Official Review: The Suicide Society

[Kappy]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Suicide Society" by William Brennan Knight.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Suicide Society (2015), by William Brennan Knight, is a 354-page supernatural thriller available as a Kindle book. The novel examines issues such as suicide, the will to live, the value of human life, the nature of evil, terrorist attacks, and mind control. This appears to be the author's first published book.

The tale is set in the present day, and the author smoothly incorporates modern technology into the narrative without excessive focus on it; the story remains focused on the characters. The novel begins with a series of vignettes of people seriously considering suicide in which the author convincingly reveals their thoughts of despair. If you have always been baffled at the possible motivations of a suicide bomber, the book's plausible example of such a situation will help you understand how it can occur.

The story's protagonist, Zach, has disturbingly realistic visions of people who are about to commit suicide. During these visions, he experiences considerable distress; this significantly enhances the believability of the tale. The antagonist, "the Benefactor," is pure evil with strong supernatural powers and no redeeming characteristics. A cult-like group of people throughout the world became his minions after he saved them from their suicide attempts. He has arranged several terrorist attacks with nuclear weapons; Zach appears to be the only one who might be able to stop him. The tension builds steadily throughout the novel, leading to a final showdown between Zach and the Benefactor, and a satisfying ending with a couple of twists.

There are many sub-plots in the novel, but the author does an excellent job of skipping around without confusing the reader. Mr. Knight also keeps the narrative moving at a fast pace without sacrificing character development, which is incorporated piecemeal instead of in long, drab passages. He also enhances the realism by regularly including odors in his descriptions of events.

The story includes some rather gruesome imagery and profane language, but they serve a purpose, i.e., to establish the extreme depravity of the Benefactor. The author keeps these events concise and doesn't go overboard, and thus may shock you but probably won't sicken you.

This is a first-rate book in all respects, so it has earned 4 out of 4 stars. The author writes clearly and concisely, and refrains from unnecessary digressions. The grammatical errors are infrequent and minor. The novel would have received fewer stars if the author had failed to keep the action captivating throughout the story, or if he had given us an easily predictable ending. The Suicide Society will appeal to people who enjoy unambiguous good-versus-evil thrillers set in the present day. Some portions of the book, however, are too grisly and intense for children.

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The Suicide Society
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[BlaqkViolette]

Very interesting! Great review

[bluemel4]

Wonderful review. It is difficult to find a book that truly captures a suicidal person's the state of mind. Interesting that there is a twist to it with a bad guy. I am going to add this to my to-read list. It sounds very interesting.

[Kappy]

Thanks for the kind words, BlaqkViolette and bluemel4.

[zeldas_lullaby]

I thought it was a great review too! This book sounds really good. Suicide is a neat topic.

[Kappy]

I thought it was a great review too! This book sounds really good. Suicide is a neat topic.

Thanks! Note that I didn't forget to reveal the meaning of the title. It refers to something specific, but you won't find out until the end of the book.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Thanks! Note that I didn't forget to reveal the meaning of the title. It refers to something specific, but you won't find out until the end of the book.

Ah, very clever. And intriguing.

[bookowlie]

Great review Kappy! The book sounds fantastic. I like your view that it "may shock you, but probably won't sicken you". I am not a fan of books where the grisly sections make me nauseous.

[Kappy]

Great review Kappy! The book sounds fantastic. I like your view that it "may shock you, but probably won't sicken you". I am not a fan of books where the grisly sections make me nauseous.

Thanks, bookowlie! I also dislike overly gruesome descriptions. But in this book, the author makes his point, then moves on.

[debo9967]

Seems like an interesting and thrilling story. Nice review!

[Kappy]

Seems like an interesting and thrilling story. Nice review!

Thanks! I was quite impressed by this book.

[WBKnight]

Kappy, I just wanted to drop a quick line to thank you for such a thorough and insightful review. I was hoping to convey a dark mood and a sense of heightened tension to the reader. I'm gratified that the concept seemed to work for you. It's obvious you put a lot of time and effort into crafting your reviews, and from an author’s standpoint, it's greatly appreciated.

WBK

[Kappy]

Kappy, I just wanted to drop a quick line to thank you for such a thorough and insightful review....

Thanks, Mr. Knight! Reading your book was a pleasure.

[CardinalsLuvBooks]

Wow! This was a very thorough, persuasive review. I may just have to pick up this book and check it out for myself.

[Kappy]

Wow! This was a very thorough, persuasive review. I may just have to pick up this book and check it out for myself.

Thanks! I'm glad you liked the review. And welcome to OnlineBookClub!