Official Review: No more normies by Henry Reign

Quinto · Post by **Quinto** » 09 Oct 2017, 11:03

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "No more normies" by Henry Reign.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Coming across the experience that is the novel No More Normies by Henry Reign, one gets the impression it's really a ride to the wacky and ferocious! The author piggybacks on today's preoccupation with social media to advance his theme, and build a plot based on the negative side of the bounty hunting profession.

The narrative begins with a flash forward in which one of the main characters, Valentin, has shot someone in self-defence. In an ironical twist, with his victim, Petyr, sprawled on the floor, Valentin proceeds to engage him in small talk. In the process, the audience comes to learn that not only do the two know each other but also Valentin is planning his debut to the writing profession. Upon which Valentin offers to read Petyr "a chapter or two" of the book he is currently writing. Quite remarkably, his narration turns out to be the start of the plot to this novel, No More Normies, with the two of them being among its characters.

The author begins his plot with Valentin and Johan, the main characters, coming from the North where they had gone for "a little treasure hunting." They are now tired and are looking forward to the trappings of Turku, a town well known to Valentin. As their dialogue develops, the reader comes to learn of their next important mission or obsession, to be more exact; this is to kill the most infamous outlaw in the North responsible for, among others, children kidnappings and who goes by the alias name of Ratface. Accordingly, their first task becomes staking-out the villain's hideout and for which they have a point man in mind and a tentative plan of reaching him. The only question that now lingers in the mind is whether they can bring down a fugitive with immense underground connection and a troop of bloodthirsty militiamen for his guard.

Throughout this novel, I found myself in the unfamiliar but exciting territory of bounty hunting. Its operation in the context of this novel is highly controversial, however, at least judging from the characters' own arguments on what's exactly they do: is it just bounty hunting? or are they simply killing people for the money? or even for free? But, maybe there is better definition, and this has to do with the term "new world" as is used in the context of the novel. Simply put, it may just mean the era of political correctness or, incredibly, the dawn of an era where those who've provoked others need to be shown "where they really belong." Thus we find the hot-headed Johan taking advantage of this advent to mete out instant punishment to someone just because he has not used a proverb in a gender sensitive way, or because someone doesn't want to be drawn into an altercation with him. Yes, sadly, that's the pervasive world of this novel!

On a brighter side, not all characters have a putrid mind, however; Petyr, who is a doctor by profession, counters Valentin's prolific and often masochistic ideas head-on, through the use of his calmness of spirit and ingenuity. Moreover, his immense resourcefulness cures Valentin's girlfriend unusual ailment and pacifies the aggressiveness and impetuous nature of Valentin's sidekick, Johan. Some of the themes the author explores include child trafficking, drug abuse, race relation, social oriented themes of normies, furries and memes, and preoccupational violence.

On the negative, what I didn't like about the book is the overt and grotesque descriptions the author employs in describing his scenes. Furthermore, the nature or even the purpose of the scene where the main characters are portrayed fighting furries is unclear; the scene's plausibility is questionable because, if the beings are spiritual, then, they couldn't have been killed and if, on the other hand, they are physical as the author seems to portray, then, what were they doing lurking in the shadows since Valentin and his partner were unexpected? Lastly, I found the character of Henry underdeveloped and his inclusion in the plot unnecessary. Henry being a close friend of Valentin, one would have expected his role to be significant. Instead, he is presented as feeble minded, suffering from anxiety and technologically inept. The only help he offers is in the form of giving directions to Ratface's hide-out which is not plausible either; as this is information Valentin or any other person seeking it couldn't have missed.

On a more positive note, I was thoroughly entertained by the drawn-out verbal exchange between Valentin and Petyr. I called it the battle of wits, with the former constantly on the losing end that he resorts to desperate measures like encouraging his adversary to imbibe alcohol in the hope that his reasoning will be incapacitated!

