at the hands of an unknown assailant. There are also questions about her own sanity. During the course of Alison's ordeal in the asylum, she is injected with a "psychopharmaceutical" that alters the chemistry of the brain, resulting in a form of "artificial" madness. It is these passages that describe what Alison "sees" that provide some of most disturbing, skin-crawling imagery in the book. The "killers" are also far from one note. Short chapters are devoted to each, to their pasts, to the thought processes they possess, to their "world views". This brings the reader deeper into the mind of a serial killer than any novel I have ever read before, and possibly deeper than many would care to go.

For those who loved "Silence of the Lambs" (or any serial killer novel of the type) but were disappointed by "Hannibal", I highly recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: Soren rated by David using BRACE Character Profile
Review: David ...
I am still waiting on a copy of the book ... the character analysis of Soren Cabal is exceptionally interesting ... The more I look at the BRACE Character Profile graphics, the more I want a copy ...

The following is the BRACE "character analysis" of Soren Cabal I did based on your ratings of the character. Hope you don't mind if I post it here. It is certainly "a review" ... and, by a person who has not read the book, yet!

"Very unique, interesting character. Exceptionally intelligent and highly motivated to be in control. In fact, being dominant and in control is ultimately more important than both perusing pleasure and avoiding pain. This is someone so sophisticated that high risks can be run safely and enemies are as likely to do themselves in as they are to be done in directly. There is nothing stupid about this person, but their weakness is their unyielding desire to win and dominate. They are willing to use violence as necessary and are likely to be sadistic, both physically and emotionally. They would be cognitively isolated and unable to establish normal relationships . The objects of their affection would meet a cold, calculating, methodical individual who would over power and destroy or absorb them physically and psychologically."

Like I said ... the story line is just too good not to be a movie. Reminds me of the world ... closing in. You get a 5!
:-)
Russell

Rating:
Summary: The Master of Blood and Gore is Here
Review: From E-Book Reviews Weekly

David R. Williams deserves to be fleeced for robbing my sleep, chilling me to death and gifting me a grossly uncomfortable state of perpetual wariness. Welcome to the 'not so obscure', violent, grotesque and scrumptiously insane world of David R. Williams.

The book is a treat for all you true lovers of horror who have been turning anorexic; thanks to a diet of toon-land, terror billboards, and noodle thin 'frighteners'. The master of blood and gore is here and he is making a bold statement; the font color is undoubtedly red.

"Killer Asylum" is about a government research facility where a coven of the world's most heinous serial killers have been gathered for the purpose of trying to understand how their minds work and how they came to be. The inmates soon take over the asylum and hold the staff hostage. Their single demand is that, in exchange for the lives of their hostages, the one person responsible for their capture be brought to them - Alison Moire.

This work is an awe-inspiring journey into personalities, that are visceral and demanding, to the extent that the readers, will be coaxed into becoming a part of the horrifying nightmare. Soren Cabal is devil in a serial killer's dress and he is a boogey-man sans conscience, sans pity. Alison Moire who is haunted by the memories of her family's murder, is a tribute to David's ability to etch flesh and blood characters that will haunt you forever. A well-researched work of fiction; Killer Asylum will keep you glued to your chair. It is true that the atten tion to details is outstanding, but I strongly feel that his ability to create a gripping storyline with an elegant sense of timing has been overlooked. A visually rich, terror machine, the cat and mouse game played by the protagonist will leave you yearning for more.

Killer Asylum would make an excellent movie; as regards the mistakes, this very fact is the origin of all disappointments a serious reader would face while reading. The author's prose goes hopelessly haywire. The comparisons are less than impressive and the narration choppy. It is almost as if we are watching a thriller, breathless and aching for closure. That is precisely the worst mistake to commit while writing a book. The typos have virtually raped the book and turned it into a scarred, bruised corpse. Dear David, please send the book to a good editor because with a systematic elimination of such flaws, you can assuredly brag of having written a genuinely frightening work, which will continue to be read and cherished by generations of readers. The main protagonist is definitely a clone of Clarence Starling and Cabal the 'larger, better extra strong, now in a new pack' Hannibal Lecter. Even if I am wrong, nobody can blame thousands of readers for drawing a similar conclusion; Williams could have really done something about it in the planning stages. A similarly bad aspect is the 'I have seen it in that movie' effect, which will not help his cause of establishing himself as a truly gifted writer. The characters are sometimes inflated to an appalling extent, so much so that we feel suffocated; our initial impression regarding the character also takes a beating. The book has its fair share of errors, which need to be corrected.

