 |
Three grisly tales comprise Moret’s book of terror. In “Wrath of the Devil Dogs,” a high school football student, Lugo, is bitten by Himalayan Devil Dogs while visiting the Los Angeles Zoo on a class trip. Under the moonlight, he morphs into a wolf-man of sorts and wreaks havoc upon the city. His teammate, Johnny, and his girlfriend, Lisa, arm themselves to fight the deadly beast terrorizing the night. “King of the Vampires” centers on a seventeen-year-old sheepherder, Ivan, and his encounters with vampiric creatures in the Russian countryside. He discovers a supernatural power within him, becoming a reluctant, vampire-killing hero to face the powerful King of the Vampires, Demetrius. The final tale, “Curse of the Incas,” finds archaeology students on a dangerous expedition in the mountains of Peru to study the ancient Incas. There they encounter Inca ghosts and mummies and are pitted against a great curse for survival.
Moret’s stories are love letters to the horror genre. He expands a bit upon original concepts, adds a modern twist to them, and infuses them with his own narrative style. His stories are nostalgic and equally balanced with dread, humor, and romance. His protagonists all confront supernatural forces, combining strength in numbers to restore order once again in the midst of chaos. From this, heroism rises above the darkness, and hope triumphs over despair. While all three stories share a thematic continuity, each stands well enough on its own. Of the three, though, “King of Vampires” emerges as his best written. It is clear Moret has a fondness for the genre in which he writes, drawing on influences from classic horror fables of old to create something that is uniquely his. Horror fans should enjoy the author’s offerings and look forward to more of his work.