The book appears to be professionally edited and formatted, with only a couple of spelling mistakes scattered throughout the book. To his credit, the author has written a spellbinding novel that kept me on my toes. I found the plot to have a lot of surprises which I couldn't have guessed beforehand. The theme of child prostitution especially, was very touching, and I liked how it was handled and the impression the key character presented to his audience.

In conclusion, the subject matter that the book handles is highly controversial and personal in nature, but at the same time, insightful and relevant to our current society. Nevertheless, the author's views, language and graphic descriptions will come out as morbid, cruel, dark and offensive to some. Consequently, an adult audience is advised. As a parting comment, I enjoyed reading the book and I strongly recommend it; there being no major editing issues to talk about, I award the novel 4 out of 4 stars.

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No more normies
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juliusotinyo · Post by **juliusotinyo** » 10 Oct 2017, 05:54

Political correctness, I'd probably call it identity crisis. I remember referring to a native American as Indian 5 years ago in his country and the dude through such a fit. There are quite a bit of Indians (from India) in South America. This makes some Amerindians (Native Amerindians) offended. Bounty hunting is cruel, been seeing some reality TV on the subject and I don't like it.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 10 Oct 2017, 07:28

Sounds interesting. All in all, though, I'm not sure this book is for me. Sounds like it would be a little too dark and morbide for me. Thanks for a good review, though.

Quinto · Post by **Quinto** » 10 Oct 2017, 10:04

juliusotinyo wrote:Political correctness, I'd probably call it identity crisis. I remember referring to a native American as Indian 5 years ago in his country and the dude through such a fit. There are quite a bit of Indians (from India) in South America. This makes some Amerindians (Native Amerindians) offended. Bounty hunting is cruel, been seeing some reality TV on the subject and I don't like it.

Hee hee Julius, Sorry for your experiences, you definitely learned the hard way! Yeah, identity crisis begins to describe it. You know political correctness is a vague concept. It's more like what is trending, and in the end you get nothing but outdated feelings! Thanks for stopping by.

-- 10 Oct 2017, 18:07 --

kandscreeley wrote:Sounds interesting. All in all, though, I'm not sure this book is for me. Sounds like it would be a little too dark and morbide for me. Thanks for a good review, though.

Hi Kandscreeley, Yeah you got it. The book is definitely morbid but insightful. One needs the stamina.

Thanks for your compliments and stopping by.

geoffrey ngoima · Post by **geoffrey ngoima** » 10 Oct 2017, 11:40

Man, this book is packed! There's a lot (bounty hunting business, child prostitution...) I'd like to learn from it, and your review is excellent.

KeriCraven · Post by **KeriCraven** » 10 Oct 2017, 12:54

The title caught my attention but your review has me so intrigued that I cannot wait to read. Thank you for your wonderful review

TheWriteAngel · Post by **TheWriteAngel** » 11 Oct 2017, 10:58

Seems interesting, but a little too intense for my taste. Good review, though!

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 12 Oct 2017, 01:56

Sounds like a great read with a unique way of introducing the story. Kind of creative

Good job on the review. Congratulations to Henry Reign on such a high rating.

sj_robert · Post by **sj_robert** » 15 Oct 2017, 04:31

Great review, I enjoyed reading about what drew you to the plot but I don't seem to enjoy such content. Maybe its bounty hunting, I'd rather Marshals do these jobs than some washed-up wrestlers as is the norm in some parts of the USA.

Sonireallyam · Post by **Sonireallyam** » 27 Oct 2017, 13:17

This is certainly intriguing, good job with the review.

Kalin Adi · Post by **Kalin Adi** » 27 Oct 2017, 22:36

From bounty hunting to child trafficking? It sounds grotesque! At least for me! I'm glad you enjoyed the reading, though. Thanks for the well written review!

Uinto · Post by **Uinto** » 09 Apr 2018, 05:55

The author's story is very controversial and bound to raise a lot of questions on the bounty hunting profession. The narrative holds nothing back as it delves straight into the matter of searching for fugitives and with a masterful use of backstreet linqua franca.