The Black Farm

I enjoy splatterpunk immensely when it's written well, which is why I was so disappointed by the implausible plot holes after 55%.

The first half is brutal, bleak and compelling, but ultimately becomes an average thriller when it could easily have been 5 stars by retaining realistic storytelling mechanics.

Warning: this book is extreme and shocking, so please avoid it if that's not your thing.

A certain amount of plausibility can be discarded because of the waystation setting in hell and how subjective that is, as Nick, the main character, goes through extreme suffering: he and his wife's suicide, their subsequent reincarnation, and endless physical and traumatic pain. He gains the ability to bounce back quickly from setbacks, which helps to boost the story along instead of reflecting and considering too much, making for fast-paced and realistic action.

The Black Farm is a gem of a book for the first 50% and could have been a <u>masterpiece</u> in its genre in the right storytelling hands. And then it went pear-shaped for reasons I try to explain.

Until the midway point there was no way of telling which way the story would unfold, but then became predictable as the author kept his foot on the peddle for the sake of thrills.

Below are the gaping plot holes:

<spoiler>

# The ensuing battle after Jess was rescued. Nick gets fatally stabbed by a blade to the shoulder, causing the fight to effectively end, but somehow, summons his inner berserker powers to rise off the floor and defeat his foes. Cheesy, but not the end of the world.

# After the battle, Nick and Jess forget their injuries and find a clearing in the woods to have sex.

To emphasize how silly this is, they wake up the next morning, rested and satiated from their lovemaking. The wounds still hurt but gradually start to become less severe due to the powers of love?

# Nick and Jess get to the rendezvous point at the exact moment the boat sets out, who jump on board after gathering supplies and head to safety. The homemade raft is watertight, solid for four people to rest and sleep, and rowed at incredible Olympic competition speeds when in danger. Let's not mention the mortally wounded shoulder!

# After Nick mercifully commits suicide and reincarnates, he finds himself on a path confronted by Pudge and his homemade shotgun, which Nick commandeers for himself to use later on against his foes, like finding a magic powerup in a video game before confronting the main boss.

# After killing his foes, Nick eats the one sent from heaven so that he now has pure flesh and blood to repel the evil of the Pig! This includes projectile vomiting down Jess' throat so that she also gains this pure attribute.

# When the Pig eats Nick and Jess, Jess has her legs bitten off at the thigh, yet grabs hold of Nick and urges him on for one last push. You can do it, Nick, I'm not hurting at all!

</spoiler>

The whole book is based on vulnerability - you're in hell with no way to escape or survive - leading to inevitable death followed by reincarnation to relive the hellish experience over and over again, which is what made the book so fantastic at the start: observing how much suffering characters could take against impossible odds.

It then becomes a superhero comic, with characters able to withstand insurmountable odds and turn into legendary badasses in their own right.

It's a pity that an extreme story with such carefully constructed rules of engagement and survival then becomes corny, dumb and predictable.

Think about it this way: The 120 Days of Sodom doesn't work as a book, nor Hogg by Samuel R Delany because of how desensitized you become after about 20%, which is what happens in The Black Farm to a lesser extent but in a more dynamic way, and whereas the aforementioned books become repetitive and boring, The Black Farm turns into a thriller that's, unfortunately, made out of cheese.

But you have to give this book merit for sheer endeavour, especially if extreme horror is your thing.

I've heard good things about the sequel, Return to the Black Farm, so I'm hopeful Elias Witherow can be more consistent, with better reasoning, experience and less desperation, especially as I've already bought a copy!