The Iron Gospels

William Hache
Nightbox Publications (2009)
ISBN 9780981313207
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (11/09)

 

Waking up injured, with no memory except for his name, David Banner finds himself in the wilderness, surrounded by a strange cult.  Believing him to be a prophet, named John Cauliflower, who has come to save them, David is treated with reverence.  As time passes and he continues to heal, he sees more and more of the dark ways of the people.  Being led by a charismatic leader named Rufus, they follow him completely.  There is no escape from this group.  The penalty for treason is death.

Initially David is horrified at the actions of the people.  He also knows that when they discover that he is not who they think he is, he will be in great danger.  As he begins plotting his escape, another injured man is brought into the community.  The people start suspecting that this man might be the chosen one instead of David.  There is a drought, crops are dying, and an illness is killing off many of them.  They are getting scared. Assuming that the new person doesn’t want to be there, David makes contact with him.  The man recognizes him and tries to help jog his memory.  Getting the man to help him with his charade, David “heals” him and once again has the followers believing in him.

As time passes and desperate measures are called for, David begins taking leadership.  The adulation from the others begins to corrupt him.  He starts believing he was sent to save them.  In doing so, he begins taking on a different persona. His values and hopes of returning diminish.  He alienates himself from the other survivor.  Sucked into his new role, he has changed past the point of no return.
           
I read “The Iron Gospels” in a single sitting.  The idea behind the story is fascinating.  The dark ways of the people is very unsettling and disturbing.  Reading this novel was so much more fun because the people creeped me out so much.  As a psychological horror, it was also fascinating to see how a person could be so strongly influenced by a cult mentality.  Due to his memory loss, the main character was basically a blank slate.  Initially he retained his core values, but as time passed he was corrupted. This is scary, because it reminds me of my own mortality and my hopes that my innate goodness cannot be altered.  Not so in this story! “The Iron Gospels” by William Hache is definitely worth reading. I highly recommend as a selection for reader’s groups.  It will really make you think.

Make comment on weblog