All said and done it's a delectable dish, rich and terrifying, action packed and pulsating with effervescent energy and above all it is 'Horror at its best'. Meanwhile brace yourself for terror beyond your wildest dreams because he will assuredly deliver more than what you can handle.

Nikesh Murali, eBook Reviews Weekly

Rating:
Summary: The Master of Blood and Gore is Here
Review: From E-Book Reviews Weekly

David R. Williams deserves to be fleeced for robbing my sleep, chilling me to death and gifting me a grossly uncomfortable state of perpetual wariness. Welcome to the ???not so obscure???, violent, grotesque and scrumptiously insane world of David R. Williams.

The book is a treat for all you true lovers of horror who have been turning anorexic; thanks to a diet of toon-land, terror billboards, and noodle thin ???frighteners???. The master of blood and gore is here and he is making a bold statement; the font color is undoubtedly red.

"Killer Asylum" is about a government research facility where a coven of the world's most heinous serial killers have been gathered for the purpose of trying to understand how their minds work and how they came to be. The inmates soon take over the asylum and hold the staff hostage. Their single demand is that, in exchange for the lives of their hostages, the one person responsible for their capture be brought to them - Alison Moire.

This work is an awe-inspiring journey into personalities, that are visceral and demanding, to the extent that the readers, will be coaxed into becoming a part of the horrifying nightmare. Soren Cabal is devil in a serial killer???s dress and he is a boogey-man sans conscience, sans pity. Alison Moire who is haunted by the memories of her family???s murder, is a tribute to David???s ability to etch flesh and blood characters that will haunt you forever. A well-researched work of fiction; Killer Asylum will keep you glued to your chair. It is true that the atten tion to details is outstanding, but I strongly feel that his ability to create a gripping storyline with an elegant sense of timing has been overlooked. A visually rich, terror machine, the cat and mouse game played by the protagonist will leave you yearning for more.

Killer Asylum would make an excellent movie; as regards the mistakes, this very fact is the origin of all disappointments a serious reader would face while reading. The author???s prose goes hopelessly haywire. The comparisons are less than impressive and the narration choppy. It is almost as if we are watching a thriller, breathless and aching for closure. That is precisely the worst mistake to commit while writing a book. The typos have virtually raped the book and turned it into a scarred, bruised corpse. Dear David, please send the book to a good editor because with a systematic elimination of such flaws, you can assuredly brag of having written a genuinely frightening work, which will continue to be read and cherished by generations of readers. The main protagonist is definitely a clone of Clarence Starling and Cabal the ???larger, better extra strong, now in a new pack??? Hannibal Lecter. Even if I am wrong, nobody can blame thousands of readers for drawing a similar conclusion; Williams could have really done something about it in the planning stages. A similarly bad aspect is the ???I have seen it in that movie??? effect, which will not help his cause of establishing himself as a truly gifted writer. The characters are sometimes inflated to an appalling extent, so much so that we feel suffocated; our initial impression regarding the character also takes a beating. The book has its fair share of errors, which need to be corrected.

All said and done it???s a delectable dish, rich and terrifying, action packed and pulsating with effervescent energy and above all it is ???Horror at its best???. Meanwhile brace yourself for terror beyond your wildest dreams because he will assuredly deliver more than what you can handle.

Nikesh Murali, eBook Reviews Weekly

Rating:
Summary: Silence of the Lambs meets Cuckoo's Next
Review: In this thriller, author Williams draws heavily from two inventive books that were made into classic movies. Its central story of a clever serial killer and a dedicated FBI agent seems clearly inspired by Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs. Williams folds these elements into a bloody update of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with a team of serial killers engaged in a graphically violent patient revolt.

Killer Asylum is a suspenseful page-turner, but all too often the author's effusive style trips over itself. An example of this is a scene where the evil serial killer, Soren Cabal, dumps the intrepid heroine into a dark basement: She was in the laundry room. Laying on a pile of unwashed sheets. Blue lights mounted on the walls behind cages cast odd, diffused checkerboards. A row of industrial washing machines lined one wall; an advanced guard of cubist Cyclopes. Killer Asylum has many similarly odd metaphors that detract from the flow of the novel; at one point, the villain's body is twisted like a swastika.

The narrative is sharp, gory, and Gothic. The writing is often choppy, and filled with sentence fragments, dashes, and ellipses. A passage in which the villain has again captured the heroine is a good example: "She was in a small room; a sanctorum, much longer than wide, almost like a . . . (walk-in closet) . . . an abruptly terminated hallway, one that had ended long before it reached its intended destination. (or a coffin)"

When Killer Asylum is in the middle of one of its many action scenes this fragmented style increases the story's momentum instead of slowing it down. Williams describes these scenes with accuracy and flair in a vivid, almost cinematic way. An example is a gunfight that Alison has with Cabal's accomplices: The cylinder exploded. The door frame vanished in a cloud of dirty fog. A blood curdling scream accented by shattered glass, ruptured wood and the detonation of the extinguisher. Shrapnel ricocheted off the top of the panel, drew crackling sparks, tore into the wall.

The villains are evil and sadistic, and the heroine is brave and resourceful. The story is suspenseful, if somewhat predictable, and Williams tells it in a relentless, graphic manner. Killer Asylum is a competent thriller,

Rating:
Summary: A Dark Stroll Through a Serial Killer's Mind
Review: One of my biggest complaints with books dealing with serial
killers is how often the authors create dark godlings instead
of believable monsters. While Cabal does fall into the
eyebrow-raising realm of credibility, the stage is creatively
set for you to WANT to believe he exists. He is the symbolic
boogey man, complete with nightmares and closets partially
opened. This is not to say this book is meant for whiling away
a lazy afternoon. I strongly forewarn the potential reader.
Reading Killer Asylum is the closest you will ever want to be
to walking in a serial killer's mind.

Killer Asylum reminded me of approaching a car wreck. The
closer you get to the accident the more you want to turn away
- yet still find yourself trying to see the carnage. Even as you
turn away in disgust a part of you wants to look one last time.
Cabal's behavior is so horrendous; it stuns the reader with
the blatant crudity and honest viscousness that David
Williams splashes across the pages like a victim's corpse.
The bleak reality Alison (the protagonist) defines her life by is something many profilers touch on, but have never quite explained so clearly.

The terror of falling into the abyss, yet drawn to the dark
control, is a struggle every profiler relates to. Killer Asylum's
vivid imagery allowed the reader to feel the struggle within
Alison, to feel the aching tiredness in her mind. The imagery
is so clear, the reader is left identifying with the heroine. You
want her to retire, as you can sense how close she is on the
edge. You feel for the heroine as only a well-written book
allows you to.

This is a dark read, but highly enlightening for those who do
not understand the fascination of the serial killers mind. Do I
recommend this book for mainstream? No. It is too brutal,
graphic, too real for the mainstream to digest. Do I
recommend it for reading? Definitely. I recommend anyone
interested in the serial killer's mind or a profession dealing
with profiling read this book. And, once done, ask yourself the
question I finally had to face. Could you handle the real thing,
when this is just a taste?

Rating:
Summary: The Patients Have Taken Over the Asylum
Review: This book is as gruesome and action-packed as any you are likely to find in bookstores today, complete with a kick-ass female FBI agent and a devilishly intelligent serial murderer as her nemesis. Williams has an extensive vocabulary of the vulgar which he uses to the full extent to describe the horror of what happens when a bunch of institutionalized serial killers manage to take over the asylum.

Williams has packed a lot of interesting ideas into a compact and quick read. Especially ambitious is his attempt to bring to life so many extreme characters. Although the ringleader of the madness, Soren Cabal, is fascinating I sometimes missed the intimacy of exploring the pathology of one specific madman. But having an asylum full of killers is what really puts the action over the top.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Fabulous
Review: This book was great! David Williams is the future of horror. Great story line with excellent imagery.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best of the genre!
Review: This is one of the most horrifying horror novels I've ever read. It's terrifying, but once started, you can't put the blasted thing down. This is like no other book about serial killers that I've come across, and I thought I'd read some pretty gruesome ones!

WARNING:
This is not for the faint of heart, nor for the kiddies.

(And, don't read it before bedtime--it may keep you up all night!)